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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 grass also gets a chance to ________ when the cattle is moved around.

2. Salatin uses the animals to create a _________ system that also bolsters efficiency on the farm.

3. The Naylor farm has turned from a diverse farm to one that has become a _________ production mecca.

4. The manure of the _______ is spread on all of the pastures without fouling the pasture with too many droppings.

5. At the beginning of the food chain is ________, which surprised Pollan when he realized this.

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is high fructose corn syrup used in sodas today instead of regular sugar?

2. What happened as a result of corn having mutated early on in its use?

3. What does the lack of a good culture in America cause among people?

4. What is the history of Polyface Farm, according to the book?

5. What is corn starch broken down into after it has been processed in the wet milling process?

6. What are the environmental results of the industrial method of farming, as Pollan finds out?

7. What indicates a higher ratio of corn being eaten in a human's diet?

8. What does Pollan point out is the start of any of the foods in the food chain, which came as a surprise to him?

9. What does Pollan point out as a downside of there being more organic farms around today?

10. What is the hybrid corn that is described in this section of the book?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Salatin's farming methods focus on efficiency and building up a system that helps maintain itself.

Part 1: How do you think industrial farms lack efficiency?

Part 2: Why do you think natural farming methods are more efficient?

Part 3: Do you think every farmer can be more efficient?

Essay Topic 2

There is a form of corn that is lower in quality than the corn in many foods, and it is fed to the animals.

Part 1: Do you think that lower quality food should be served to animals?

Part 2: Why do you think there is so much extra corn that can be used without any concern for quality?

Part 3: How do you think the farmers might be able to provide better quality feed for their animals?

Essay Topic 3

Farmers continue to have to grow more and more corn to keep up with the supply and demand, but it's harming their farms.

Part 1: What are some of the problems of only growing corn in a field?

Part 2: Do you think that farmers should be pushed to grow so much corn?

Part 3: Why do you think farmers aren't trying to grow more diverse crops?

(see the answer keys)

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