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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 assumption does Quammen make at the end of his introductory chapter?
(a) That people don't know anything about his field.
(b) That people are hungry for economic growth, even at the expense of ecosystems.
(c) That people are outraged about the disappearance of species.
(d) That people are willing to change their habits in order to save ecosystems.

2. What were theories of species evolution based on in Wallace's time?
(a) Superstition.
(b) Guesses.
(c) Science.
(d) Religion.

3. What is Quammen really describing as he imagines the hacked up rug?
(a) Fragmented ecosystems.
(b) Loss of environment to development.
(c) The spread of pathogens.
(d) Loss of communication from one region to the next.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Where did Quammen go to study temrecs?

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

3. How would you describe Quammen's vocabulary?

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

5. Who does Quammen say typically collected insects?

(see the answer key)

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