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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. In the 1800s, swamps in Louisiana are drained and used as what?

2. What is commonly fished from the bayou regions around the Atchafalaya?

3. In 1973, what happens to the Old River Control structure despite engineers drilling it and filling it with cement?

4. The author states that how much of New Orleans lies fifteen feet below sea level?

5. A navigation lock on the bank of the Mississippi River lowers ships down to where?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some of the predominant problems in the regions populated near the Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers?

2. What is the Old River Control project developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers?

3. What is Major General Sands' concluding thoughts regarding the Old River Control Structure?

4. The Old River Control project began operating in 1963. What happens ten years later?

5. Throughout the 1700s and 1800s, what did people in southern Louisiana do to protect their communities and land against floods?

6. Congress enacts the Flood Control Act in 1928 to launch the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project. What is done through this project?

7. In the 1700s, why did people settle in New Orleans and surrounding areas despite the region clearly being a floodplain?

8. Explain how the Mississippi River forms Louisiana over many centuries.

9. What are some of the main points the author tries to make through this work of historical nonfiction?

10. Explain what the author says about Old Cajun bayou life in the Atchafalaya region after the Corps took control.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Select an example from one of the three primary stories that describes people's efforts to control nature that actually work.

1. How are these efforts successful?

2. Who benefits, and how?

3. What, if anything, suffers?

4. Does the success appear to be short-lived or long-term?

Essay Topic 2

In detail, explain how carefully studying the geological history of a region before engineering a project could lead to more effective, efficient, and lasting solutions. What other factors do people need to consider to come up with better solutions? What factors get in the way of developing a viable solution? How can engineers, politicians, conservationists, and residents work together to develop the right solutions?

Essay Topic 3

Part of the problem is that people settle into regions that are particularly hazardous: floodplains, active volcanic zones, and places prone to mountain landslides, brush fires, and earthquakes.

1. Using examples from the book, elaborate upon some of the reasons the author gives to explain why people settle in regions where natural forces are especially active, posing risks to the communities that develop there.

2. Is the author sympathetic or unsympathetic to man's plight in his efforts to control nature? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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