1. What animals does the author mention as examples of animals that work hard to rescue or save others?
(a) Zebras and sharks.
(b) Bears and squids.
(c) Baboons and whales.
(d) Lions and dolphins.

2. What is a female bird doing, according to Dawkins, by forcing the male to make a nest before she breeds with him?
(a) Judging the male's capabilities of caring for the offspring in the future.
(b) Making the male prove the worthiness of his genes.
(c) Taking advantage of the male for her own wellbeing.
(d) Forcing the male to put off breeding with another and invest energy into the offspring.

3. What does Dawkins say points to the idea that all living things come from the same types of early molecules?
(a) All life forms have similar pH balances.
(b) All life forms are based on carbon.
(c) All life forms are made from DNA molecules.
(d) All life forms have basic cell structures.

4. What chance does a parent have of giving a particular gene to a child?
(a) A sixty percent chance.
(b) A fifty percent chance.
(c) A thirty percent chance.
(d) A forty percent chance.

5. What reason does Dawkins give that females care more for offspring?
(a) A female has already contributed more resources in terms of the egg.
(b) A female has a greater relatedness to the offspring.
(c) A female does not have the ability to reproduce again immediately.
(d) A female is naturally nurturing.

Short Answer Questions

1. 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?

2. Why might mates favor offspring over their mate, according to Dawkins?

3. What does Trivers look at breeding as?

4. According to the relatedness calculations in the book, how related is a person to him- or herself?

5. What shape is the location where guillemots lay their eggs?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 402 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page)

View a FREE sample