View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What would give longevity to early self-duplicating molecules, according to Dawkins?
(a) Greater stability.
(b) Larger numbers of components.
(c) Smaller numbers of elements.
(d) Greater flexibility.

2. What is the name of the bee disease that Dawkins mentions in his example?
(a) Chalk brood.
(b) Sac brood.
(c) Stone brood.
(d) Foul brood.

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

4. What does Dawkins say that evolution is about?
(a) The good of a species.
(b) The good of an individual gene.
(c) The good of a particular DNA combination.
(d) The good of an individual person.

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

6. In Dawkins' metaphor about DNA, what represents a gene?
(a) A line on a page in a book.
(b) A word in a book.
(c) A page in a book.
(d) A chapter in a book.

7. In the set of bees Dawkins mentions that deal with this disease, what does a second gene the bees have do?
(a) Cause the bees to throw sick baby bees out of the hive.
(b) Cause the bees to crush sick baby bees.
(c) Cause the bees to leave the hive where sick baby bees are.
(d) Cause the bees to eat sick baby bees.

8. What does Dawkins describe life forms as?
(a) Multiplications of self-copying molecules.
(b) Simple enlargements of self-copying molecules.
(c) Projections of self-copying molecules into a new dimension.
(d) Machines to protect competing self-copying molecules.

9. What does Dawkins point out about antelopes' herd behavior?
(a) The herd behavior is fot the good of the species.
(b) The herd behavior gives indidivuals a better chance of survival.
(c) The herd behavior sacrifices an individual for the species survival.
(d) The herd behavior is not an adaptation.

10. Why does the author use the word "apparently" to describe selfish or unselfish behavior?
(a) Because behavior may only seem selfish or unselfish.
(b) Because he doesn't believe the examples he is citing are necessarily true.
(c) Because he is only concerned about appearances of selfishness.
(d) Because he doesn't really believe in the terms selfish and unselfish.

11. What does Dawkins postulate would preserve a gene forever?
(a) A gene that caused nothing but remained in the DNA.
(b) A being that passed on all its DNA through sexual reproduction.
(c) A being that used only one gene.
(d) An undying being continuing to reproduce.

12. How does Dawkins characterize the natural world in his discussion of selfishness?
(a) As biased toward selecting particular behaviors.
(b) As alternately friendly and unfriendly.
(c) As dangerous and competitive.
(d) As well-balanced and selective.

13. What two opposites does Dawkins say he is examining the biology of?
(a) Rationality and emotionalism.
(b) Individuality and community.
(c) Selfishness and altruism.
(d) Self-centeredness and other-centeredness.

14. If two genes normally cooperate, what happens when one gene is missing?
(a) The other gene still causes the same total result.
(b) The other gene still has an effect, but the total result is not the same.
(c) The other gene still causes the same total result but intermittently.
(d) The other gene no longer has any effect.

15. What almost always happens when copies of things are made, according to Dawkins?
(a) Mistakes in the copies.
(b) Conflict between the copies.
(c) An overabundance of copies.
(d) Confusion between copies and originals.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Dawkins' description, how does a retaliator behave?

2. What apparently unselfish behavior of small birds does the author describe?

3. What would competition between early self-copying molecules be over?

4. How does the author say that human beings think of their own species?

5. What does ESS stand for?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 720 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample