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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What were the first plants to arrive after the eruption of Krakatau?

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

3. Who does Quammen say typically collected insects?

4. What tragedy struck Wallace on his return to England?

5. What is Lovejoy's term for the ecological crisis?

Short Essay Questions

1. What findings of Michael Soule's does Quammen cite at the end of Chapter 4, "Rarity Unto Death"?

2. When did the field of island biogeography begin?

3. Who is Frank Preston, and what was his contribution to the discussion of island size and species count?

4. What is the governing metaphor in the opening chapter?

5. What does Quammen say about the overall pattern of the Persian rug?

6. What was the understanding about the variety of life forms before the theory of evolution came along?

7. Describe the process by which scientists generate policies for managing ecosystems.

8. What is the first explanation Quammen offers for the relationship between island size and species count?

9. What is dispersal ability and why is it important?

10. What example does Quammen draw from the island of Guam?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Is Quammen consistent from the beginning of 'The Song of the Dodo' to the end? What expectations does he establish in the beginning? Does he fulfill them, over the course of the book? Does he abandon or sidestep the question of conservation in his discussion of methods of analysis and study?

Essay Topic 2

Is Quammen somehow at fault for not making solid proposals for how to mitigate switch loss? Is his informative book somehow flawed for failing to make recommendations? Debate this proposition using examples from the book.

Essay Topic 3

How realistic is this book? What parts are not believable? What leaps of faith does the author require of the reader?

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This section contains 806 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample