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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the study of egg clutch sizes that Dawkins cites show?
(a) That there are only detriments to having a lot of eggs.
(b) That there are only benefits to having a lot of eggs.
(c) That there are detriments and benefits to having a lot of eggs.
(d) That having a lot of eggs is, in the end, exactly the same as having few eggs.

2. How does the author suggest that bird calls might help a bird that is trying to hide by freezing to camouflage itself?
(a) The call might allow the bird to focus and remain quiet for a longer period of time.
(b) The call might cause the rest of the flock to freeze and not attract attention.
(c) The call might cause the rest of the flock to fly and distract predators.
(d) The call might be hard to pinpoint and therefore distract predators.

3. What reason does Dawkins give that animal populations are about 50-50 male and female?
(a) Males are overly competitive and destroy each other when the male population is too high.
(b) Dawkins says that a 50-50 ratio is the stable balance of males and females.
(c) Male and female balances shift from generation to generation to average out to 50-50.
(d) Overlarge female populations purposefully create more males.

4. What happens to cuckoo eggs that look dissimilar to the host eggs they replace?
(a) They are recognized but allowed to stay in the nest.
(b) They are raised by the cuckoos instead of surrogates.
(c) They aren't recognized by the surrogate parent birds.
(d) They are thrown out of the nest and don't survive.

5. Does Dawkins believe people want to view parental care as different from other evolutionary behaviors?
(a) Yes, he believes people want to consider parental care a special case.
(b) Yes, but only as it applies to mother-child relationships..
(c) No, Dawkins believes people can clearly see that parental care fits with evolutionary forces.
(d) No, but Dawkins believes that parental care is a special case.

6. According to Dawkins, for whom does a bird regulate the number of eggs it lays?
(a) For the good of itself.
(b) For the good of itself and its mate.
(c) For the good of its genetic offspring.
(d) For the good of the species.

7. Who does Dawkins' idea of AI expand the idea of PI to include?
(a) All related adults and children.
(b) All adults in a species.
(c) All children in a family unit.
(d) All adult caregivers.

8. What four categories does Dawkins have in his game theory analysis of male and female sexual and childrearing behaviors?
(a) Faithful females, faithless females, faithful males, and faithless males.
(b) Coy females, philandering females, demanding males, and unreliable males.
(c) Coy females, fast females, faithful males, and philandering males.
(d) Accepting females, rejecting females, cooperative males, and uncooperative males.

9. What does Dawkins say removes humanity from the cruel and harsh laws of nature?
(a) Humans create environments that protect them from natural laws.
(b) Humans teach children ways to behave and learn better behaviors as adults.
(c) Nothing.
(d) Humans have developed genes for communication, which allows cooperation.

10. What does Wynne-Edwards say happens when other animals communicate to the species that there is overpopulation?
(a) The animals claim larger territories.
(b) The animals attack others' young.
(c) The animals have fewer young.
(d) The animals store extra food.

11. To what does Wynne-Edwards attribute changes to female mice as the population rises?
(a) Random variation in individuals.
(b) Natural selection of individuals.
(c) Random variation within groups.
(d) Group selection.

12. According to the relatedness calculations in the book, is a child more closely related to a sibling or an uncle?
(a) It's impossible to compare.
(b) The child is equally related to both.
(c) An uncle.
(d) A sibling.

13. What does Medawar's study conclude?
(a) Older women are better at making choices between offspring.
(b) Older women are better with young children and worse with older children.
(c) Older women are not good at distinguishing when a child costs too many resources.
(d) Older women are not as good at raising children.

14. What happens to baby birds if the parent does not find enough food for the group?
(a) All the babies die.
(b) The babies will survive but be sickly and have later problems.
(c) The parent will feed only a few babies, and the others will die.
(d) The parent will give up its life to feed the baby birds.

15. What does Wynne-Edwards believe about birth rates?
(a) Individuals might purposefully reduce birth rates for the good of the species.
(b) Species might regulate birth rates for individuals.
(c) Birth rates will always increase unless environmental factors intervene.
(d) Birth rates are controlled by a combination of species and individual needs.

Short Answer Questions

1. What ant behavior does Dawkins give as an example of seemingly altruistic behavior?

2. According to the relatedness calculations in the book, how much more closely related is a child to a sibling than a half-sibling?

3. What does Dawkins cite Medawar's study to help explain?

4. What reason does Dawkins give that females care more for offspring?

5. What does Wynne-Edwards believe about territories that animals fight over?

(see the answer keys)

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