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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. The book compares tulips in fields to ______ or lipsticks, merely flashes of bright color on the horizon.

2. Appleseed used most of his crops in order to make ______, which led him to be thought of as an 'American Dionysus.'

3. Chapman is known to have floated one hundred miles down the Allegheny river on _______, fast asleep.

4. The early colonists to America in addition to bringing grafts also brought apple seeds to plant called ______.

5. The book states that the presence of flowers is a reliable predictor of future _____ and therefore was important to humans in the past.

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the main reason why the apple is presented in a book about the idea of desire? How does the apple relate to desire?

2. What happens as a result of the different environments in which a flower might be able to grow?

3. Why did Pollan plant tulip bulbs when he was a child, according to his own reflections?

4. How did the tulip bulb end up coming into Holland, even though it was not a native plant in the area?

5. What is connection between the plants in the book and their impact on the human society and vice-versa?

6. What happens when a person cuts an apple at its equator with a sharp knife?

7. Why did Jews and Christians have troubles admitting to the beauty of flowers within their celebrations?

8. Why might it be possible to say that the plants are more evolved than humans are at this point in time?

9. What does Pollan have to say about his tendency to speculate and about the connection between flowers and speculation?

10. What are the colors and the shapes of flowers designed to do, according to some scientists?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One might suggest that the idea that apples are shaping human existence is based on speculation as opposed to scientific study.

Part 1: Do you think that apples have affected the human race as a whole?

Part 2: How might a scientist study the sweetness and the effects of apples on humans?

Part 3: Is science the only way that a definitive answer can be discovered? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

The idea of beauty is one which is not easy to define, although Pollan notes that this is why tulips were so popular for a time.

Part 1: How do you define the idea of beauty? What does this mean to you?

Part 2: How do you define the idea of beauty in relation to the flowers of the world?

Part 3: Why do you think that the tulip was favored over so many other flowers in the world?

Essay Topic 3

At one point, Pollan points out that the tulip offers no nutritional value, while the fruit and the seeds provide sustenance.

Part 1: Why do you think Pollan included such a contradiction in this book?

Part 2: Do you think that Pollan's contradiction causes his book to be less valuable to a reader?

Part 3: Do you think it's possible to create a book without contradicting one's self?

(see the answer keys)

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