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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. Who is Edda Aradóttir?

2. Kolbert tells the reader that geothermal plants are relatively clean but do produce what gases?

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

4. According to Kolbert, why are mice perfect lab animals?

5. Lackner and a friend, Christopher Wendt, met over beers and starting wondering what?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is usually use to kill rodents? What are the problems associated with this?

3. What are some of the ways that Kolbert mentions Australians deal with cane toads? What might be the pros and cons?

4. What is an outlaw gene? Why is it important to this book?

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

6. What makes cane toads so destructive?

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

8. What are the concerns surrounding rising temperatures?

9. What must happen to keep temperature rise to less than two degrees?

10. What is the early Anthropocene hypothesis?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does Kolbert say about man and his relationship with the natural world? Do you agree with her? Why or why not? Has reading Under a White Sky altered your perspective of the environment and what is being done to remedy problems? If so, how? If not, why not?

Essay Topic 2

Kolbert mentions that most of the carbon dioxide humans have emitted would eventually turn to stone. If this is the case, do we need to be concerned about carbon dioxide emissions? Why or why not? Do the scientists Kolbert interviews regarding emissions factor this in when talking about their ideas for reducing emissions or removing emissions? Why or why not? What might Kolbert think about the natural chemical weathering process, based on her comments in Up in the Air, Chapter 1?

Essay Topic 3

How important are the people Kolbert introduces? What do they all have in common, based on what Kolbert provides in Under a White Sky? What does Kolbert seem to think of them? Would other experts agree with her? Why or why not? How could the information she provides about them possibly sway readers' opinions regarding what is being done to care for the environment?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 972 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample