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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the central message of Quammen's book?
(a) Unless something is done soon, we will lose much of our wilderness, and many species of plants and animals.
(b) The twenty-first century will see unprecedented species loss.
(c) Ingenuity and hard work can save the habitats and protect the breeding populations of many animals that might be lost.
(d) Habitat destruction is breaking ecosystems into islands, but species can survive in islands.

2. What was the state of Lovejoy's plan when Quammen visited the sites with him?
(a) Lovejoy had determined to make many small reserves in an area, allowing development.
(b) Lovejoy had determined to make nature reserves as large as possible.
(c) No conclusions had been reached.
(d) Lovejoy had determined the ideal number of acres for a nature reserve.

3. Who is Bedo?
(a) A local hunter.
(b) Someone Quammen met in the hotel.
(c) Quammen's guide.
(d) An indri researcher.

4. What was the consequence of the Simberloff and Abele article?
(a) A return to the old paradigm of large reserves holding more species.
(b) A chaos as scientists didn't know which theory to believe.
(c) A raging debate about theory.
(d) A shift to a new theory about speciation.

5. What environment is NOT analogous to an island, according to Quammen?
(a) Savannah.
(b) Mountaintop.
(c) Cave.
(d) Lake.

6. How does Quammen distinguish the Mauritius kestrel from other species that might need to be saved?
(a) Mauritius kestrels were always an island species with low numbers.
(b) Mauritius kestrels had not had to compete with invasive competitors.
(c) Mauritius kestrels were relatively easy to breed in captivity.
(d) Mauritius kestrels were semi-domesticated.

7. What does Quammen believe happened to Bedo?
(a) He made people angry by raising consciousness as he talked with people from many different walks of life.
(b) He made enemies among the hunters.
(c) He made people uncomfortable being around white people a lot of the time.
(d) He made people jealous with the money he was making as a guide.

8. What was Lovejoy trying to determine with his plan?
(a) A critical number of ecosystems for a conservation strategy.
(b) An ideal size for a nature reserve.
(c) An ideal number of species per acre.
(d) An ideal number of reserves for a landscape.

9. What does Quammen say was found to play a role in the minimum viable population?
(a) A species' genetic history.
(b) A species' breeding habits.
(c) A species' typical number of offspring.
(d) A species' environment.

10. What observation did Wilson make to Quammen?
(a) That fewer species were found on more remote islands.
(b) That taller islands had more species.
(c) That islands with caves had the greatest biodiversity.
(d) That species diversity declined in islands in the southern hemisphere.

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

12. 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 had much smaller batches of offspring.
(c) The muriqui was a mammal, and did not reach sexual maturity until its third year.
(d) The muriqui was not an island species.

13. Who confirmed to Quammen that this site in fact existed?
(a) Wallace.
(b) His graduate assistant.
(c) Researchers on the island.
(d) Natives.

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

15. What was the conclusion Soule and Gilpin came to regarding the Texas question?
(a) The species' population would be diminished and separated, but remain viable.
(b) The species' population would not escape inbreeding, but would likely survive.
(c) The species' population would likely collapse.
(d) The species' population would thrive.

Short Answer Questions

1. How did Carl Jones protect the Mauritius kestrels when their population began to recover?

2. What was Bedo's reputation?

3. Why were people cutting down the forests in the place where Lovejoy implemented his plan?

4. When did the Mauritius kestrel population begin to decline?

5. What factor did NOT cause the decline of the kestrel population?

(see the answer keys)

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