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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. How many hooks would Armannsson have on his line when he fished for cod?

2. How wide was a volcanic crater mentioned by the author in Chapter I?

3. How many species of gastric-brooding frogs went extinct recently?

4. During the end-Permian extinction, how much did scientists theorize the seas warmed?

5. When did Walter Alvarez visit the Gola del Bottaccione?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Hall-Spencer work until he was able to get funding for his research?

2. Where were the Panamanian golden frogs housed, when it was discovered they were dying?

3. How did Luis Alvarez solve the debate over whether there were treasure-filled chambers inside Egypt's second-largest pyramid?

4. How did Charles Lyell become a scientist?

5. What did the author see as she swam toward volcanic vents off Castello Aragonese?

6. Where and how did extinction emerge as an idea?

7. What were the frogs like that Darwin discovered in Chile?

8. Why didn't Charles Lyell believe in catastrophism?

9. How was extinction dealt with before the end of the 18th century?

10. What deforested Easter Island and how was that conclusion derived?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The great auk became extinct in the 19th century. What were the causes that made the bird extinct and were they preventable?

Essay Topic 2

Biosphere 2 was built to show how life could survive in a closed environment. What factors lead to the failure of Biosphere 2 and why couldn't the humans who lived there survive inside?

Essay Topic 3

Some scientists believe coral reefs may become extinct. What factors are threatening coral reefs and why might they not survive? Can anything be done to improve the chances of coral reefs surviving?

(see the answer keys)

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