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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. In "Berries," when did the author say was the last time that she and her mother saw wax-wings?

2. Who did the author take for a walk around Wicken Fen?

3. In "Wicken," what did the author and her guests see when they walked Wicken Fen floating past them?

4. What did the wavelength of transmitted radar waves shorten to when they started getting radar reflections of birds?

5. In "The Observatory," what did a swan do when it approached Macdonald?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Macdonald and her brother were children, how did they observe blue tits?

2. Where were peregrine falcons nesting in "The Falcon and the Tower"?

3. Why does Macdonald state that deer are dangerous animals?

4. How did the author's father tell her that she could figure out how far away a storm was?

5. What did upping swans used to include?

6. How does the author describe the painting Swan Upping at Cookham?

7. Why do swans flock to the Welney Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve in the winter?

8. What did David Lack discover when working during the war on the early-warning chain of coast-watching radar stations?

9. How does Macdonald compare waiting for a storm and waiting for other things in "Storm"?

10. How were elephant seals involved in a project studying climate change in West Antarctica?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does the author use analogies in the book? How do analogies help readers understand unfamiliar ideas or understand events or concepts in the essays?

Essay Topic 2

Macdonald went for a walk with her brother and niece at Wicken Fen. Why did Macdonald’s niece think all the wildlife had been brought to the fen? Why did Macdonald comment that her niece had been raised in a green desert? How did that account for the girl’s surprise that animals could exist in the wild outside of zoos?

Essay Topic 3

Nature reserves are established to preserve habitats and wildlife. What did Macdonald write about visiting nature reserves? Why did she call them living museums? What benefits and disadvantages were there in establishing and maintaining nature reserves?

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