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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 _________ in the potato is what causes it to produce its own pest killing chemicals, keeping other chemicals from being necessary.

3. A _______ is one that is used for getting cuttings. Like the apples, the result of the impact of this may be detrimental to the species.

4. In the book, Pollan was almost caught by the police for growing a couple of ______ plants on his property.

5. Gene flow normally occurs between closely related __________, so it seems that the Monsanto varieties will not spawn superweeds.

Short Essay Questions

1. Why were the Irish open to farming the potato in order to provide food for themselves?

2. How does one begin to grow potatoes, according to Pollan in the book?

3. Describe the experience Pollan had when the police almost found his large marijuana plants in his backyard?

4. What were the dangers of the potato, according to Malthus during the time of the rise of the potato?

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

6. What was going on at the time of Pollan's visit to Amsterdam for research for this book?

7. What has been the recurrent theme about plants which are forbidden by others? What are they supposed to provide?

8. Compare and contrast the tastes of plants which are supposed to be eaten with those which are not supposed to be eaten.

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

10. What is the most important thing to an animal's survival, according to the discussion of plants?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Marijuana, though illegal, is tolerated in many parts of the world, including the United States.

Part 1: Why do you think marijuana is tolerated in so many parts of the world?

Part 2: Do you agree that marijuana should be tolerated in society?

Part 3: How do you think the marijuana plant can or cannot help society as a whole?

Essay Topic 2

Pollan tries to assign gender qualities to flowers, as some are seen as feminine and others as masculine.

Part 1: Why do you think it is important to assign gender qualities to flowers?

Part 2: What is the purpose of assigning certain flowers to certain gender labels?

Part 3: Do you agree with the assignment of genders to flowers? What do you think this does to the discussion of flowers?

Essay Topic 3

Genetic variability is thought to be the key to the apple's future, even though it is not widely discussed in social circles.

Part 1: How might you define the idea of genetic variability?

Part 2: Why do you think genetic variability is important to the survival of the apple?

Part 3: Is genetic variability important to the survival of man? If not, why not?

(see the answer keys)

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