Quiz 8. Progress 2.1 through 2.6

Listen to a conversation between a student and a professor.

W: Dr. Zarelli?

M: Hello, Karen. How are you?

W: Pretty good, thanks. I was hoping … um … we could talk about the project that’s due at the end of May.

M: Of course. What can I do for you?

W: Well … the project plan … that part’s due next week, right?

M: Uh … I believe that’s right. Let me look at the syllabus. I tend to forget dates unless I have them right in front of me! Uh … yes, that’s right, the first due date—the project plan—is due next week, on Monday, May 3.

W: I’m a little—I’m not sure about what you want. Do you just … uh … what exactly should the plan look like?

M: Well, a description—a summary of your project. A short description of the topic and a summary of your materials and methods and what you hope to accomplish.

W: I have an idea … um … it’s something that interests me. But I’m not sure if—I don’t know whether it fits the assignment. It’s not about marketing as much as—it has more to do with social change.

M: Let’s try it on for size. Tell me your idea.

W: Well, my boss—I work part–time at a credit union— and my boss is a person who’s done a lot of different things. She used to be the president of an organization that helped set up cooperatives for women artisans in India. They make clothes mostly, and things like tablecloths and toys. She’s really interesting—my boss, I mean—and so are the stories about her work. I guess you could say she works for economic development, but also for social change because it’s work that affects women and their role in society.

M: Can you tell me more about the organization?

W: Sure. They’re called Hearts and Hands. I looked at their Web site. They have a motto, “Changing views, changing lives,” and their mission statement is “To empower artisans by providing economic opportunities and exposure to new ideas.” My boss was the president for five years, and she’s still on their board of directors.

M: Hmm. And what would you like to do with all this? W: Well, I’d like to interview my boss—a more formal interview—and write about her work with Hearts and Hands.

M: OK, and …?

W: I could do a case study about a group that works for both economic and social change. I could combine the interview data with information from their Web site.

M: It would also be a good idea to link some of your findings with the theories and models we’ve discussed in class.

W: Oh, like, for example, their product catalog? They have a printed catalog, and it’s also online.

M: Great idea! You could include an analysis and evaluation of their catalog. I have to say, Karen, you’ve got a fairly solid plan here. Your idea of a case study of an economic development organization is a good one, and it fits right in with our course content. All you need to do now is put down your plan on paper.

W: Really? I’m so glad to hear you say that! I’ll do it then. I’ll write it up for next week. Thank you, Dr. Zarelli. You’ve been a great help!

M: It’s my pleasure. Glad you stopped by.

1. Why does the woman go see her professor?

2. When is the project plan due?

3. Listen again to part of the conversation. Then answer the question.

“I’m a little—I’m not sure about what you want. Do you just … uh … what exactly should the plan look like?” Select the sentence that best expresses how the woman probably feels.

4. What topics will the woman write about?

5. What information will the woman include in her project?

Listen to part of a discussion in an anthropology class.

W1: Anthropology is the quest to fit together the pieces of the human puzzle. The science of anthropology has two major divisions: physical and cultural. Physical anthropology studies human evolution and variation and uses methods of physiology, genetics, and ecology. It’s concerned with human biology and tries to solve the mystery of how humans came to be human. Researchers ask questions about the events that led a tree–dwelling population of animals to evolve into two–legged beings with the power to learn—a power that we call intelligence. They ask questions—and I see a question now. Yes?

M: Excuse me, Professor Monroe, but I thought this was a course in anthropology. I didn’t know it would be all about science and biology.

W1: This is a course in anthropology, and it is about all those things. It’s a two–part introductory course. We start with physical anthropology this quarter, and next quarter we move on to cultural anthropology. M: Oh … The course description implied something else. I thought it would be about different cultures … about people, humanity.

W1: Anthropology is about those things too. Just hear me out. All anthropologists study humanity. They try to discover how humanity was first achieved, what made humanity branch out in different directions and why separate societies behave similarly in some ways but quite differently in other ways. Physical anthropologists study the fossils and organic remains of once–living primates. They study the connections between humans and other living primates. In the lab, they use the methods of physiology and genetics to study blood chemistry for clues to the relationship of humans to various primates. … Yes?

W2: Our reading list includes a book by Richard Leakey. Is he the guy who did all the research in Africa?

W1: Yes, Richard Leakey is the son of Louis and Mary Leakey. The Leakeys are a well–known family of physical anthropologists. Their research, starting in the 1930s, showed us that human evolution centered there, in East Africa, rather than in Asia. They discovered stone tools and other hominid evidence that pushed back the dates of the earliest humans to nearly four million years ago.

W2: Cool. I saw something about that on television, but it was a long time ago.

