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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 9.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In Dawkins' metaphor about DNA, how many books are on the bookshelf?
(a) Forty-six.
(b) Twenty-three.
(c) Thirty-two.
(d) Fifty-four.

2. What attribute of male birds of paradise does Zahavi say is a kind of boast that even with a dangerous physical characteristic, the bird is strong enough to survive?
(a) A long, dragging tail.
(b) A bright, attractive pattern on its wings.
(c) A brightly colored, easily seen headdress.
(d) A beautifully feathered but uselessly structured foot.

3. What does Dawkins compare point mutation to?
(a) A misprint on a book.
(b) A misspoken word.
(c) A card getting shuffled into the wrong deck.
(d) A stray mark on a photocopy.

4. What is the smallest unit that is reproduced and carried on through natural selection?
(a) A cell.
(b) A gene.
(c) A chromosome.
(d) A DNA strand.

5. What does Dawkins postulate would preserve a gene forever?
(a) A gene that caused nothing but remained in the DNA.
(b) A being that used only one gene.
(c) A being that passed on all its DNA through sexual reproduction.
(d) An undying being continuing to reproduce.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Dawkins describe some female birds demanding from males?

2. In Dawkins' metaphor about DNA, how does he describe the creation of new DNA by sexual reproduction?

3. In sexual reproduction, what does the larger egg cell have that the smaller sperm cell does not?

4. According to the relatedness calculations in the book, how closely related is an individual to a cousin?

5. Which cells in an organism contain the creature's DNA?

(see the answer key)

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