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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why was the Old River Control Auxiliary Structure created?
(a) To attempt to control the Old River.
(b) To attempt to control a tributary of the Mississippi River called the Atchafalaya.
(c) To dam up the water coming from the Mississippi River.
(d) To redirect the flow of the Atchafalaya.

2. How deep is Devil’s Hole at its deepest?
(a) At least 50 feet deep.
(b) At least 500 feet deep.
(c) At least 5,000 feet deep.
(d) At least 1,500 feet deep.

3. In Down the River Chapter 1, what examples of metaphors does Elizabeth Kolbert give involving rivers?
(a) Rivers are metaphors for all the problems that humans have caused.
(b) Rivers are metaphors for depth, reflection, and life.
(c) Rivers are metaphors for loneliness.
(d) Rivers are metaphors for pollution, destruction, and decay.

4. How did Kolbert first learn of Devil’s Hole?
(a) A crime that was committed there that was considered a felony.
(b) From a television advertisement.
(c) In a grad course in college.
(d) A business trip to Nevada.

5. What two drainage basins were linked with the reversal of the Chicago River and the creation of the Sanitary and Ship Canal?
(a) The Mississippi River and Great Lakes.
(b) The Chicago River and Great Lakes.
(c) The Great Plains and the Great Lakes.
(d) The Mississippi River and Chicago River.

Short Answer Questions

1. What happens if coral is unable to acquire new symbionts after a heatwave?

2. When do Kolbert and Van Oppen meet?

3. What is wrong with the Wood Screw Pumps in the twenty-four pumping stations that pump water out of the city?

4. Prior to the digging of the canal, Chicago’s waste ran into the Chicago River and into Lake Michigan, which led to what regular outbreaks?

5. With whom does Kolbert ride in a boat far down along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Kolbert inspired by Gates?

2. In what ways are those in the Chicago area trying to manage the carp problem?

3. What is the crime that was committed at Devils Hole?

4. What is the solution chosen for dealing with the Asian carp problem in and around Chicago?

5. What do most of the Australians Kolbert spoke to think about the future of the Great Barrier Reef?

6. How did the indigenous people of the New Orleans area deal with flooding versus the first European settlers?

7. How does Ruth Gates hope to aid the world's coral reefs?

8. What is William Lewis Manly's role in the discovery of Devils Hole?

9. What is the problem with Wood Screw Pumps?

10. How does Kolbert compare her stay at the Paris in Las Vegas to life for the pupfish in Devils Hole Jr.?

(see the answer keys)

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