W1: Okay now. All right … I want to return to the topic of cultural anthropology because that will be our focus next quarter. Okay. Cultural anthropology studies human culture in different ways … through archaeology … social anthropology … linguistics. Like physical anthropologists, cultural anthropologists study clues about human life in the distant past. However, cultural anthropologists also look at similarities and differences among human communities today. Some of them do research in the field. They live and work among people in societies that are different from their own. Anthropologists who do fieldwork often produce an ethnography, a written description of the daily activities of the people which tells the story of their community life as a whole. One of the most famous field anthropologists was Margaret Mead. In the 1920s, Margaret Mead went to Samoa to pursue her first field assignment—a study that eventually led to her book Coming of Age in Samoa. Mead was a pioneer in the field. During her long life, she wrote several major works—on a broad range of topics—from child rearing in the Pacific to the nature of cultural change.

M: I read one of her books in high school, and that’s what turned me on to anthropology.

W1: Next quarter’s reading list includes a number of Mead’s writings, so I hope you will all stay and enjoy the ride.

M: I will. I didn’t realize anthropology included so many different things.

6. How does the professor mainly organize the information that she presents?

7. Listen again to part of the discussion. Then answer the question.

“Oh … The course description implied something else. I thought it would be about different cultures … about people, humanity.”

“Anthropology is about those things too. Just hear me out.”

Why does the professor say this:

“Just hear me out.”

8. What does the professor say about the Leakey family?

9. According to the professor, which of the following would most likely be done by a physical anthropologist?

10. Listen again to part of the discussion. Then answer the question.

“Like physical anthropologists, cultural anthropologists study clues about human life in the distant past. However, cultural anthropologists also look at similarities and differences among human communities today. Some of them do research in the field. They live and work among people in societies that are different from their own.” What can be inferred about cultural anthropology?

11. Why does the professor say this:

“Next quarter’s reading list includes a number of Mead’s writings, so I hope you will all stay and enjoy the ride.”

Listen to part of a lecture in a geology class.

Mount St. Helens is in the Cascade Range, a chain of volcanoes running from southern Canada to northern California. Most of the peaks are dormant—what I mean is, they’re sleeping now, but are potentially active. Mount St. Helens has a long history of volcanic activity, so the eruptions of 1980 weren’t a surprise to geologists. The geologists who were familiar with the mountain had predicted she would erupt.

The eruption cycle had sort of a harmless beginning. In March of 1980, seismologists picked up signs of earthquake activity below the mountain. And during the next week, the earthquakes increased rapidly, causing several avalanches. These tremors and quakes were signs that large amounts of magma were moving deep within the mountain. Then, suddenly one day there was a loud boom, a small crater opened on the summit. St. Helens was waking up.

The vibrations and tremors continued. All during April there were occasional eruptions of steam and ash. This attracted tourists and hikers to come and watch the show. It also attracted seismologists, geologists, and—of course—the news media.

By early May, the north side of the mountain had swelled out into a huge and growing bulge. The steam and ash eruptions became even more frequent. Scientists could see that the top of the volcano was sort of coming apart. Then there were a few days of quiet, but it didn’t last long. It was the quiet before the storm.

On the morning of May 18—a Sunday—at around eight o’clock, a large earthquake broke loose the bulge that had developed on the north face of the mountain. The earthquake triggered a massive landslide that carried away huge quantities of rock. Much of the north face sort of swept down the mountain. The landslide released a tremendous sideways blast. Super–heated water in the magma chamber exploded, and a jet of steam and gas blew out of the mountain’s side with tremendous force. Then came the magma, sending up a cloud of super–heated ash. In only 25 seconds, the north side of the mountain was blown away. Then, the top of the mountain went too, pouring out more ash, steam, and magma. The ash cloud went up over 60,000 feet in the air, blocking the sunlight.

Altogether, the eruptions blew away three cubic kilometers of the mountain and devastated more than 500 kilometers of land. The energy of the blast was equivalent to a hydrogen bomb of about 25 megatons. It leveled all trees directly to the northeast and blew all the water out of some lakes. The blast killed the mountain’s goats, millions of fish and birds, thousands of deer and elk—and around sixty people. The ash cloud drifted around the world, disrupting global weather patterns.

For over twenty years now, Mount St. Helens has been dormant. However, geologists who’ve studied the mountain believe she won’t stay asleep forever. The Cascade Range is volcanically active. Future eruptions are certain and— unfortunately—we can’t prevent them.

12. What is the lecture mainly about?

13. According to the professor, how did the cycle of volcanic eruptions begin?

14. Why does the professor say this:

“This attracted tourists and hikers to come and watch the show. It also attracted seismologists, geologists, and—of course—the news media.”

15. Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question.

“By early May, the north side of the mountain had swelled out into a huge and growing bulge. The steam and ash eruptions became even more frequent. Scientists could see that the top of the volcano was sort of coming apart. Then there were a few days of quiet, but it didn’t last long. It was the quiet before the storm.”

What does the professor mean when he says this:

“Then there were a few days of quiet, but it didn’t last long.”

16. What were some effects of the eruption?

17. What can be concluded about Mount St. Helens?