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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. Not only do chemicals hurt the soil, but they also ____________ the soil for years.

2. Due to pollution in its environment, this kind of bird has suffered from extensive population reduction and sterility issues.

3. What is the name for chemicals that mix with other pollutants and substances in the water, producing unidentifiable results?

4. There is a disagreement among scientists about how much _______ can be safely stored in the body.

5. What happens to the people in the beginning description which puzzles doctors?

Short Essay Questions

1. What were the results of the spraying of the Japanese beetle in Michigan in 1959?

2. What has the environment played an important role in forming, according to this chapter?

3. What are synthetic pesticides now made of, as opposed to the naturally occurring minerals which were once used before the war?

4. What do our individual bodies have that the larger environment does as well?

5. What happens to the liver when it processes chemicals in the body?

6. What are the smallest organisms on the Earth which live in the soil?

7. What happens when the bees are suddenly gone from this beautiful American town?

8. What was the immediate and devastating result of the spraying of the land for Dutch Elm Disease?

9. Why do the tourists come to see the birds, as stated in this opening chapter?

10. Where does people's chemical exposure mainly come from, according to Carson?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Animals are just as affected by the use of insecticides and pesticides as the pests themselves.

Part 1: What are some of the ways in which animals are affected by the chemical use?

Part 2: How are the animals exposed to the chemicals in the first place?

Part 3: What might be the long term affects of the harm of animals in the world?

Essay Topic 2

Pests are some of the main targets of chemicals in the world. Humans try to kill pests every chance they get, in a variety of different ways and for numerous reasons.

Part 1: What are some of the pests humans try to rid the world of?

Part 2: What happens when a pest is eradicated from an area?

Part 3: What happens to the soil that is in the area where the pests have been eradicated?

Essay Topic 3

The loss of the songs of the birds is a frightening idea to many readers. In trying to control the world, the birds are leaving for other areas or dying off completely.

Part 1: Describe why the birds are leaving certain areas.

Part 2: Summarize the Dutch Elm Disease response and how it affected bird populations.

Part 3: What might have been a more natural response to the Dutch Elm Disease problem?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 681 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample