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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. In order to reduce time and energy spent on growing male sinsemilla plants which are useless, growers started ______.

2. The new potato called "NewLeaf" has been genetically engineered in order to produce its own ______________.

3. Farmers who plant Bt crops must leave a certain portion of their land for non-Bt crops to provide a ________ for the bugs.

4. What is a good place to experiment and a place to try out new plants and techniques without having to risk a lot?

5. ______ present in species such as the wild parsnip cause the animals that eat it to burn in the sun.

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Pollan begin to realize after the powerful storm that ruined a part of the famous gardens of Versailles?

2. What happens to the animal in the wild who decides to eat hallucinogens and thus takes in the toxins of these plants?

3. As the various lands in Europe began to rely on the potato, what were the positive benefits of this situation?

4. What causes the Great Potato Famine and the many deaths over the area of Europe?

5. What are some of the possible genetically modified food advances people might see in the future, according to Pollan?

6. Where was marijuana primarily grown up until the early 1980s when the war on drugs began?

7. Why are cats so drawn to catnip, according to the research that Pollan does after seeing how his cat response to using this herb?

8. What might have happened if the police chief had seen the marijuana plant in Pollan's backyard?

9. What does genetic engineering promise to do for the crops which are growing with these modifications?

10. What did Heath have to say about Pollan's question about pest resistance to the chemicals the potatoes are designed to produce?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When the reader sees that marijuana is one of the plants in the book, they can have a variety of reactions.

Part 1: Why do you think Pollan decided to include marijuana in this book?

Part 2: Do you agree that marijuana should be included in a book about how plants change humans as much as humans change plants?

Part 3: How do you think marijuana has affected humans, in your experience?

Essay Topic 2

Americans seem to have a clear idea as to what a 'normal' potato might look like.

Part 1: Why do you think Americans have been brought up to think of the potato in that one way?

Part 2: How do you feel about the potato? What do you think a potato should look and taste like?

Part 3: Do you feel the potato is an essential part of your diet? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

The story includes the idea that Johnny Appleseed spread the seeds of apples all over America, although no proof is given.

Part 1: Does it seem plausible that one man could have spread all of the apple seeds in the country?

Part 2: What do you think Johnny's motivations for spreading the seed might have been?

Part 3: Why is this story so nostalgic to those who live in America?

(see the answer keys)

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