View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How much of the Caribbean coral disappeared in the 1980s?
(a) 90%.
(b) 1/4.
(c) Over 1/2.
(d) 2/3.

2. To what is the land in the southern region of Louisiana compared?
(a) Play-doh.
(b) Warm Jell-O.
(c) Slime.
(d) A river of mud.

3. How far do coral reefs stretch north and south of the equator?
(a) 50 miles.
(b) 20 degrees.
(c) 30 miles.
(d) 30 degrees.

4. What is wrong with the Wood Screw Pumps in the twenty-four pumping stations that pump water out of the city?
(a) They are not effective at keeping out water.
(b) Many are broken and need to be fixed.
(c) They are difficult to replace.
(d) They are speeding up the sinking of the city.

5. Where does Kolbert stay for her last night in Nevada?
(a) A Native American reservation.
(b) The Paris.
(c) The Bellagio.
(d) The Venetian.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Down the River Chapter 1, what examples of metaphors does Elizabeth Kolbert give involving rivers?

2. How does Kolbert feel about the community of Isle de Jean Charles?

3. Why was the Old River Control Auxiliary Structure created?

4. How far away is a fake Devil’s Hole from the real one?

5. Each day at the Old River Control Auxiliary Structure, the gates are raised or lowered, depending on what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What led to the introduction of non-native species to control pests?

2. How is extinction now an observable phenomenon?

3. What is the reason for why the Chicago River was reversed?

4. Why were Asian carp brought over to the U.S.?

5. When do the majority of scientists believe the Anthropocene Age began?

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

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

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

9. What have humans done to save species on the brink of extinction?

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

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,049 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample