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. Chapman is known to have floated one hundred miles down the Allegheny river on _______, fast asleep.

2. The book states that Johnny Appleseed died in 1845 in _______ Indiana.

3. The book states that all of the following are capable of prodigies or of shifting themselves in form except _______.

4. Johnny Appleseed is generally acknowledged as having planted _______ of apple seeds across a wide range of orchards.

5. In an attempt to look like decaying meat, a ______ plant has red and white striated coloring and a rancid smell.

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the way in which the tulip was able to get ahead when it was a part of the Ottoman Empire?

2. What does Pollan have to say about his tendency to speculate and about the connection between flowers and speculation?

3. Why did Jews and Christians have troubles admitting to the beauty of flowers within their celebrations?

4. What is connection between the plants in the book and their impact on the human society and vice-versa?

5. What is the origin of the domesticated apple, although this is certainly a point which is up for contention?

6. Who are some of the groups which roamed the Ohio lands long before Johnny Appleseed was there?

7. What are the colors and the shapes of flowers designed to do, according to some scientists?

8. Who is John Chapman and what is his importance in the course of the history of the apply?

9. What is the possible coincidence that Pollan points out between the flowers and their ability to arouse desire in bees?

10. How did the tulip bulb end up coming into Holland, even though it was not a native plant in the area?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The story includes the idea that Johnny Appleseed spread the seeds of apples all over America, although no proof is given.

Part 1: Does it seem plausible that one man could have spread all of the apple seeds in the country?

Part 2: What do you think Johnny's motivations for spreading the seed might have been?

Part 3: Why is this story so nostalgic to those who live in America?

Essay Topic 2

Americans seem to have a clear idea as to what a 'normal' potato might look like.

Part 1: Why do you think Americans have been brought up to think of the potato in that one way?

Part 2: How do you feel about the potato? What do you think a potato should look and taste like?

Part 3: Do you feel the potato is an essential part of your diet? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

When the reader sees that marijuana is one of the plants in the book, they can have a variety of reactions.

Part 1: Why do you think Pollan decided to include marijuana in this book?

Part 2: Do you agree that marijuana should be included in a book about how plants change humans as much as humans change plants?

Part 3: How do you think marijuana has affected humans, in your experience?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 764 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample