69 pages • 2 hours read
Rachel CarsonSilent Spring
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1962A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Quiz
Reading Check, Multiple Choice & Short Answer Quizzes
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.
C) Insecticides and their effects should be more carefully researched.
D) Insecticides are more effective in rural areas than in cities.
4. When did the chemical pesticide industry begin?
A) during the 19th century
B) during WWI
C) during WWII
D) during the 1950s
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Which stylistic techniques does Carson use to make scientific information more understandable to readers?
2. How does Carson say insects have come into conflict with humans?
3. What primary reason does Carson provide for the increase of insect populations during the 20th century?
4. Why does Carson mention the Bill of Rights in relation to chemical pesticides?
Chapters 4-6
Reading Check
1. What comparison does Carson make as she discusses the effect of chemical pesticides in bodies of water?
2. Why does Carson say groundwater pollution is so significant?
3. Which essential organisms in the soil does Carson say are be most affected by chemical pesticides?
4. Which kind of plant does Carson discuss as one of the most tragic examples of disturbing natural landscapes with chemical pesticides?
Multiple Choice
1. What was Carson’s explanation for scientists finding the weed killer 2,4-D in well water when the herbicide had not been manufactured or applied in the area?
A) The chemical had formed spontaneously from other substances that reacted with air, water, and sunlight.
B) Nearby farmers were not truthful about applying the weedkiller to their crops.
C) The well water had been contaminated from groundwater pollution several miles upstream.
D) The mystery was never satisfactorily solved.
2. How does Carson say duck hunters in western states of the US could be affected by local water polluted with chemical pesticides?
A) Hunters are exposed to pesticides when they hunt near the polluted water.
B) Ducks are migratory, so they can spread the effects of chemical contaminants to other regions.
C) When contaminated ducks are eaten, the duck hunters will become ill.
D) A large majority of migratory ducks may be contaminated with chemical pesticides when they visit western conservation areas during the fall.
3. Why does Carson say earthworms are so important to soil health?
A) Earthworms transport soil from deeper regions of the earth to surface regions.
B) Earthworms break down organic matter and transport it from surface soil to deeper soil.
C) Earthworms aerate the soil by burrowing tunnels.
D) all of the above
4. Why does Carson criticize roadside spraying of herbicides?
A) Spaying diminishes the beauty of an area.
B) Spraying kills native wildflowers, trees, and shrubs.
C) Spraying kills wild bees and other important pollinators.
D) all of the above
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Describe the different ways Carson says waterways are polluted with chemical pesticides.
2. How does soil contaminated with chemical pesticides affect plants?
3. How long does Carson say insecticides persist in the soil?
4. What prevailing attitude about plants does Carson believe is at the crux of humans’ careless use of herbicides?
Chapters 7-8
Reading Check
1. Ultimately, why does Carson call insecticide spraying “needless havoc”?
2. Which specific insect does Carson use in Chapter 7 as an example of botched attempts by humans to control insect populations with chemical insecticides?
3. Which specific disease does Carson use in Chapter 8 as an example of botched attempts by humans to control plant diseases with chemical herbicides?
4. On which specific bird species does Carson focus in Chapter 8 to discuss the effects of DDT spraying?
Multiple Choice
1. Which chemical insecticide does Carson regard as “one of the most dangerous of all the chlorinated hydrocarbons” used during the time she wrote Silent Spring?
A) aldrin
B) DDT
C) heptachlor
D) parathion
2. Which domestic animal does Carson use an example of collateral harm from insecticide spraying?
A) dogs
B) cats
C) cattle
D) parakeets
3. What is “milky disease”?
A) a pathogen that contaminates the milk of dairy cattle
B) a disease that infects humans who drink milk contaminated by chemical pesticides
C) a bacterial disease that infects certain species of beetles
D) a fungal disease that turns plant foliage a milky-white color
4. Why are robins particularly susceptible to chemical insecticides?
A) Robins eat primarily earthworms, which contain high levels of toxins in their bodies after feeding on sprayed leaves.
B) Robins primarily eat seeds from plants sprayed with herbicides.
C) There are more robins than any other bird species in the United States.
D) Robins tend to live in rural areas where agricultural crops are routinely sprayed with pesticides.
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What moral argument does Carson make about the widespread use of chemical pesticides by humans?
2. Explain another reason bird populations are diminished by the use of chemical pesticides, besides dying from lethal doses of toxins.
3. What does Carson mean when she refers to protecting trees from disease by “the conservation of variety?”
4. What alternative does Carson mention in place of spraying agricultural crops with poisons to prevent unwanted birds from eating the crops?
Chapters 9-10
Reading Check
1. Which kind of fish was particularly affected by DDT spraying over the Miramichi River in 1953?
2. Why was it difficult to determine the full effect of DDT spraying on fish populations?
3. Which two insects were targeted under eradication programs that Carson calls drastic actions according to a predominant “end-justifies-the-means” philosophy”?
4. What was the ultimate outcome of these insect eradication programs?
Multiple Choice
1. Why was DDT was sprayed over the Miramichi River in New Brunswick?
A) to rid the area of invasive weeds
B) to save the forest from the spruce budworm
C) to save the forest from Japanese beetles
D) all of the above
2. Why are larger fish more impacted than smaller fish by chemical pesticides?
A) Populations of larger aquatic insects take longer to recover.
B) Larger fish ingest higher levels of poisons.
C) Larger fish may have eggs, which also impacts successive generations.
D) Larger fish are not impacted more than smaller fish.
3. Why did Carson call it “absurd” to spray insecticides on the heavily populated area of Long Island, New York?
A) Large numbers of people were exposed to the chemicals.
B) The insecticides were not effective against the targeted insect.
C) The targeted insect was not a problem in the area.
D) Citizen groups had protested against spraying.
4. Which of the following is NOT a reason Carson placed blame on the US Department of Agriculture for the harmful effects of insecticide spraying in southern states during 1957?
A) The department ignored previous studies that showed the insecticide was ineffective against the targeted insect.
B) The department believed unsubstantiated claims that the targeted insect was a serious threat to crops and wildlife.
C) The department ignored protests made by state conservation agencies, ecologists, and local citizens.
D) The department received payment from insecticide companies to authorize spraying.
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How did Hurricane Edna in the fall of 1954 impact the number of fish that hatched during the spring of 1955 in the Miramichi River?
2. How does physiological stress increase the effect of toxins in the body of animals, including humans?
3. Why does Carson say aerial spraying of chemical pesticides is so harmful?
4. How does Carson emphasize the harmful effects of dairy milk contaminated by heptachlor?
Chapters 11-14
Reading Check
1. What does Carson say is worse than being exposed to chemical pesticides during a heavy spraying?
2. Which two highly toxic chemical insecticides were commonly used in households when Carson wrote Silent Spring?
3. What vital part of the body is particularly important to help detoxify chemical pesticides and other toxins?
4. What are some of the harmful effects of insufficient oxygen in animal cells that contain residues of chemical pesticides?
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following items is NOT named by Carson as a household product containing the chemical insecticide chlordane ?
A) citronella candle
B) kitchen shelf paper
C) mosquito spray
D) floor wax
2. Which of the following is NOT one of the symptoms a gardener experienced after spraying weekly applications of DDT?
A) nerve damage
B) weight loss
C) appetite loss
D) muscular weakness
3. Approximately how much of human body weight comes from fat?
A) about 50%
B) a little less than 20%
C) a little more than 10%
D) less than 10%
4. According to Carson, which statement about cancer-causing agents called carcinogens is true?
A) They did not exist before humans evolved.
B) They are created only by naturally-occurring pathogens.
C) They are increasingly created by humans.
D) They are decreasing due to technology.
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What does Carson mean when she says humans have “an ecology of the world within our bodies”?
