Study Questions for Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs and Steel,
Preface 1) What are some of the problems of "narrowly focused
accounts of world history"? pg. 9 2) Diamond introduces us on
pg. 10 to a distinction between ultimate and proximate
historical explanations. In your own words, explain the
difference. 3) What historical question is he attempting to
answer? 4) Diamond tells us that world history is like an onion.
What does he mean? Study Questions for Jared Diamond, Guns,
Germs and Steel, Prologue 1) What, according to Diamond, is the
"most basic fact of world history"? 2) What was Yali's question?
3) Diamond reformulates Yali's question. You can find it on pg.
16 in a paragraph that begins with "Thus." This is the objective
of the entire book. It's important, so copy down this short
paragraph. 4) OK, look at that paragraph in #3 again. Are there
any problems with Diamond's objective? What are his assumptions
about "development" 5) Briefly, what are the three objections to
the project that Diamond addresses.