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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the main genetic modification plan for the cane toads in the lab?
(a) To make them glow in the dark.
(b) To make them more particular about what they eat.
(c) To make them smaller.
(d) To make them non-toxic.

2. Which country produces the most emissions?
(a) The U.S.
(b) Russia.
(c) All African nations combined.
(d) China.

3. What did the cannibal snails cause in Hawaii?
(a) An extinction spree.
(b) Mudslides.
(c) An extinction avalanche.
(d) A tropical avalanche.

4. Where is the geothermal plant located that Kolbert visits in Up in the Air: Chapter 1?
(a) Iceland.
(b) Switzerland.
(c) Poland.
(d) China.

5. What idea did Lackner and his friend Wendt come up with?
(a) Ten billion years.
(b) Auxons.
(c) Ireland.
(d) Humans are not very intelligent.

6. How many of Lackner’s trailer-sized carbon scrubbing units would be needed to significantly reduce the carbon footprint?
(a) 100 million.
(b) 100,000.
(c) 1,000.
(d) 1 billion.

7. What is the strongest argument for gene editing cane toads, house mice, and ship rats?
(a) It is a flawless solution.
(b) What is the alternative?
(c) It is inexpensive.
(d) It is already in the works.

8. What bacteria is included in Kolbert’s genetic modification kit?
(a) Vibrio.
(b) E-coli.
(c) Coccus.
(d) Bacillus.

9. To what has gene-drive technology been compared?
(a) Steven King’s It.
(b) Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.
(c) Kurt Vonnegut’s ice-nine.
(d) Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice.

10. What do Tizard and his partner hope to accomplish regarding cane toad eggs?
(a) Make the eggs impossible to fertilize.
(b) Make them less abundant.
(c) Make them hard to swallow.
(d) Make them edible.

11. What could be used if a gene drive goes rogue?
(a) A CRISPR sequence.
(b) A GOTCHA sequence.
(c) A CATCHA sequence.
(d) A ROGUE sequence.

12. How many species of birds has the Pacific rat killed off?
(a) None.
(b) At least 1,000 species.
(c) At least 10,000 species.
(d) At least 100 species.

13. How are rodents often currently killed?
(a) Euthanasia.
(b) Traps.
(c) Poison.
(d) Through hunting.

14. What mammals were first experimented on with CRISPR and the gene drive?
(a) Rats.
(b) Toads.
(c) Mice.
(d) Birds.

15. In Into the Wild: Chapter 3, why does Kolbert begin with an explanation of the Norse god, Odin?
(a) To compare him to the powers of nature.
(b) To show how dangerous it is to play God.
(c) To show the similarities between gods and humans.
(d) To compare him to the genetic-engineering company, Odin.

Short Answer Questions

1. How long would it take to turn carbon dioxide to stone?

2. Which Dr. Suess book does Kolbert compare biological interventions?

3. What happened to an engineer in China who used CRISPR on a set of twins?

4. What combination does Kolbert mention that could make cane toads non-lethal and coral heat-resistant?

5. Where does it make sense to have a geothermal plant?

(see the answer keys)

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