View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Walcott think Opabinia was just another one of?

2. What are the evidences for Opabinia that are considered undeniable?

3. What kind of development were the Burgess animals first interpreted to have?

4. How many new arthropod designs does The Burgess Shale contain?

5. What is one of the first tasks of the paleontologist after producing a clear specimen?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why are the Burgess Shale's arthropod designs odd?

2. How does Gould begin Chapter 2: A Background for the Burgess Shale?

3. What did Stephen Jay Gould desire to use the Burgess Shale for?

4. What dominant paradigm about the Burgess fossils was Whittington pressured to conform to?

5. How is the Marrella splendens described in relation to the other Burgess Shale fossils?

6. What was the difference between Simon Conway Morris and Whittington in the way that they worked?

7. Why did Whittington approach Yohoia less conservatively?

8. Name four levels of the taxonomy of life.

9. What did Leif Størmer's "Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology" describe?

10. What did people think Opabinia was and what did Whittington choose to believe about this idea?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How is the Burgess Shale a significant discovery for fossils and for the history of human development? Explain the author's reasoning using two examples from the book. Support your case with solid logic and either defend or oppose Gould's position.

Essay Topic 2

In Chapter 2, the relationship between Burgess fauna and eukaryotic fauna is examined. of the sequential artist and the reader is examined. Examine the different stages of fauna. Answer the following question: What does this relationship express about evolution in general and about the Burgess Shale in particular? Use one of your own supporting ideas to back up your statement, and at least two examples from the book.

Essay Topic 3

Since a team controls research data, it's important that each member function in unison. Answer the following question: Is the diversity of Whittington's team a strength or a weakness? Discuss three ways in which their diversity is a strength or a weakness. Use material from the entire book to support your examples.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 643 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample