The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Introduction-Chapter 11

Reading Check

1. What musical is the song “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from?

2. What novel does Green discuss in Chapter 4, “Our Capacity for Wonder?”

3. What innovative delivery method do Scratch ‘n’ Sniff stickers, carbonless copy paper, and time-release medications have in common?

4. To what bird does Green compare velociraptors in order to establish their real size?

5. What word does Green use to explain his disdain for Disney World and for the Hall of Presidents in particular?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What realization about his writing does Green come to during his bout of labyrinthitis?

2. What is ironic about Green’s foresight regarding the possibility of a global pandemic?

3. What motivates Green to give the Lascaux Cave Paintings four and a half stars?

4. Why does Green see Diet Dr. Pepper as an adequate replacement for the cigarettes he used to smoke?

5. What is Green’s rhetorical purpose in writing an essay about Canada Geese?

Paired Resource

“Hillsborough Vigil Sings ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’”

• This 2-minute video from BBC News covers Liverpool fans singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at a memorial vigil for those killed in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.
• This resource relates to the themes of The Dangerous Uncertainties of Life, Building the World Together, and The Power of Hope and Love.
• How does this particular use of the song relate to Green’s essay about the song? How does the video illustrate the song’s messages about both sorrow and hope?

“Wild Geese”

• This brief and approachable poem by Mary Oliver urges the reader to find hope and joy in the world even in the midst of despair.
• This resource relates to the themes of The Dangerous Uncertainties of Life and The Power of Hope and Love.
• “Wild Geese” on SuperSummary
• What does the poem suggest is the “wrong” way to cope with despair? Where does the speaker say we should look to find sources of hope, wonder, and joy? What do the poem’s final lines suggest about the relationship of human beings to the natural world? What does your reading of Green’s essay about geese tell you he might agree with in this poem? How are the two symbolic uses of geese—in Oliver’s poem and in Green’s essay—different from one another?

The Anthropocene Reviewed Podcast

• Many of the essays in Green’s book originated with this podcast, although the podcast episodes are not arranged exactly as the essays are arranged (for instance, some podcasts combine the topics of more than one of the essays). This is an excellent resource for students who need extra support as they read or who want to explore more of Green’s ideas.

Chapters 12-22

Reading Check

1. What percentage of Staph germs still respond to penicillin?

2. What does Green find soothing about rivers?

3. What did the filmmakers in Penguins of Madagascar do to three young penguins to get a good shot?

4. What well-known Japanese competitive eater does Green discuss in Chapter 20, “The Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest”?

5. In Harvey, what does Dowd’s mother tell him are the two ways that people can choose to be?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What irony does Green point out in our current use of air conditioning?

2. How did the early internet benefit Green socially?

3. What rhetorical point is Green making by telling Jerzy Dudek’s story?

4. What innovation did Piggly Wiggly introduce?

5. What criticism does Green make of CNN?

Paired Resource

“A Race Against Bugs”

• Physician and author Matthew McCarthy describes a scenario from his career that illustrates the dangers presented by antibiotic resistance.
• This resource relates to the theme of The Dangerous Uncertainties of Life and Building the World Together.
• What point is McCarthy making by telling this story? How is his purpose similar to and different from Green’s purpose in Chapter 13, “Staphylococcus aureus?” Does either author seem hopeful about humanity’s ability to outpace antibiotic resistance with new drugs and strategies?

“How Clear, How Lovely Bright”

• This brief and accessible poem by AE Housman conveys the hope a new day brings and the disappointment that sunset brings.
• Students can listen to a reading of the poem here.
• What common symbolic use of the sunset does Houseman employ in this poem? How does this contrast with Green’s use of the sunset? Is Houseman’s use of the sunset cynical, as Green might charge, or does it reveal a different kind of vulnerability than the kind Green talks about in his essay?

Chapters 23-33

Reading Check

1. What professional writer and friend does Green write about in Chapter 24, “Auld Lang Syne”?

2. What major Indianapolis road name does Green mention to support his dislike of Indianapolis?

3. What precursor to Monopoly did Lizzie Magie invent in 1906?

4. In Chapter 31, “Bonneville Salt Flats,” whom does Green say is his favorite person?

5. What does Green say has curtailed the amount of whispering people do?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What elements do the stories of Ana Ivanovic and Rick Ankiel have in common?

2. How did Green first become concerned about the fate of the child whom he eventually Googles and discovers has become a “normal” 18-year-old?

3. Despite the danger inherent in the Indy 500 race, what benefits does Green see to this annual event?

4. What contrast does Green observe between the way advantages are distributed in life and in Mario Kart?

5. What analogy does Green draw between an activity he enjoys and the art of Hiroyuki Doi?

Paired Resource

“The Semplica-Girl Diaries”

• In this surreal story by George Saunders, a status-conscious narrator records in his diary his attempts to secure a strange status symbol for his family.
• This resource relates to the theme of The Pros and Cons of Guilty Pleasures.
• “The Semplica-Girl Diaries” can be found in The Tenth of December on SuperSummary.
• What do the Semplica Girls embody about the relationship between wealthy and impoverished nations and peoples? Why do you think Saunders chose to have these people displayed on lawns—what does this point out about lawns themselves? What details in the story support this interpretation of lawns? How does this relate to Green’s commentary about lawns? In what sense are both pieces concerned with the pleasures and costs of consumption and possessions?

“Hiroyuki Doi: A Universe in Tiny Form”

• This excerpt from a profile of Doi in Raw Vision magazine discusses the origins and characteristics of his art.
• This resource relates to the themes of The Dangerous Uncertainties of Life and The Power of Hope and Love.
• How did the images of Doi’s art compare to what you imagined when you were reading Green’s essay? What adverse event in Doi’s life does he say inspired him to begin making art? How does his own description of the purpose of his art compare and contrast with Green’s discussion of his art in “Hiroyuki Doi’s Circle Drawings”?

Chapter 34-Postscript

Reading Check

1. In his discussion of the plague, what city does Green mention as a place where people of all faiths gathered together to pray?

2. What country is Green in when he has the hot dog he refers to as a once-in-a-lifetime experience?

3. What album does Green say made a huge impact on him while his relationship was failing?

4. What does Green call the “darker” version of the “Why?” game he plays with his children?

5. In the book’s Postscript, what two words does Green use to sum up his experience of life thus far?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. During his struggle with viral meningitis, why did Green feel distant from other people?

2. In Chapter 36, “Wintry Mix,” what fallacy does Green discuss, and what feelings does he express about it?

3. What reason does Green cite for the QWERTY keyboard’s lack of efficiency?

4. What does Green enjoy about roadside attractions like the giant ball of paint and the building facade made of corn kernels?

5. What is Green’s rhetorical purpose in describing the Sander photo of the three farmers on their way to a dance?

Recommended Next Reads 

The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay

• This collection of essays celebrates the ordinary wonders of human life while still taking note of the problems in our modern world.
• Shared themes include The Dangerous Uncertainties of Life, The Pros and Cons of Guilty Pleasures, Building the World Together, and The Power of Hope and Love.
• Shared topics include memoir, consumer culture, the beauty of nature, and ecological damage.

Animals Strike Curious Poses by Elena Passarello

• In this essay collection structured as a mock-bestiary, Passarello profiles animals made famous by humans and considers the relationship humans have with the rest of the animal world.
• Shared themes are The Dangerous Uncertainties of Life and The Pros and Cons of Guilty Pleasures.
• Shared topics include memoir, consumer culture, the beauty of nature, and human disregard for the nonhuman world.