Silent Spring

Reading Check questions are designed for in-class review on key plot points or for quick verbal or written assessments. Multiple Choice and Short Answer Quizzes create ideal summative assessments, and collectively function to convey a sense of the work’s tone and themes.

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. Who/what is the “strange blight” that Carson describes in her fable about a town in America’s heartland?

2. What does Carson believe is the primary cause of environmental destruction since the 1900s?

3. What are the two types of synthesized poisons that Carson describes as “elixirs of death”?

4. Which two organic chemicals are most often used to make chemical pesticides?

Multiple Choice

1. On what time period does Carson focus to write about the use of chemical pesticides?

A) during WWI

B) during WWII

C) during the 1950s and early 1960s

D) during the late 1960s and early 1970s

2. What does Carson say makes humans different from all other animal species on Earth?

A) Humans are more intelligent than other animal species.

B) Humans have the power to alter the world.

C) There are more humans than any other animal species.

D) Other animal species do not care about the environment as humans do.

3. What is Carson’s primary argument about using chemical insecticides to manage insect populations?

A) Insecticides should not be used because they are too damaging.

B) Insecticides are one of the most important technological advances of the 20th century.