Test yourself

1. The Dominican Republic is an island shared with what country?
   1. Trinidad
   2. Tobago
   3. Hispaniola
   4. Haiti
2. About how many people live in the Dominican Republic?
   1. 10,000,000
   2. 1,000,000
   3. 100,000
   4. 1000
3. About how many Dominican Americans live in New York City?
   1. 6,000
   2. 60,000
   3. 600,000
   4. 6,000,000
4. The Cibao Valley is located between what two mountain ranges?
   1. Cordillera Centrino and Septrino
   2. Cordillera Central and Septentrional
   3. Cordillera Centrallo and Serrato
   4. None of the above
5. Despite its relatively small size, the Dominican Republic is a biodiversity “hotspot” primarily because of:
   1. Its small size
   2. Extreme topographic complexity and different habitats
   3. Its rich deposits of oil, coal, and gas
   4. Introduced species from Europeans in the 1600’s
   5. C and E
6. The two largest cities in the Dominican Republic are:
   1. Santiago and Pedernales
   2. Santo Domingo and Santa Maria
   3. Mao and Zamba
   4. Santiago and Santo Domingo
   5. Mao and La Vega
7. Why was the city of Santiago relocated in the 1600s?
   1. Disputes about who owned the land under the city.
   2. A massive earthquake caused by tectonic activity deep within the earth
   3. A tsunami
   4. Both b and c
   5. None of the above
8. How do we know that much of the Dominican Republic was once below sea level?
   1. Fossil coral reefs on land
   2. Salty water in wells
   3. Ancient writings of the Tainos
   4. None of the above
9. Why are earthquakes common in the Dominican Republic?
   1. Geological plates that make up the island are moving in different directions
   2. Movement of tectonic plates
   3. Fault lines throughout the island
   4. All of the above
10. How long have paleontologists been studying the fossil-rich deposits of the Dominican Republic?
    1. 1700’s
    2. 1800’s
    3. 1900’s
    4. 2000’s
    5. They just started this year
11. The Dominican Republic contains scientific evidence of climate change on Earth. What is this evidence?
    1. Marine fossils in the Cibao Valley
    2. Coral reefs on land near the present day coast
    3. Deep-sea sediments in the Cordillera Central
    4. All of the above
12. Why have many scientists studied the marine fossils of the Dominican Republic?
    1. They are abundant
    2. They are preserved in excellent condition
    3. They record the evolutionary history of the island and region
    4. They record patterns of biodiversity through time
    5. All of the above
13. Lago Enriquillo is a remnant of:
    1. A landlocked sea
    2. A broken dam
    3. Floods from recent Hurricanes
    4. None of the above
14. Dominican mangrove forests are important because:
    1. They protect land from erosion during storms and hurricanes
    2. They capture runoff particles that cloud the water and kill coral reefs
    3. Their fruit is a major agricultural export
    4. A and c
    5. A and b
15. Many Dominican coral reefs are in danger of extinction because of:
    1. Overfishing
    2. Coastal development
    3. Marine-based pollution
    4. Global warming
    5. All of the above
16. The Dominican Solenodon is known for its:
    1. Poisonous venom
    2. Endangered status due to deforestation and hunting
    3. Similarity to a shrew
    4. All of the above
17. What “funds of knowledge” in Dominican American students might not be recognized by science teachers?
    1. Knowledge about tropical climates and weather
    2. Knowledge of Caribbean ecosystems and animals
    3. Knowledge of geology and earthquakes
    4. All of the above
18. The earliest known inhabitants of the present-day Dominican Republic were:
    1. The Tanners
    2. The Taínos
    3. The Tiannos
    4. The Tierras
    5. None of the above
19. The highest mountain range in the entire West Indies is the:
    1. Cordillera Central
    2. Cordillera Septentrional
    3. Sierra de Bahoruco
    4. Sierra de Samaná
20. Which of the following statements about Dominican education is true?
    1. Children from isolated regions have limited access to schooling.
    2. The secondary school diploma is called the bachillerato.
    3. Most wealthy students attend private religiously-affiliated schools
    4. Primary education is free and compulsory for children between the ages of 7 and 14.
    5. All of the above

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