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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What apparently selfish act of gulls does the author describe?
(a) Fighting for fish.
(b) "Ditching" the rest of the flock when a predator is spotted.
(c) Stealing another gull's nest.
(d) Eating others' baby chicks.

2. How common does Dawkins say doubt about evolution is?
(a) He says it's common.
(b) He says it's rare.
(c) He says it's nonexistent.
(d) He says it's in everyone.

3. In Dawkins' discussion, what does he consider alleles to be, relative to genes?
(a) Cooperative partners.
(b) Immaterial extras.
(c) Rivals.
(d) Understudies.

4. What apparently selfish act of the praying mantis does the author describe?
(a) Fighting over an aphid colony.
(b) A female eating her mate.
(c) Leading another mantis into a spider's web.
(d) Injuring another mantis that enters a claimed territory.

5. What does the Watt Governor machine appear to do?
(a) Think.
(b) Cry.
(c) Scream.
(d) Talk.

6. According to Dawkins, are the self-copying molecules that Dawkins discusses "life" or not?
(a) Dawkins says that they are definitely not "life."
(b) Dawkins says that they are a kind of "life," but not as we know it today.
(c) Dawkins says it does not matter.
(d) Dawkins says that they are definitely "life."

7. What behavior does the author cite about how elephant seals relate to rivals?
(a) Elephant seals group together to attack the strongest rival.
(b) Elephant seals steal mates away from the strongest rival.
(c) Elephant seals kill increasingly difficult rivals until they are killed.
(d) Elephant seals wait for the strongest rival to die or become too old.

8. In early reproducing molecules, what is the measure of "success"?
(a) That there are more chemical reactions that can use the molecule.
(b) That there are more molecules around that are like the molecule.
(c) That there are fewer ways for the molecule to be destroyed.
(d) That there are more copies of the molecule, whether they are accurate or not.

9. What does longevity provide to an early molecule, according to Dawkins?
(a) Time to modify its surroundings.
(b) Time to make copies of itself.
(c) Time to repair itself.
(d) Time to modify itself.

10. What happens to animals that tend to lose in fights?
(a) They tend to change their fighting strategies.
(b) They tend to give up sooner in the future.
(c) They tend to challenge less dominant rivals in the future.
(d) They tend to fight more aggressively in the future.

11. What is the most stable result of the specific ESS simulation Dawkins describes?
(a) A 3:2 mixture of two kinds of behavior.
(b) A 1:1 mixture of two kinds of behavior.
(c) A 7:5 mixture of two kinds of behavior.
(d) A 1:4 mixture of two kinds of behavior.

12. What does the author compare nerves to?
(a) A computer.
(b) An abacus.
(c) An engine.
(d) Electrical wires.

13. What does ESS stand for?
(a) Evolutionary Stable Strategy.
(b) Environmental Secure Strategy.
(c) Evolutionarily Successful Strategy.
(d) Engineered Survival Strategy.

14. What apparently unselfish act of a bee does the author describe?
(a) Losing its life to sting an intruder.
(b) Evacuating immature bees from an endangered hive.
(c) Fighting off predators who are near the queen.
(d) Bringing back pollen to help feed the whole colony.

15. What apparently unselfish behavior of small birds does the author describe?
(a) Bringing excess food to others in the flock.
(b) Protecting another bird's eggs.
(c) Drawing the attention of a hawk to itself and away from the flock.
(d) Staying awake to warn the flock of approaching predators.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Dawkins compare point mutation to?

2. What type of math does the author discuss that's used to model how real animals behave in the world?

3. How would the results differ if the goal were the success of the group?

4. What apparently selfish act of the penguin does the author describe?

5. Can a gene change it's strategy for survival?

(see the answer keys)

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