View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What turnover rate did Wilson and MacArthur predict for Krakatau?
(a) Ten species a year.
(b) Three species a year.
(c) Five species a year.
(d) One species a year.

2. What was the species Quammen sought called by locals?
(a) Cenderwasih.
(b) Majib.
(c) Ranuren.
(d) Mistoquot.

3. What was the consequence of the Simberloff and Abele article?
(a) A chaos as scientists didn't know which theory to believe.
(b) A return to the old paradigm of large reserves holding more species.
(c) A shift to a new theory about speciation.
(d) A raging debate about theory.

4. How was the minimum viable population theory applied in Texas?
(a) Officials wanted to determine how much development could take place without damaging the viability of a species of water bird.
(b) Officials wanted to know if a dam would destroy too much habitat for an endangered snake.
(c) Officials wanted to create an open season for hunting mountain lions.
(d) Officials wanted to know how many invasive fish they would have to kill off to collapse the population.

5. What does Quammen describe about Bedo?
(a) His marriage.
(b) His research projects.
(c) His departure from his homeland.
(d) His tragic death.

6. What had happened to the smaller reserves in Lovejoy's plan?
(a) They unraveled quickly.
(b) They swelled with species.
(c) They took longer to arrive at an equilibrium of species.
(d) They arrived at an equilibrium with a higher density than some larger reserves.

7. How long did Wilson and MacArthur predict it would take for species to reach equilibrium on Krakatau?
(a) 40 years.
(b) 100 years.
(c) 50 years.
(d) 75 years.

8. What did Wilson and MacArthur argue influenced the number of species on an island?
(a) The altitude of its mountains.
(b) The island's distance from the mainland.
(c) The fertility of the soil, or temperature of the water.
(d) A natural rhythm of immigration and extinction.

9. What point does Quammen make by describing his sighting of the species he sought on Aru?
(a) That magnificent species survive in spite of human activity.
(b) That it is just a matter of time before these animals are extinct.
(c) That extinction is looming not only for this species but for the entire ecosystem it lives in.
(d) That species are in danger regardless of their magnificence.

10. Why were people cutting down the forests in the place where Lovejoy implemented his plan?
(a) To make wildlife extinct.
(b) To make rangeland.
(c) To build cities.
(d) To mine resources.

11. What strategy was Karen Strier opposed to using, for preserving the muriqui population?
(a) Breeding the muriqui in captivity.
(b) Imposing limits on environmental encroachment.
(c) Hunting down poachers.
(d) Relocating some families. Working with the muriqui families on an individual basis.

12. What did Wilson and MacArthur say about the immigration of new species in an island ecosystem?
(a) That it depended on external events and compatibility of food sources.
(b) That it depended on the defenses of the species already there. That it depended on external events and compatibility of food sources.
(c) That it typically only followed natural disasters like volcanoes erupting.
(d) That it was a regular occurrence.

13. How did Wilson and MacArthur test their theory about recolonization?
(a) By returning year after year to a small island off Tasmania.
(b) By studying data from the ancient city of Atlantis.
(c) By studying new volcanic islands in the South Seas.
(d) By fumigating an island in the Florida Keys.

14. What is an indri?
(a) A lemur.
(b) A turtle.
(c) A horse.
(d) A monkey.

15. What is the tone of the ending of the book?
(a) Appreciative awe.
(b) Heart-wrenching beauty threatened by destruction.
(c) Dread.
(d) Nostalgia for the days of discovery.

Short Answer Questions

1. What incident does Quammen relate at the end of chapter nine, "World in Pieces"?

2. What does Quammen say increases as individuals breed with genetically similar individuals?

3. What does Quammen say was found to play a role in the minimum viable population?

4. What is the literary term for the final chapter?

5. How does Quammen describe Aru?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 668 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample