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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 was the famed "death of the dinosaurs?"

2. What type of evidence concerning Opabinia is considered to be decisive?

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

4. What kind of paradigm does Gould believe has not been communicated to the public?

5. In Gould's perspective, what historical understanding does the Burgess shale offer humanity?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Whittington find Opabinia to actually be?

2. Name four levels of the taxonomy of life.

3. Why could the acceptance of the new interpretation create within humans a psychological shock?

4. What did Leif Størmer decide to do in contrast to Walcott?

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

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

7. What is Chapter 3: Reconstruction of the Burgess Shale: Toward a New View of Life about?

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

9. What evidence favors Opabinia's uniqueness?

10. Why is the Burgess Shale acknowledged as the most significant collection of fossils yet discovered?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Act 1 discusses the new Burgess Shale animal, Opabinia. Pick one other animal and then write a thorough essay that compares and contrasts Opabinia with the other animal. Compile at least three major examples provided by Gould's book that examine their similarities and differences.

Essay Topic 2

Gould disagrees with Whittington regarding the significance of Aysehaia. Explain this disagreement in your own words. Use two examples from the book to illustrate the significance of Aysehaia, Whittington's position, and Gould's dissent.

Essay Topic 3

In Chapter 1, Gould examines Walcott's inaccurate interpretation of the ladder and cone convention. Using this example, and others found in Chapter 1 or 2, agree or disagree with the following question: does Gould or Walcott present a more convincing argument concerning the ladder and cone interpretation? Present your paper with an arguable thesis that uses three solid examples from the book.

(see the answer keys)

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