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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What happens to the offspring of a queen when she is forced into a polygyny society?

3. Which of the following ant hormones is found in many vegetable oils?

4. Of all the landscapes explored in the opening of this novel, which landscape has the highest density of ants per hectare?

5. Which of the following groups within an ant colony produces the strongest identification odor?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens during the founding stage of an ant colony?

2. How are ant colonies defined?

3. How is ant communication categorized?

4. How do various ant species, as discussed in this novel, protect their nests from spiders?

5. Why are male ants typically neglected in taxonomic studies?

6. What is the most common form of communication between ants, and how is it expressed?

7. How do ant colonies treat foreign ants that wander in the nest?

8. What are some of the ways ant colonies control the numbers of queens present in their colony?

9. What controversy surrounds the ant fossil discovered in the Victoria, Australia by Jell and Duncan in 1986?

10. What defense mechanism is unique to the Asian ant species known as Camponotus Saundersi?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One interesting way that ant colonies choose to expand is by becoming polygynus. Define a polygynus society. Explain the different ways colonies adopt a new queen and become polygynus. Finally, explain how the power within a polygynus society is affected as it grows? How that dispersed power affects organization within the colony.

Essay Topic 2

Leafcutter ants are among one of the most interesting and well studies species of ants in the world. Describe what characteristics make a leafcutter ant unique. Summarize at least one major study of leafcutter ants that was presented in the text. Finally, explain how an ant garden functions. How gardens affect the lives of leafcutter ants.

Essay Topic 3

Many ant colonies participate in slavery techniques that boost productivity with in the colony. Define the term "true slavery" as it is discussed in the novel. Explain what methods are traditionally used by ant colonies to secure slaves within their nest. Finally, explain how slave work functions within a colony? How it preserves maximum output for minimal effort.

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This section contains 888 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample