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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through So Huge A Bignes.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Quammen say makes his field important?
(a) Because island ecosystems are a good metaphor for ecosystems as a whole.
(b) Because it has predicted recent phenomena.
(c) Because it accounts for events other fields cannot account for.
(d) Because it is holistic and global in scope.

2. What was the special creation theory?
(a) The idea that God made each species for its environment.
(b) The theory that the universe was created especially for man's comfort.
(c) The theory that man was specifically created out of the best traits of the other animals.
(d) The theory that species developed only the most aesthetic traits.

3. What advice did Darwin receive from his friends, with regard to Wallace's work?
(a) To work with Wallace and publish a joint theory.
(b) Publish an outline quickly.
(c) Credit Wallace and share the glory with him.
(d) To buy Wallace's notes from him, and pledge him to silence.

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

5. What was the first species to arrive in Krakatau after the eruption?
(a) A spider.
(b) A snake.
(c) A bird.
(d) A crocodile.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Quammen say Wallace developed in South America?

2. What is the relationship Quammen develops between the imaginary rug and ecosystems?

3. What assumption does Quammen make at the end of his introductory chapter?

4. What is the first example Quammen cites of a species that has gone extinct?

5. What literary device describes the questions David Quammen asks about the rug?

(see the answer key)

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