2. What is cell oxidation and why is it important?
3. What statistics does Carson report in relation to cancer among children at the time she wrote Silent Spring?
4. Briefly explain what a “tolerance” means in relation to chemical pesticides.
Chapters 15-17
Reading Check
1. What does Carson call a “complex, precise, and highly integrated system of relationships between living things?”
2. How many insect species does Carson say had been identified at the time she wrote Silent Spring?
3. What particular insecticide does Carson say ushered in the Age of Resistance?
4. Which alternative does Carson hope will reduce or replace the use of chemical pesticides?
Multiple Choice
1. What percentage of the Earth’s creatures are insects?
A) 20 to 30%
B) 30 to 40%
C) 50 to 60%
D) 70 to 80%
2. Which of the following is NOT an example of a predatory insect?
A) dragonfly
B) aphid
C) lacewing
D) wasp
3. Which of the following is NOT a reason Carson gives for people continuing to use insecticides despite increasing reports of insect resistance?
A) Companies want a return for their considerable financial investment in developing and marketing insecticides.
B) People want a “quick fix” to their insect problems.
C) Studies have not provided clear evidence of insect resistance.
D) New insecticides are quickly developed to take the place of the older, now ineffective, insecticides.
4. Which of the following is part of the European science of “forest hygiene”?
A) encouraging more birds by building bird boxes for nests
B) selective spraying of Bacillus thuringiensis
C) introducing small mammals that prey on insects
D) spraying trees with insecticidal soap
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What are the two critical facts that Carson says humans have overlooked in developing insect control programs?
2. How do insects develop resistance to chemical insecticides?
3. What are two alternatives to chemical spraying that Carson discusses for less damaging and more effective control of insect pests?
4. How does the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis kill insect pests?
Quizzes – Answer Key
Chapters 1-3
Reading Check
1. Carson never names the “strange blight” but says the town’s “people had done it themselves.” (Chapter 1)
2. synthetic insecticides and other chemical pesticides (Chapter 2)
3. chlorinated hydrocarbons and organic phosphorus insecticides (Chapter 3)
4. carbon and hydrogen (Chapter 3)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. Carson uses narration to tell stories; she provides numerous concrete examples; she relates chemical pesticides to radiation (with which people were familiar after WWII); and she brings up children and animals to elicit emotion. (Chapter 1 and 2)
2. Insects have come into conflict with humans in two primary ways: as competitors for the food supply and as carriers of human disease. (Chapter 2)
3. Insects proliferate in single-crop agricultural systems because they have plenty of habitat. Without diversified plantings, there is no natural check and balance to hold populations of insect species down. (Chapter 2)
4. Chemical companies and government agencies that support pesticide programs have subjected US citizens to chemical poisons without their knowledge or consent. Carson mentions the Bill of Rights (the first ten Amendments to the Constitution) because they were intended to ensure Americans’ rights in relation to their government. (Chapter 2)
Chapters 4-6
Reading Check
1. Carson compares water pollution by pesticides to radioactive wastes; she says many chemical agents in pesticides are a new kind of fallout. (Chapter 4)
2. Polluting groundwater with chemical wastes is particularly concerning because groundwater is continuously moving and thus affects water everywhere. (Chapter 4)
3. The smallest organisms in the soil are particularly affected by chemical pollution in the soil; these include invisible bacteria, fungi, and algae. (Chapter 5)
4. Carson discusses sagebrush across the high western plains of the Rocky Mountains. Sagebrush is particularly suited for this region because it is well-adapted to little moisture and high winds. (Chapter 6)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. Carson says waterways are polluted by intentional spraying that kills plant, insect larvae, and undesired fishes; waterways also can be polluted by spraying forests and croplands, as the chemical toxins are then carried to waterways by groundwater. (Chapter 4)
2. Chemical pesticides are taken up from contaminated soil by plant roots and transported to plant tissue. (Chapter 5)
3. Chemical insecticides persist in the soil for several years, depending on the chemical sprayed. Aldrin/dieldrin has been found in the soil four years after spraying and chlordane has been found to persist in the soil 12 years after spraying. (Chapter 5).
