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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. Wildlife is unlikely to bounce back after _________ that kill large numbers of their kind.

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

3. _____________ hurts the soil on a virtually permanent basis, according to Carson.

4. Who was intended to benefit from the removal of sagebrush from the American West?

5. Attempts to control a particular ________ in Clear Lake, California resulted in massive bird death.

Short Essay Questions

1. What caused the widespread application of chemicals in the time of World War II?

2. What is the basis of all life function, according to Carson's writing in this chapter?

3. What do the mitochondria of cells do within the body?

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

5. What are some of the reasons why DDT is so harmful to fish?

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

7. What does man want to replace the American West's sagebrush with?

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

9. What have red ants been used for in the matter of forest hygiene?

10. What are some examples of products from a person's everyday life that can contain harmful chemicals?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The world that Carson describes in the beginning of "Silent Spring" is one that provokes several reactions from readers.

Part 1: Describe the first world that Carson envisions in the first chapter of the book.

Part 2: How does the world change as the description continues on?

Part 3: Why does Carson use this description in the beginning of the book?

Essay Topic 2

The water in the world may be plentiful, but that does not necessarily mean it is usable for humans.

Part 1: Why is much of the water on the Earth not drinkable?

Part 2: What are some causes for the most recent water pollution findings?

Part 3: How do pollutants travel from one water source to another?

Essay Topic 3

In the chapter, "Rivers of Death," the plight of the salmon is described in detail.

Part 1: What is the problem with the salmon as described by Carson?

Part 2: How might this problem have affected the surrounding areas?

Part 3: Why can't the fish population help itself? What are some of the ways in which they are going to have a lot of troubles rebounding from this decimation?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 632 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample