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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When Dillard moves from describing details of creation to trying to understand more about creation what is she doing?
(a) trying to think too much
(b) getting a little strange
(c) moving from logic to mysticism
(d) moving from what to why

2. In Chapter 5 Dillard writes about finding a snake. What appeared peculiar about the snake?
(a) it was tied in a knot
(b) it had two heads
(c) it was pure white
(d) it had a outer and inner skin

3. What does Dillard's fascination and stories about praying mantises demonstrate?
(a) both her fascination and revulsion of the world of nature
(b) she watches horror movies too
(c) she never saw insects before moving to Tinker Creek
(d) she wants to change the way some things are

4. Dillard says there is loveliness and grace throughout creation. What is also there?
(a) the bizarre and grotesque
(b) fear
(c) violence
(d) scarcity

5. What does Dillard see as a passive mystery?
(a) if there are fish in the creek
(b) if nature is benign
(c) if her brother would enjoy life in Tinker Creek
(d) the mountains around her

6. In addition to form and texture, what does the author believe influences beauty?
(a) color
(b) time
(c) time of day
(d) perception

7. How does Dillard believe the seeking of God takes place?
(a) the seeking of God is a continuous loop, which never ends
(b) God is in nature
(c) Singing in the shower
(d) God is everywhere but the best place to seek is in church

8. What does Dillard suggest is a similarity between her and plankton?
(a) they both carry stuff on their back
(b) they are both unaware of what they're doing
(c) they both live alone
(d) they both live in or near Tinker Creek

9. Dillard thought once that awesome artistry can be laced with savagery. To what did she refer?
(a) when her tomcat bit the head off a mouse
(b) when ants attacked a lady bug
(c) when a thunderstorm blew down a tree
(d) when she watched sharks tear into a school of fish

10. In Alaska and northern Canada during winter what is a topic of continual fascination?
(a) when the Canadian geese will fly north
(b) if the accumulated snow will reach 20 feet
(c) if ice fishing is dangerous
(d) the exact day that the ice will break up each spring

11. What changes about the view around Dillard's home when winter comes?
(a) the view looks stark and empty
(b) the snow covered trees block her view of the creek
(c) winter opens vistas around Dillard's home so she can see other homes
(d) nothing changes about the view

12. Why did Xerxes stop the advance of his entire army?
(a) to cut a path through a dense forest
(b) to watch a beautiful sunset
(c) to get ready to attack the Greeks
(d) to meditate on the beauty of a sycamore tree

13. What causes most insects' behavior?
(a) innate programming
(b) external stimuli
(c) imitating parents
(d) the structure of their exoskeleton

14. How do humans insulate themselves from the present, according to the author?
(a) by lying to themselves and others
(b) by wearing clothes appropriate to the weather
(c) by blocking out the past
(d) by continuously reviewing images of the past and future in their minds

15. What does Dillard find out when she takes her first course in French?
(a) she realizes that she will have to learn French word by word
(b) she has no aptitude for languages
(c) it's more difficult than Spanish
(d) French sounds better than English

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the author believe separates humans from their creator and humans from each other?

2. If you could watch the unfolding through time of every thing that ever existed on Earth, what does Dillard say you would see?

3. When Dillard raps on the goldfish bowl, what does the fish do?

4. What did Dillard do at one time about insects as a child?

5. Dillard believes that, with indifference, nature hides what?

(see the answer keys)

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