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

2. What is the main genetic modification plan for the cane toads in the lab?

3. What is done to make the geothermal plant cleaner that Kolbert visits?

4. Why were cane toads first introduced outside of their natural environments?

5. Where do biologists like Tizard hope to get the power to spread genetic modifications throughout a species?

Short Essay Questions

1. What makes cane toads so destructive?

2. How do cane toads become a problem in Australia?

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

4. How is cutting emissions at once absolutely essential and insufficient?

5. What is Climeworks?

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

7. What are the concerns surrounding rising temperatures?

8. What is a suppression drive?

9. What is the issue with chemical weathering regarding carbon dioxide?

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

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 2

Kolbert frequently mentions the price tag for human intervention. Why might she do this? How does this affect the reader? What does it also mean for the work done by specialists to save ecosystems? How might these high prices impact decisions made regarding the environment?

Essay Topic 3

Kolbert starts off Up in the Air Chapter 1 by mentioning a subscription she paid for that claimed, for a fee, they would scrub the buyer’s carbon emissions from the atmosphere. Would you have paid for such a service? Why or why not? Do you believe others, besides Kolbert, would pay for this service? Why or why not? What might this reveal about the majority of people?

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This section contains 888 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample