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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. Where are the Monsanto headquarters located, according to Pollan's description in the book?

2. 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.

3. According to the book, some counter strategies to these toxins include all of the following except ______.

4. What is the name of the company which makes the genetically modified potato called "NewLeaf"?

5. Certain drugs, Pollan states, will cause objects around us to change until they appear as the _________ versions of themselves.

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What are some of the reasons why potatoes were not very popular in Europe around the late 1500s?

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

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

5. What does Pollan believe the experience of the sublime has to do with the experience of nature?

6. What are the various ingredients which might be used in witches' spells?

7. After a few days of drenching rain, what did the NewLeaf potato plants look like in Pollan's garden?

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

9. What are some of the intoxicants and ingredients for intoxicants which Pollan admits to growing in his garden now?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

This book, "The Botany of Desire," is generally listed as a Nature and Gardening book, though this does not seem to be its only application.

Part 1: Why do you think this book is labeled as being a Nature and Gardening book?

Part 2: Do you agree with the idea that this should be labeled as a Nature and Gardening book? What other labels might apply?

Part 3: How do you think the book's message is perceived by those who are merely reading for the Nature and Gardening aspect?

(see the answer keys)

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