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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through The Man Who Knew Islands.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Quammen say Wallace developed in South America?
(a) A deep devotion to the science of zoology.
(b) A sharp eye for different traits in insects.
(c) A terrifying vision of the destruction of ecosystems.
(d) A clear vision of the profits to be made in providing scientists with specimens.

2. What does Quammen say about the overall pattern on this hypothetical rug?
(a) It can still be reassembled.
(b) It only exists in nostalgia.
(c) It is ruined.
(d) It is theoretical, now.

3. How does Quammen find fault with other scientists studying extinctions?
(a) By saying that their nostalgia clouds their findings.
(b) By saying that they have only been talking to each other.
(c) By saying that their vocabulary is insufficient to the problems.
(d) By saying that their fundamental premises were ungrounded.

4. 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 developed the theory of evolution on his own.
(c) Whether he owed Wallace for the material he borrowed.
(d) Whether he acted honorably toward Wallace.

5. What function does the first chapter serve?
(a) Prediction.
(b) Introduction.
(c) Explanation.
(d) Prophecy.

Short Answer Questions

1. When does Quammen say his field became a field of inquiry?

2. How does Quammen describe the efforts of other scientists?

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

4. What were theories of species evolution based on in Wallace's time?

5. What literary term describes Quammen's use of the image of the Persian rug?

(see the answer key)

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