The Omnivore's Dilemma Chapters 8-9 Review

In Chapter 8, what is the purpose of the subheading “Is That Food?”?

• To introduce the concept of cooking with recipes

• To reference the connection between corn and plastics

• To point out that humans often choose to eat many non-food items

• To emphasize the dilemma most humans face when figuring out what we should eat

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Which evidence from the text best explains why earlier humans did not struggle with the “omnivore’s dilemma”?

• “Over thousands of years, human beings built a culture of food that helped us figure out what to eat and what to avoid.” (p102)

• “In most places people ate small portions of meat, though not at every meal.” (p103)

• “When their familiar foods are in short supply, there’s always another one they can try.” (text box, p103)

• “We need to recover the skills and knowledge people used to have.” (p104)

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On page 103, Pollan describes the uncertainty of the modern omnivore. Which phrase from this excerpt shows negative bias? ----- “Standing in our giant supermarkets, we feel more lost than someone standing in a forest ten thousand years ago. We no longer know for sure which foods are good for us and which aren’t. Thanks to the food industry, we don’t even know what it is we’re eating. Sometimes it even seems like we’ve forgotten why we eat.”

• standing in giant supermarkets

• we no longer know for sure

• thanks to the food industry

• we’ve forgotten why

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On p105, what does Pollan mean when he says, “A sweet tooth is part of our omnivore’s brain”?

• Humans developed a taste for sweets after years of consuming HFCS products

• We are born liking sweet foods because of our evolutionary instinct to eat energy-rich carbohydrates.

• Humans are born with some teeth specifically wired for recognizing sweet tastes.

• Most humans have a second set of teeth in our brains.

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Which evidence from the text best explains why humans can’t rely on taste alone to decide what to eat?

• “It turns out that some of the bitterest plants contain valuable nutrients, even useful medicines.” (p106)

• “Many plant toxins (poisons) are bitter. (p106)

• “Once it was discovered, cooking became one of the most important tools of the human omnivore.” (p107)

• “And humans had the cassava roots all to themselves, since pigs, porcupines, and other animals wouldn’t touch them.” (p107)

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Which of the following is an argument Michael Pollan makes on page 108?

• Humans should use the rat method to solve the omnivore’s dilemma.

• The food culture developed by different nationalities was based on knowledge of local foods and has become part of a group identity.

• National food cultures are based on strictly adhered to list of locally produced foods.

• Most poisons in nature are not that strong, so really, humans can eat anything safely.

Which of the following best describes the purpose of the illustration and caption in the top left corner of page 110?

• to emphasize how nutty Kellogg’s ideas were

• to show how food companies used health guidance to sell their products

• to illustrate how cereal boxes have changed over time

• to explain why people began eating whole grains and bran-based diets

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Which evidence from the text best explains why the omnivore’s dilemma is a good thing for food companies?

• “We have no stable food culture to guide us, handed down over generations.” (p113)

• “The more anxious we are about eating, the more likely we are to listen to claims from food marketers.” (p113)

• “We were going to solve the omnivore’s dilemma the way millions of Americans do every day.” (p114)

• “Food is not just fuel.” (p114)

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On page 116, Pollan describes his industrial food chain McDonald’s meal. Which phrase from this excerpt shows negative bias? ----- “I ordered a classic cheeseburger, large fries, and a large Coke. Large turns out to be a full thirty-two ounces (a quart of soda!). Of course, thanks to the magical economics of supersizing, it cost only thirty cents more than the sixteen-ounce ‘small.’”

• magical economics of supersizing

• thirty cents more

• full thirty-two ounces

• classic cheeseburger

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Which evidence from the text best supports Pollan’s earlier claim that healthier food is more expensive?

• “One in three American kids eats fast food every single day.” (p115)

• “At $3.99, it [salad] was the most expensive item on the menu.” (p116)

• “The total for the three of us came to fourteen dollars, and was packed up and ready to go in four minutes.” (p116)

• “I read in the business pages that these salads are a big hit …” (p116)

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