View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How did Wallace put Darwin in a tough spot, according to Quammen?
(a) By publishing his theory first.
(b) By telling him about his work.
(c) By having looked at Darwin's theories before he published his own.
(d) By having used some of Darwin's observations in his own work.

2. What is the literary term that describes Quammen's addressing the reader directly?
(a) Apostrophe.
(b) Personification.
(c) Symbolism.
(d) Indirect discourse.

3. What does a species have if it has high dispersal ability?
(a) The ability to move from place to place.
(b) The ability to change their environment to suit their own traits.
(c) The ability to withstand great environmental changes.
(d) The ability to adapt to new environmental conditions.

4. When does a species' dispersal ability become important, according to Quammen?
(a) When an island loses all its life after a catastrophic event.
(b) When a species is forced to find new food sources.
(c) When a species is threatened by new predators.
(d) When the species is isolated by mountain ranges or lakes.

5. Why is Krakatau scientifically important?
(a) It is a controlled experiment.
(b) It is so isolated.
(c) It is an exception to most rules of population dispersal.
(d) It is just being populated now.

Short Answer Questions

1. What important book did Robert McArthur and Edward Wilson publish in 1967?

2. How long after the eruption did it take for 271 species to be counted at Krakatau?

3. How many pieces does Quammen ask the reader to imagine the rug being cut into?

4. What question does Quammen say was debated for years after Darwin's theories were published?

5. What surprising dispersal ability does Quammen say elephants have?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 330 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample