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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. The French romantics were said to have experimented with ________ after Napoleon's troops brought it back with them from Egypt.

2. Into what kind of plant have plant breeders inserted a gene from a firefly, making the plants glow, although for no apparent reason, according to Pollan?

3. According to the book, some of the most bitter and "bad" plants are the ones that contain the most powerful _______.

4. Farmers who plant Bt crops must leave a certain portion of their land for non-Bt crops to provide a ________ for the bugs.

5. For the first time in history, the __________ of a plant is being domesticated by humans and by the scientific changes of humans.

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the most important thing to an animal's survival, according to the discussion of plants?

2. What does genetic engineering promise to do for the crops which are growing with these modifications?

3. What happens to the animal in the wild who decides to eat hallucinogens and thus takes in the toxins of these plants?

4. What was going on at the time of Pollan's visit to Amsterdam for research for this book?

5. What are some of the reasons why potatoes were not very popular in Europe around the late 1500s?

6. What did Heath have to say about Pollan's question about pest resistance to the chemicals the potatoes are designed to produce?

7. Why are cats so drawn to catnip, according to the research that Pollan does after seeing how his cat response to using this herb?

8. After a few days of drenching rain, what did the NewLeaf potato plants look like in Pollan's garden?

9. Why were the Irish open to farming the potato in order to provide food for themselves?

10. What are the various ingredients which might be used in witches' spells?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One might suggest that the idea that apples are shaping human existence is based on speculation as opposed to scientific study.

Part 1: Do you think that apples have affected the human race as a whole?

Part 2: How might a scientist study the sweetness and the effects of apples on humans?

Part 3: Is science the only way that a definitive answer can be discovered? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Pollan's main idea is that plants have shaped human evolution just as much as humans have shaped plant evolution.

Part 1: In what ways do you think plants have helped to shape human evolution?

Part 2: In what ways do you think humans have helped to shape plant evolution?

Part 3: Do you think humans or plants are responsible for more change for the other species? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Genetic variability is thought to be the key to the apple's future, even though it is not widely discussed in social circles.

Part 1: How might you define the idea of genetic variability?

Part 2: Why do you think genetic variability is important to the survival of the apple?

Part 3: Is genetic variability important to the survival of man? If not, why not?

(see the answer keys)

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