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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 "Murmurations," where did the author remember watching starlings come to roost?

2. In the mid-1970s, what trees did the author watch with her mother being torn up and burned?

3. When did the royal ownership of swans date back to?

4. In "Nestboxes," from where did the author order Martin nextboxes?

5. When did Macdonald mention that she saw the breath of a fallow buck in "Deer in the Headlights"?

Short Essay Questions

1. When was the British Trust for Ornithology established, and what was its purpose?

2. What is swan upping?

3. What were the nestboxes like that Macdonald ordered for house martins?

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

5. What does Macdonald say about allergies?

6. What did upping swans used to include?

7. Who was Maxwell Knight?

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

9. In "Storm," what could the author see as she drove on the M25?

10. What happened to the orioles in Britain?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Many people, including Macdonald, feed birds and wildlife. What is supplemental feeding as it relates to birds and other wildlife? What are the positive and negative impacts of supplementing the food of birds and animals?

Essay Topic 3

Macdonald used berries for decorating and felt guilty. Why did the author feel guilty for using berries to decorate? Why were berries a crucial source of food for birds? What relationship is there between birds, berries, and the growth of plants?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 955 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample