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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Dillard think of Tinker Creek in the first chapter?
(a) as a place that time forgot
(b) as a scary, mysterious place
(c) that she'd rather live somewhere else
(d) as an anchor that keeps her steady in the current of life

2. What does the author see as an active mystery?
(a) if the creek will ever get bigger
(b) whether it will rain that day
(c) whether there's life after death
(d) Tinker Creek

3. Chlorophyll has a single atom of what substance in the center?
(a) zinc
(b) hydrogen
(c) carbon
(d) magnesium

4. What is the analogy she draws between the snake skin and the seasons?
(a) there is no analogy between snakes and seasons
(b) snakes shed skins in accordance with the seasons
(c) seasons are a continuous loop, just as she thought the snakeskin was
(d) snakes move depending on the season

5. What does Dillard's fascination and stories about praying mantises demonstrate?
(a) she never saw insects before moving to Tinker Creek
(b) she watches horror movies too
(c) both her fascination and revulsion of the world of nature
(d) she wants to change the way some things are

6. How do ladybugs hibernate?
(a) ladybugs hibernate under the roots of trees
(b) ladybugs die off in winter
(c) ladybugs hibernate in large masses
(d) ladybugs hide beneath the bark on trees

7. What did Dillard do at one time about insects as a child?
(a) catch fireflies in glass jars to watch them glow
(b) shooed them out of the house before her mother could kill them
(c) killed bugs with carbon tetrachloride and then pinned them on labeled boards
(d) watched them in the grass with a magnifying glass

8. One branch of Jewish philosophy believes that part of the responsibility of humans is to do what?
(a) to experience the moment
(b) planting trees
(c) to help God by hallowing creation
(d) stand in for God with the animals

9. What is figurative seeing?
(a) watching the invisible
(b) seeing in dreams
(c) seeing with the inner eye and looking beyond outward appearances
(d) closing the eyes and seeing another world

10. What changes about the view around Dillard's home when winter comes?
(a) the snow covered trees block her view of the creek
(b) nothing changes about the view
(c) the view looks stark and empty
(d) winter opens vistas around Dillard's home so she can see other homes

11. How does Dillard believe the seeking of God takes place?
(a) God is in nature
(b) Singing in the shower
(c) the seeking of God is a continuous loop, which never ends
(d) God is everywhere but the best place to seek is in church

12. What is the literal act of seeing?
(a) watching for movement in the clouds
(b) opening the eyes and looking straight ahead
(c) using binoculars to see a great distance
(d) learning how to spot the different wildlife

13. What does the author believe about acts of physical courage?
(a) they are energizing
(b) men do them more than women
(c) they are heroic
(d) they can tire you out

14. What is the translation of trompes-l' esprit ?
(a) till tomorrow
(b) tribulation preceeds victory
(c) triumph and agony
(d) trick of the mind

15. How are ladybugs shipped to gardeners?
(a) captured in nets and sedated with alcohol
(b) the hibernating bugs are packed in boxes of pine cones
(c) they are shipped in the spring, the nests are shipped in one piece
(d) they are packed in soil and water

Short Answer Questions

1. Why do birds sing?

2. Dillard writes that she is an avid collector of what?

3. Why did Xerxes stop the advance of his entire army?

4. How are Eskimos able to survive in such a harsh environment as theirs?

5. How do humans insulate themselves from the present, according to the author?

(see the answer keys)

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