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

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Dillard finally reconcile a kind, loving creator with the carnage she observes in the natural world?

2. When Dillard scrapes the outer coating from a monarch's wing, what is left?

3. What does Dillard mean when she says she's willing to sacrifice a little blood in order to be "in the thick of things?"

4. How large might a root system for winter rye grass plant grow?

5. What does the author think about fish?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The present is fleet. One barely glimpses it, and it is gone, Dillard writes. What is the present, according to the author? Why try to stay in it? How does the present compare to the past or the future? Have you ever tried to stay in the moment? Describe one situation when the author tried to stay in the now. Do you think it's possible to stay just in the now? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Dillard often uses stories from the Eskimo culture to help her pull meaning from her observations. Discuss two of the stories Dillard has told from the Eskimo culture and their relevance to some knowledge she was trying to work through.

Essay Topic 3

In the first part of chapter eight, the author goes into great detail about many phenomena of the natural world. Write about some of the details she has written. How has her writing changed in this chapter to reflect the theme of the intricacy of nature?

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