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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Dawkins suggest fooling certain genes into thinking the body is younger might do?
(a) Decrease genetic variation.
(b) Decrease mutation.
(c) Increase lifespan.
(d) Increase reproduction.

2. In sexual reproduction, what does the larger egg cell have that the smaller sperm cell does not?
(a) The ability to move around to more beneficial environments.
(b) More food reserves for the future embryo.
(c) A complete set of DNA.
(d) The ability to protect itself from other cells.

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

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

5. In Dawkins' metaphor about DNA, what does the bookshelf represent?
(a) A cell nucleus.
(b) A chromosome.
(c) A single cell.
(d) A strand of DNA.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Dawkins say readers can think of DNA as?

2. In Dawkins' metaphor about DNA, how many books are on the bookshelf?

3. How does a mother protecting a child promote the selfish gene theory?

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

5. 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?

(see the answer key)

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