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Paleontology's Public Intellectual

Created by crisw

Fun Trivia : Quizzes : Stephen Jay Gould
Paleontologys Public Intellectual game quiz
"On May 20, 2002, Stephen Jay Gould passed away. Called 'paleontology's public intellectual' by Andrew Knoll of Harvard University, Gould was a prominent evolutionist, a prolific author, and a champion of science and reason."

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  



1. Even as a child, Gould was obsessed with dinosaurs. However, dinosaurs were not as 'cool' in the 40's as they are today. What nickname did Gould earn for his interests?
    Dino boy
    Dinosaur breath
    Fossil face
    Bonehead


2. Gould became a professor at a very young age- 26. At what university did he teach?
    Harvard
    Columbia
    Yale
    UCLA


3. At the age of 30 Gould and Niles Eldredge coauthored a paper on a new theory of evolutionary science quite different from strict Darwinism. What was this theory called?
    Punctuated equilibrium
    Founder effect
    Allopatric speciation
    Convergent evolution


4. Gould was most famous as an author of short essays on science. In which magazine were these essays originally published?
    The Scientist
    Smithsonian
    Natural History
    Science


5. One of Gould's books was titled 'The Panda's Thumb.' What did the panda's thumb have to do with evolution?
    An example of very gradual evolution
    An example of convergent evolution
    An example of imperfect design
    An example of paleontological detective work


6. One of Gould's works was called 'The Mismeasure of Man.' What was this book about?
    The heredity of intelligence
    Physical differences between human races
    Rate of growth of human skeletons
    Physical differences between men and women


7. Gould wrote many essays for the 'New York Review of Books.' However, many of them were not about books on science. What were they about?
    Stamp collecting
    Education
    Computers
    Baseball


8. Another of Gould's reviews for the 'New York Review of Books' was a scathing review of a book by Charles Murray. What was the subject of this book that so aroused Gould's ire?
    Astrology
    Creationism in the public schools
    Theories of racial intelligence
    Warm-blooded dinosaurs


9. Gould appeared as an expert witness in several court cases. What did the cases concern?
    Affirmative action
    Generic drug marketing
    Ownership of dinosaur fossils
    Teaching creationism to schoolchildren


10. Gould appeared as himself on one episode of a famous television series. Which one?
    The Cosby Show
    The Simpsons
    Star Trek-The Next Generation
    CSI


11. Fill in the blank for the following quote from Gould-'Teaching _____________is like teaching English but making grammar optional.'
    biology without evolution
    math without statistics
    science without ethics
    medicine without compassion


12. What were Gould's political views best characterized as?
    Conservative
    Liberal
    Apolitical
    Middle of the road


13. Which of the following was a hobby of Gould's?
    Mushroom hunting
    Knitting
    Raising pigeons
    Singing in a choir


14. In 1980, Gould was diagnosed with abdominal mesothelioma, a type of cancer. The cancer went into remission for some years, then returned. Gould worked very hard to finish his magnum opus, probably knowing that he had little time left. What was this book called?
    The Structure of Evolutionary Theory
    Creationism- The False Doctrine
    Equilibrium and Evolution
    A Brief History of Evolution


15. Another of Gould's most famous essays is called, 'The Median Isn't the Message.' What is the subject of this essay?
    Mediocrity in science education
    Statistics of cancer survival
    The average person's views of science
    Fraud in science research

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