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

Short Answer Questions

1. When moving towards a muskrat, how does one keep from scaring it?

2. When Dillard comes upon a rooting acorn, she imagines what?

3. What does Dillard say about the muskrat fur?

4. What is necessary in order for the the gooseneck barnacle to reproduce?

5. When Dillard saw migrating Canadian geese fly, speeding across the duck pond, what did she think?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One day while hiking, Dillard comes upon a coot, a water bird, notorious for its shyness. Dillard spends a great deal of space writing about her encounter with the coot. Describe the encounter and what Dillard thinks she learned from it.

Essay Topic 2

Up to the second section of chapter eight, Dillard has primarily described details of creation. In the second part of the chapter she moves to trying to understand more about creation, and, as such, moves from logic to mysticism. Discuss the writing she has used to show this shift from observing creation to trying to understand it. What might it mean to say this moves the author from logic to mysticism?

Essay Topic 3

In the final chapter of the book, the reader can see that in attempting to understand the natural world, the author is attempting to understand its creator. How does Dillard blend her observations of the natural world with what becomes of her beliefs in a creator? Use some of her writing to illustrate your ideas.

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This section contains 410 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample