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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through The Coming Thing.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What question does Quammen say was debated for years after Darwin's theories were published?
(a) Whether he stole his work from Wallace.
(b) Whether he acted honorably toward Wallace.
(c) Whether he developed the theory of evolution on his own.
(d) Whether he owed Wallace for the material he borrowed.

2. What does Quammen use as an example of an island?
(a) Yellowstone national park.
(b) Mountaintop ecosystems.
(c) Indonesia.
(d) The komodo dragon's territory.

3. What did Wilson and MacArthur argue influenced the number of species on an island?
(a) A natural rhythm of immigration and extinction.
(b) The fertility of the soil, or temperature of the water.
(c) The altitude of its mountains.
(d) The island's distance from the mainland.

4. Where does Quammen say isolates can occur?
(a) On islands and on land.
(b) Only on islands.
(c) In the bottoms of lakes.
(d) Only in areas separated by steep mountains or deserts.

5. What was the previous theory that governed speciation on islands?
(a) That greater distance reduced the number of species.
(b) That there was too little data and too much inconsistency to formulate a rule.
(c) That more remote islands required more specialized traits for survival.
(d) That islands closer to land were more prone to extinctions, which sometimes reduced the variety of species.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was Tasmania's environmental history, according to Quammen?

2. What is a sample?

3. Who is Owen Griffiths?

4. Why was the thylacine killed off?

5. How does Quammen say islands are sometimes formed?

(see the answer key)

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