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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How many species did Wilson and MacArthur predict would establish an equilibrium in Krakatau?
(a) 500.
(b) 30.
(c) 250.
(d) 50.

2. How many indri are living in the forests Quammen visited?
(a) Hundreds.
(b) No one knows.
(c) Thousands.
(d) Tens.

3. What does Quammen say the indri's future looks like?
(a) Likely extinction.
(b) Quammen says it is uncertain.
(c) Expansion of territory and population.
(d) Probable recovery.

4. What point does Quammen make by describing his sighting of the species he sought on Aru?
(a) That extinction is looming not only for this species but for the entire ecosystem it lives in.
(b) That it is just a matter of time before these animals are extinct.
(c) That species are in danger regardless of their magnificence.
(d) That magnificent species survive in spite of human activity.

5. What did Wilson show Quammen when the two men visited?
(a) Drafts of the papers that defined biogeography.
(b) Letters people had written to Wilson and MacArthur about their theories.
(c) Specimens that had helped Wilson and MacArthur develop their theory.
(d) A slide show of how Wilson and MacArthur developed their theory.

6. How was the case of the muriqui different from the case of the Mauritius kestrel?
(a) The muriqui lived in forests that were valuable for their hardwoods.
(b) The muriqui was a mammal, and did not reach sexual maturity until its third year.
(c) The muriqui was not an island species.
(d) The muriqui had much smaller batches of offspring.

7. How many individuals were thought to be necessary to prevent harmful inbreeding?
(a) 500.
(b) 200.
(c) 5,000.
(d) 50.

8. What did William Newmark determine in his findings?
(a) That the number of species is less valuable than the number of predators in indicating the health of an ecosystem.
(b) That species count and reserve area correlated.
(c) That species proliferate differently in different kinds of ecosystems.
(d) That species count and reserve area are not always correlated.

9. What does Quammen say is distinctive about the indri?
(a) Its cry.
(b) Its diet.
(c) Its method of reproducing.
(d) Its fur.

10. What was Quammen told to find, in order to observe this species?
(a) The burrows where they lived.
(b) The cliffs where they perched.
(c) The lakes where they built nests.
(d) The tree where they gathered.

11. How does Quammen's tone change in the final chapter?
(a) His discomfort with habitat loss is finally made screamingly clear.
(b) His description of the trip is not scientific, just tourism.
(c) His narrative is filled with detailed scientific observations.
(d) His even-handedness gives way to persistent pessimism about the destruction of habitat.

12. What is an indri?
(a) A lemur.
(b) A monkey.
(c) A turtle.
(d) A horse.

13. What turnover rate did Wilson and MacArthur predict for Krakatau?
(a) Three species a year.
(b) Five species a year.
(c) One species a year.
(d) Ten species a year.

14. How did Wilson and MacArthur test their theory about recolonization?
(a) By fumigating an island in the Florida Keys.
(b) By studying data from the ancient city of Atlantis.
(c) By returning year after year to a small island off Tasmania.
(d) By studying new volcanic islands in the South Seas.

15. How did Quammen make his way to this site?
(a) On foot.
(b) By ascending a rope.
(c) By descending into a cave.
(d) By boat.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Quammen describe about Bedo?

2. What human actions make island biogeography applicable in this new location?

3. What does Quammen say was found to play a role in the minimum viable population?

4. How does Quammen describe Aru?

5. Which theory is Quammen supporting when he cites the work of William Newmark?

(see the answer keys)

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