The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What thematic motif do “Humanity’s Temporal Range,” “Staphylococcus Aureus,” and “Penguins of Madagascar” have in common?

A) The Power of Hope and Love

B) Building the World Together

C) The Pros and Cons of Guilty Pleasures

D) The Dangerous Uncertainties of Life

2. What thematic motif do “Halley’s Comet,” “Lascaux Cave Paintings,” and “The QWERTY Keyboard” have in common?

A) The Power of Hope and Love

B) Building the World Together

C) The Pros and Cons of Guilty Pleasures

D) The Dangerous Uncertainties of Life

3. Which of the following essays best conveys the thematic motif of The Power of Hope and Love?

A) “Air Conditioning”

B) “Piggly Wiggly”

C) “The Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest”

D) “‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’”

4. Which of the following essays best conveys the thematic motif of The Pros and Cons of Guilty Pleasures?

A) “Diet Dr. Pepper”

B) “Academic Decathlon”

C) “Sunsets”

D) “CNN”

5. Which of the following most accurately conveys Green’s attitude toward things like corporations, the internet, and air conditioning?

A) Apathetic

B) Amused

C) Ambivalent

D) Aggravated

6. What aspect of sports and games is a common element in “Bonneville Salt Flats,” “Super Mario Kart,” “Monopoly,” and “The Indianapolis 500?”

A) The influence of setting on outcome

B) Their community-building potential

C) Differences between them and “real” life

D) Their artistic and inspirational qualities

7. How does learning about Green’s youthful experiences help the reader understand thematic ideas in this collection?

A) His early history of illness helps the reader understand his fixation on medical and technological advancements.

B) His early history of being bullied and isolated helps the reader understand why he highly values community and cooperation today.

C) His early history of academic struggles helps the reader understand why he elevates inventors to almost hero-like status.

D) His early history of grief and bereavement helps the reader understand the value he places on his partner and children.

8. Which source of comfort and inspiration is most frequently seen in these essays?

A) Nature

B) Romantic partnership

C) Parenthood

D) Literature

9. Which of the following art forms appears most frequently in Green’s essays?

A) Drama

B) Dance

C) Music

D) Visual art

10. Which of these does Green give the lowest star rating?

A) “Auld Lang Syne”

B) Googling strangers

C) Indianapolis

D) Kentucky Bluegrass

11. Which of these does Green give the highest star rating?

A) Super Mario Kart

B) Monopoly

C) Viral meningitis

D) The “yips”

12. What human flaws does Green seem most troubled by in the essays in this collection?

A) Deceit and envy

B) Envy and greed

C) Greed and arrogance

D) Arrogance and deceit

13. Which of the following essays is the most comic in tone?

A) “Jerzy Dudek’s Performance on May 25, 2005”

B) “Air Conditioning”

C) “Teddy Bears”

D) “The Hot Dogs of Baejarins Beztu Pylsur”

14. Which of the following most accurately describes tone in Green’s essays?

A) The tone of the essays grows darker as the collection continues.

B) Most of the essays contain tone shifts, combining both light and serious tones.

C) Green uses the contrast between tone and subject matter satirically.

D) The somewhat flat tone of the essays reflects Green’s experience with depression.

15. Which of the following statements would Green be most likely to agree with?

A) The human capacity for joy and wonder far outweighs the human capacity for destruction.

B) Individual people must stand up against the destructive trends in society.

C) Working together, humans have the capacity for great creativity and great destruction.

D) There is a kind of guilty pleasure to be found in even the most destructive habits of humankind.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What common purpose unites the essays in this collection?

2. How does Green’s game “What’s Even the Point?” shed light on why he finds certain aspects of human achievement so wonderful?