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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. When did Stanley Spencer leave the painting Swan Upping at Cookham unfinished in his bedroom?

2. In "Storm," when was the author driving?

3. In "The Observatory," how long did the author sit with a swan?

4. Which of the author's relatives was distressed by storms because of the reminder of the Blitz?

5. How long would whoopers swans fly when crossing the North Atlantic to England?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What does Macdonald say about allergies?

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

5. What did the author and her mother see and hear in "Berries" while running errands?

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

7. What did the author search for in a disused chalk quarry?

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

9. What encounter did Macdonald have with a swan at the Jesus Lock?

10. What happened to the orioles in Britain?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Macdonald discusses the sixth extinction. What is the sixth extinction? Why and how does the author believe science and literature need to communicate what is being lost in the sixth extinction?

Essay Topic 2

As a child, why did Macdonald not understand how different animals were from her? What did the author discover throughout the years that could and could not be learned from 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?

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This section contains 959 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample