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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "The Observatory," what type of swans did the author observe?
(a) Mute.
(b) Black-necked and black.
(c) Whopper and Bewick's.
(d) Coscoroba.

2. How did a British officer survive prison camps in Germany?
(a) Watching rats.
(b) Watching birds.
(c) Digging a tunnel.
(d) Writing a journal.

3. In "Berries," when did the author say was the last time that she and her mother saw wax-wings?
(a) 3 years ago.
(b) 8 years ago.
(c) 5 years ago.
(d) 9 years ago.

4. How old was a cygnet caught in "Swan Upping"?
(a) 18 weeks.
(b) 20 weeks.
(c) 12 weeks.
(d) 23 weeks.

5. When did the pesticide DDT decimate peregrine populations?
(a) 1950s.
(b) 1950s and 1960s.
(c) 1940s and 1950s.
(d) 1970s.

Short Answer Questions

1. When did Stanley Spencer leave the painting Swan Upping at Cookham unfinished in his bedroom?

2. Which of the author's relatives was distressed by storms because of the reminder of the Blitz?

3. When did Norfolk farmers learn that the skylarks in their fields were migrants from the Continent?

4. In "Deer in the Headlights," what was the name of Macdonald's friend who hit a deer?

5. How long was the journey to catch all the swans on the upper reaches of the River Thames?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Storm," what could the author see as she drove on the M25?

2. How does the author describe the Wicken fens through the ages?

3. Why does Macdonald state that deer are dangerous animals?

4. Why do swans flock to the Welney Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve in the winter?

5. When was the British Trust for Ornithology established, and what was its purpose?

6. What encounter did Macdonald have with a swan at the Jesus Lock?

7. What did the author and her mother see and hear in "Berries" while running errands?

8. What happened to the orioles in Britain?

9. Where were peregrine falcons nesting in "The Falcon and the Tower"?

10. How does the author describe the painting Swan Upping at Cookham?

(see the answer keys)

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