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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 does Quammen say Wilson and MacArthur started with, as they developed their theories?

2. What was the species Quammen sought called by locals?

3. How many individuals were thought to be necessary to prevent harmful inbreeding?

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

5. What does Quammen say is distinctive about the indri?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Quammen doing at the end of the book?

2. What conclusion dis scientists reach in the Texas case?

3. How do genetics play a role in the minimum viable population?

4. What experiment took place in the Florida Keys?

5. What note does Quammen end 'The Song of the Dodo' on?

6. What data did Simberloff and Abele deploy in challenging this theory?

7. How did Carl Jones save the Mauritius kestrel?

8. How does Quammen describe Bedo's death?

9. Where was Quammen sent, in order to find what he was looking for?

10. How did Krakatau serve as evidence for MacArthur and Wilson's thesis?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Where is the climax of this book? Are there different climaxes? What questions does each climax resolve? What questions does each climax leave unanswered?

Essay Topic 2

What is Quammen's conclusion in the debate over the size of nature reserves? Does he support building small or large reserves? How does he arrive at his conclusion?

Essay Topic 3

What is missing from this book? What should have been covered or presented that was not? What is the effect of this absence? Describe an element that ought to have been covered, and explain why it would have made the book stronger.

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This section contains 722 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample