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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. What is the name of the once trash strewn park that was turned into a community garden?

2. Humans are not a perfect natural system in the food system because they can only _______ so much food.

3. Salatin's is an _________ farm, dedicated to the old agrarian ideas of how things should be grown.

4. Pollan points out that the industrial method of farming has led to increased ________ and polluted groundwater.

5. How many acres of woodland help Salatin continue to live outside the modern world?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is corn starch broken down into after it has been processed in the wet milling process?

2. What does Pollan point out as being the ingredients that are in a common breakfast cereal?

3. Why does most of the corn planting farming rely on the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO)?

4. What does Pollan point out as a downside of there being more organic farms around today?

5. What are the environmental results of the industrial method of farming, as Pollan finds out?

6. Why is high fructose corn syrup used in sodas today instead of regular sugar?

7. What happened as a result of corn having mutated early on in its use?

8. What are the reasons why Pollan calls farms and humans imperfect natural systems?

9. What happens to the cows that produce organic milk for places like Whole Foods, according to Pollan?

10. What does the lack of a good culture in America cause among people?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Salatin talks to Pollan about the ways in which a farm can grow in line with the Earth to be more productive and healthy.

Part 1: Do you think that organic growing is the best way to grow for food supplies?

Part 2: Why do you think organic growing methods aren't always the best choice?

Part 3: Do you think that organic growing is more of a trend than a way of life?

Essay Topic 2

The main theme of the book is the omnivore's dilemma and it's one that Pollan returns to again and again.

Part 1: Do you think you face a dilemma when you sit down to eat?

Part 2: Why do you think Pollan believes that the dilemma is important?

Part 3: Should people think about where their food comes from or why they choose certain foods?

Essay Topic 3

Locally grown foods are said to taste better than those that are shipped from far away places.

Part 1: Do you think local foods are better for those who eat them?

Part 2: Why do you think locally grown foods might taste better?

Part 3: How do you choose your foods - price or taste?

(see the answer keys)

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