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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. How many pieces does Quammen ask the reader to imagine the rug being cut into?
(a) 12.
(b) 6.
(c) 144.
(d) 36.

2. What ecosystem does Wallace distinguish from ecosystems that developed in isolation?
(a) Ecosystems that were simplified over time.
(b) Ecosystems that had been part of a larger land mass, but broke away.
(c) Ecosystems where great complexity developed out of local conditions.
(d) Ecosystems where people had introduced new species.

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

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

5. Where did Wallace travel after the Amazon?
(a) Palestine.
(b) The Malay Archipelago.
(c) Galapagos islands.
(d) Australia.

Short Answer Questions

1. How would you describe Quammen's vocabulary?

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

3. What is the literary term that describes Quammen's addressing the reader directly?

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

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

(see the answer key)

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