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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How is the sneaky approach of the raptors - using what seems to be a lone raptor - revealed to the occupants of the high hide?

2. According to Malcolm's assessment of the island population, about how many dinosaur species are present on the island?

3. While stopped at the muddy stream bank, about six lizard-size animals the size of a chicken surround the trailer. What kind of animals are these?

4. What does Harding shove at the pursuing raptors so she can reach safety?

5. Which one of the people in the high hide is the second to fall to the ground?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Malcolm discount Darwin's natural selection theory?

2. The man who is out searching for gas begins to ponder why the raptors are not following them any longer. What is his theory?

3. Describe the appearance of the raptor nest.

4. While King has risen up through the ranks of the corporate spies, what has he struggled to do since joining Biosyn?

5. When the men move out from their landing site, why do they decide to head north?

6. When Levine is alone in the high hide after the others have gone back to the trailer to await Harding's arrival, what does Levine do that he never intended to do, and why does he think Malcolm will be upset with him?

7. Describe the type and behavior of dinosaur that is attacking the high hide?

8. How does Levine respond when Malcolm and Thorne berate him for coming to Costa Rica alone and without telling the others where he was going?

9. Eddie wants to splint the baby dinosaur's broken leg so it won't die in the wild. Harding warns him that the cast will kill the baby, too. Why and what does Harding propose?

10. How is the dinosaur kill site that Harding sees different from anything she has seen before in Africa?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Richard Levine with Lewis Dodgson.

a. How are the two characters similar in terms of their professional lives? How are they different?

b. How are the two characters similar in their personality characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses? How are they different?

c. Only one of these characters ultimately survives the ordeal on the Costa Rican island. Is Dodgson's death a result of his own doing or a result of dumb luck? Is Levine's survival a result of his own doing or a result of dumb luck? Support your reasoning for both.

d. Looking forward, how might this ordeal have affected each of these men as they moved forward with their lives? Would they be similarly affected or not? Explain your answers and your reasoning.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Ian Malcolm and Richard Levine.

a. How are the two characters similar? How are they different?

b. Compare the role of that complexity theory plays in each of their lives. How is each character affected by this theory - both positively and negatively?

Essay Topic 3

The book is entitled, "The Lost World". Why does the author choose this title? How does the title foreshadow the creatures used in the novel, the events that unfold on the island, and the choice of Ian Malcolm as one of the main characters?

(see the answer keys)

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