View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Fifteen million tons of carbon dioxide were released by humans in 1776, while today that number is closer to what?

2. Which country produces the most emissions?

3. In Into the Wild: Chapter 3, why does Kolbert begin with an explanation of the Norse god, Odin?

4. What did Lackner found in 2014 at ASU?

5. To keep the temperature increase at a minimum, the world would have to end all emissions by when?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the widely held view regarding man’s influence on the atmosphere?

2. What are negative emissions? Why might they be important?

3. What makes cane toads so destructive?

4. What are three major issues with the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere?

5. What is a suppression drive?

6. What is the explanation that Tizzard gives for why genetic modifications are a good option for dealing with imbalances in nature?

7. How are geothermal plants clean?

8. Who are the Odins that Colbert describes?

9. What does Kolbert think about the genetic engineering home kit that she purchases?

10. What are the pros and cons of a powerful gene drive?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Kolbert clearly is drawn to Ruth Gates and her work. How is Gates different than other scientists Kolbert encounters in this book? Why is Kolbert drawn to her and her work? What does this reveal about Kolbert?

Essay Topic 2

What is the general tone of Kolbert's Under a White Sky? Why? How does this affect the reader? How might this impact a reader's attitude towards the environment and what is being done to preserve it?

Essay Topic 3

Through the study of ice cores, it is learned that D-O events have taken place over the course of our planet's history. What are D-O events? When did they take place? How did they affect our world? How do they help scientists understand our future? How does reading about these events alter your understanding of the world we live in?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 895 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample