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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 did Whittington conclude about Yohoia in 1975?

2. What did Whittington use to dissect the carapace of Opabinia?

3. Why did Whittington dissect Opabinia?

4. Who was America's "greatest paleontologist and scientific administrator"?

5. According to Gould, what kind of insight does the Burgess Shale offer into the nature of life and the evolution of life forms?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Gould write this book as an homage to the Burgess Shale?

2. What did Whittington find Opabinia to actually be?

3. What evidence favors Opabinia's uniqueness?

4. How did Walcott's taxonomy have to be significantly updated?

5. How did Whittington try to uncover the bodily appendages of Opabinia?

6. Name four levels of the taxonomy of life.

7. Why is the Burgess Shale acknowledged as the most significant collection of fossils yet discovered?

8. How does Gould begin Chapter 2: A Background for the Burgess Shale?

9. What did Leif Størmer's "Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology" describe?

10. What is the purpose of Chapter 2: A Background for the Burgess Shale?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Act 1 discusses the differences between Leif Størmer's explanation of the Burgess arthropods in his Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology and Walcott's narrow groupings of arthropod phylums. Compile at least three examples provided by Gould's book that examine their similarities and differences.

Essay Topic 2

In Act 1, Whittington begins to observe Yohoia. Answer the following question: Should Whittington's observations of Marrella have affected his approach to Yohoia? Use one of your own supporting ideas to back up your statement, and at least two examples from the book.

Essay Topic 3

In Chapter 1, Gould examines Walcott's inaccurate interpretation of the ladder and cone convention. Using this example, and others found in Chapter 1 or 2, agree or disagree with the following question: does Gould or Walcott present a more convincing argument concerning the ladder and cone interpretation? Present your paper with an arguable thesis that uses three solid examples from the book.

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