4. Carson says humans only care about plants they have determined to be useful to them; otherwise, “we may condemn them to destruction” simply because the plant happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. (Chapter 6)
Chapters 7-8
Reading Check
1. Spraying insecticides has cost a lot of money and has killed a lot of wildlife, yet the spraying programs have resulted in only temporary suppression of the targeted insects. (Chapter 7)
2. Japanese beetle (Chapter 7)
3. Dutch elm disease (Chapter 8)
4. robin (Chapter 8)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. Carson asks if “any civilization can wage relentless war on life without destroying itself, and without losing the right to be called civilized.” (Chapter 7)
2. Birds that ingest chemical pesticides often become sterile, so females lay fewer eggs. The eggs the birds do lay often do not hatch. (Chapter 7)
3. “Conservation of variety” was first discussed by British ecologist Charles Elton; it means maintaining biological diversity, and Carson refers to it when she argues that landscape plantings should not focus on a single plant species. (Chapter 8)
4. Rather than spraying parathion to get rid of the blackbirds eating corn crops, farmers could have switched to growing a type of corn with deep-set ears that would not be accessible to the birds. (Chapter 8)
Chapters 9-10
Reading Check
1. (Coho) salmon (Chapter 9)
2. The fish do not die immediately. (Chapter 9)
3. the gypsy moth and the fire ant (Chapter 10)
4. They both failed to effectively reduce the targeted insect populations. (Chapter 10)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. The hurricane carried streams of fresh water far out to sea, which drew in larger numbers of salmon to spawn in the streams. The newly hatched salmon found plenty of small insects to feed on and had fewer competitors because many of the larger salmon had died. (Chapter 9)
2. Toxins are stored in body fat, and during times of physiological stress, the organism draws on stored fat for energy. This exposes the organism to the full lethal effects of chemical poisons stored in the body. (Chapter 9)
3. Aerial spraying is particularly harmful because pilots don’t turn off the spraying over bodies of water or nearby neighborhoods. Also, the chemical pesticides drift through the air and settle everywhere. (Chapter 10)
4. Carson emphasizes the harmful effects of milk contaminated by heptachlor by discussing children drinking the milk. (Chapter 10)
Chapters 11-14
Reading Check
1. progressive buildup of toxins by repeated exposures over time (Chapter 11)
2. chlordane and dieldrin (Chapter 11)
3. the liver (Chapter 12)
4. Normal cells turn into cancer cells; malformation of tissues and organs occurs. (Chapter 13)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. Carson means that our body works as a system; one small change can have big effects, but we may not be able to connect causes and effects because they happen over time. (Chapter 12)
2. Cell oxidation occurs when cells use oxygen in the body to produce energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). It’s important for healthful functioning of the cells and body functions. (Chapter 13)
3. Carson reports that 12% of all deaths in children between the ages of 1 and 14 are caused by cancer. (Chapter 14)
4. A tolerance refers to an acceptable level of chemical residues on crops by the Food and Drug Administration. (Chapter 14)
Chapters 15-17
Reading Check
1. the balance of nature (Chapter 15)
2. more than 700,000 (Chapter 15)
3. DDT and its relatives (Chapter 16)
4. biological controls (Chapter 17)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. Humans have overlooked the fact that nature supplies the most effective control of insects, and they have overlooked the fact that insects are capable of reproducing in exploding numbers once the natural resistance of the environment has been weakened. (Chapter 15)
2. Although scientists were still learning about insect resistance when Carson wrote Silent Spring, they knew that natural selection was involved. This Darwinian theory enabled some of the insects to survive insecticide applications, and these resistant traits were handed down through successive generations. After a few generations, all the weaker insects died out, leaving only the strongest and most resistant insects. (Chapter 16)
3. Carson discusses biological controls, such as sterilizing male insects and creating selective insecticides with venom, attractants, and repellents produced by the insects. She also discusses using ultrasonic sound devices. (Chapter 17)
4. Bacillus thuringiensis is a naturally occurring bacteria that kills insects by poisoning them. After eating foliage that has been applied with Bt, insect larvae are paralyzed, stop feeding, and then die. (Chapter 17)
