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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. What do Darwin and his gaucho companion hear at the Sauce outpost?

2. What does Darwin discover that some small owls eat by examining the contents of their stomachs?

3. What does Darwin speculate died out on the continent long before the Spanish arrived?

4. What animal does Darwin find in small herds after arriving at Port Desire?

5. Where does Darwin spend ten weeks at the mouth of the Plata River?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the rodents Darwin encounters outside Maldonado.

2. How does Darwin regard the Brazilian horses?

3. Who does Darwin encounter at Las Minas and how does he size them up?

4. How does Darwin react to the selling of children as slaves as opposed to what the soldiers and the settlers think about it.

5. How is Darwin stunned by the docility of a large male slave?

6. Why does Darwin not stay long at Bahia Blanca?

7. What does Darwin surmise about the geology of St. Jago?

8. What does Darwin write about how the gauchos break horses?

9. What does Darwin write about a huge bird he kills up the Santa Cruz River?

10. Describe the beginning of Darwin's trip around the world.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay comparing the historical displacement of native peoples in both North and South America. Compare the revolutions and wars with the indigenous populations of each continent. In your essay speculate on how small groups of European settlers were able to take over the New World.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about the type of person who is scientifically, physically, and emotionally fit to undertake a voyage like the one Darwin made around the world. In explaining your thesis, use examples of Darwin's inquisitive mind, his ability as a hunter, his ability to ride a horse, his nerve to go off with strangers into the unknown, etc.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay on man's disruption of natural ecology by introducing species to an area where they do not naturally belong. Use examples of this as seen by Darwin on his scientific voyage. Conclude in your essay why humans are responsible for preserving the ecosystems of the world.

(see the answer keys)

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