2. According to the person who first notified Levine of the carcass, what does the Costa Rican government suspect the aberrant animals are the cause of?

3. Where is the person walking with Malcolm across the open courtyard after his lecture scheduled to return to the next day?

4. According to Malcolm, how long do most species survive?

5. At Levine's apartment, an entire wall has been dedicated to Levine's search for what?

Short Essay Questions

1. As no map of the Costa Rican island exists, how is Levine conducting his reconnaissance on the island?

2. In the 1970s, why could no one answer questions regarding the fragility of the earth's ecosystem?

3. The head of Biosyn dislikes Dodgson, but likes having him around. Why?

4. When Thorne and the children arrive at Levine's apartment, name three items that they find.

5. Why is Jack Thorne, who was once a Stanford professor, much happier away from academia?

6. How does Dodgson convince the head of Biosyn to allow Dodgson one more opportunity to successfully gain the dinosaur DNA he has been seeking?

7. Why does the tissue sample that Malcolm sends to his contact at the zoo for analysis cause a stir at the zoo?

8. What do the members of Malcolm's audience have in common?

9. Describe at least three types of systems that complexity theory has studied.

10. Why does Levine hire Kelly and Arby to run errands for him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Richard Levine at the beginning of the book - the man whose overriding goal is to discover the lost world. What is his motivation? What drives him? Then, discuss the frightened and timid Levine in the middle of the book - the man who wants to lock doors and hide from the dinosaurs. What is his motivation? What drives him? How do the events that happen between these two personalities change Levine from the dreamer to the realist? Who is Levine at the end of the book? Why?

Essay Topic 2

Through his research, Levine comes to believe that the lost world is located on Isla Sorna. Malcolm agrees.

a. Discuss the process by which Levine and Malcolm come to rest on Isla Sorna as the lost world's hiding place.

b. What features of the island make it a suitable candidate for their expedition? Identify at least five features of the island.

c. What is the importance of the volcano located on the island?

d. Based on the information revealed about Isla Sorna before the group embarks on their trip, would you have believed that Levine located the right island? Why or why not? Be sure to support your reasoning.

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast Ian Malcolm and Richard Levine.

a. How are the two characters similar? How are they different?

b. Compare the role of that complexity theory plays in each of their lives. How is each character affected by this theory - both positively and negatively?

(see the answer keys)

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