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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. How does Darwin make it to Monte Video and the Beagle?

2. What do the gauchos bring down using their bolas?

3. Where does Darwin travel with the company of a guide and five gauchos?

4. What is a particular riding skill of a gaucho?

5. After the return to Rio de Janeiro, where does Darwin stay that is rich in resources for the naturalist?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Darwin have to say about the Brazilian rain forest?

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

3. What strange phenomenon occurs on the way to Port Desire and how does Darwin rationalize it?

4. How does Darwin describe the behavior of the guanaco he finds at the ruins of an old Spanish settlement?

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

6. What is Darwin given to eat at Tapalguen River?

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

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

9. Heading toward St. Fe, about 300 miles north of Buenos Aries along the Parana River, describe the strange animal Darwin observes.

10. In three days at Socego, where does Darwin find insects to collect?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about a scientific trip you would like to make. Zero in on one geographical area you would like to visit and do scientific research. In your essay, express how you would prepare for such an expedition.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about how scientific knowledge has grown since Darwin (1809-1882) went on the voyage of the Beagle. Discuss how modern scientific methods and equipment enable us to see things Darwin could not see with his naked eye or under his microscope. Speculate on how much more Darwin might have found in areas that were of little interest to him on his trip if he had had access to more modern equipment.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about how you see the character of Charles Darwin from what he writes in his journal. Find illustrations to describe him as a person, his sensibilities, and his spirit of adventure. In your essay discuss how his public image as a man who challenges established religion is different from the way he actually is.

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