Creepy Crawly Quiz

What does “voracious” mean in the context of “a population of invasive snakes so voracious that they have emptied the forests of every bird”?

• Gentle

• Extremely hungry

• Slow

• Small in size

The word “inadvertently” in “an alien invader which is thought to have been inadvertently introduced to Guam” implies:

• On purpose

• By accident

• With great care

• In a planned way

“Idyllic” in “an abundance of native birds had enjoyed an idyllic existence in the island's limestone forests” means:

• Chaotic

• Peaceful and perfect

• Dangerous

• Boring

When the text says “forests that are entirely devoid of the friendly whistles, chirps, and caws,” the word “devoid” means:

• Filled with

• Empty of

• Surrounded by

• Protected from

“Arachno-nightmare” describes a situation that is:

• A pleasant dream about spiders

• A scientific study of spiders

• A terrifying situation due to a large number of spiders

• A dreamless state

The term “acclimatise” in “When she takes new field technicians out for surveys, they need time to acclimatise to this rocky ground” means:

• Avoid

• Get used to

• Dislike

• Fear

“Eke out” in “a kind of forest starling that has managed to eke out an existence in the vicinity of Andersen Air Force Base” means:

• Live comfortably

• Barely manage to survive

• Thrive

• Die out

“Insatiable” in “As island species, most of Guam's birds had no evolutionary programming that could help them to avoid the reptiles' insatiable appetite for poultry” means:

• Easily satisfied

• Not hungry

• Having an unquenchable appetite

• Selective in what they eat

“Elusive” in “The skinny reptiles are highly elusive, soundlessly slipping through Guam's forests and suburbs at night” means:

• Easy to catch

• Readily visible

• Difficult to find or catch

• Large in size

“Cascading effect” in “The loss of birds had a cascading effect on the ecosystem” refers to:

• A positive change in the ecosystem

• A series of connected and often negative changes

• A random change in the ecosystem

• A change that only affects birds