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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How are alien species treated when they enter the nest?
(a) They are forced out.
(b) They are killed.
(c) They are ignored.
(d) They are welcomed.

2. Which of the following was NOT an achievement obtained in the goal toward understanding reductionism?
(a) The perception of heterarchical organization.
(b) The simulation of nest building.
(c) The rearing of isolated ant larvae.
(d) The activation of social behavioral response.

3. Which of the following is NOT part of an ant's head?
(a) The lateral setae.
(b) The median seta.
(c) The clypeal carina.
(d) The mesothoracic spiracle.

4. At what university were radioactive ants found in the 1960s?
(a) Columbia.
(b) Yale.
(c) Harvard.
(d) Princeton.

5. Which of the following is NOT a reason Wilson gives as to how colonies manage their queen numbers?
(a) Egg Defect.
(b) Physical Elimination.
(c) Reproductive Castration.
(d) Emigration.

6. What is the first stage in ant colony development?
(a) The Founding Stage.
(b) The Ergonomic Stage.
(c) The Reproductive Stage.
(d) The Virgin Stage.

7. What is the fastest way to increase the size of an ant colony?
(a) Increase the number of queens.
(b) Increase the number of workers.
(c) Increase the number of female ants.
(d) Increase the number of male ants.

8. Which of the following is NOT a group of insects?
(a) Hymenoptera.
(b) Diptera.
(c) Philliotera.
(d) Coleoptera.

9. How do the heads of major workers compare to the heads of minor workers?
(a) Minor workers do not have heads.
(b) Major heads are typically larger.
(c) Major heads are typically smaller.
(d) Major and minor heads are identical.

10. What happens to the offspring of a queen when she is forced into a polygyny society?
(a) The number of her offspring increases.
(b) The number of her offspring decreases.
(c) The number of her offspring is unaffected.
(d) She will no longer produce offspring.

11. Which of the following is NOT a ways Wilson describes foreign ants being treated?
(a) They are accepted, but withheld food.
(b) They are killed.
(c) They are forced to lock mandibles in a dual.
(d) They are pestered with constant nipping and leg pulling.

12. What are repletes concerned with?
(a) Defense.
(b) Reproduction.
(c) Brood care.
(d) Food storage.

13. Which of the following groups of ants does the least amount of physical work within the colony?
(a) Queen ants.
(b) Male ants.
(c) Fertile female ants.
(d) Sterile female ants.

14. Which of the following ants are considered most altruistic?
(a) Queens.
(b) Larvae.
(c) Nonreproductive.
(d) Male drone workers.

15. How long do Idaho harvester ants typically live after they begin foraging?
(a) Two weeks.
(b) Two days.
(c) Two years.
(d) Two months.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following is NOT a caste within ant colonies?

2. On what continent is there a species of ants that can explode their abdomens in a suicidal attempt to entrap their predators?

3. Which of the following groups of ants is most likely to eat a dead nest mate?

4. Which of the following elements was brought by ants to the Amazon rainforest?

5. What is the focus of the Ergonomic Stage of an ant colony?

(see the answer keys)

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