View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does the author suggest that bird calls might help a bird that is trying to fly up into the trees?
(a) The call might cause other birds to fly and confuse any predators.
(b) The call might cause other birds to call and hide the noise of the bird's wings.
(c) The call might frighten away other birds in the tree the bird is flying to.
(d) The call might be hard to pinpoint and therefore distract predators.

2. In Dawkins' discussion, why do baby birds scream?
(a) To attract love from the parent.
(b) To show how hungry they are.
(c) To scold sibling birds.
(d) To warn away aggressors.

3. What happens to female mice as the population rises to unacceptable limits?
(a) Female mice become less fertile.
(b) Female mice destroy their young.
(c) Fewer female mice are born.
(d) Female mice ignore male mice's advances.

4. In Dawkins' discussion, what is the detriment of raising offspring, if there is something wrong with it?
(a) It will only have future offspring with the same problems.
(b) It reduces the parent's resources to protect itself.
(c) It takes more energy away from other offspring.
(d) It does not pass on good genes.

5. What does Wynne-Edwards teach?
(a) That individuals strive for individual success within the group.
(b) That groups of animals evolved for the good of the group.
(c) That evolution is only partially responsible for behaviors.
(d) That group behaviors are evolved and individual behaviors are incidental.

6. What happens to baby birds if the parent does not find enough food for the group?
(a) The babies will survive but be sickly and have later problems.
(b) All the babies die.
(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.

7. 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?
(a) A brightly colored, easily seen headdress.
(b) A beautifully feathered but uselessly structured foot.
(c) A long, dragging tail.
(d) A bright, attractive pattern on its wings.

8. According to Dawkins, is there a genetic reason to favor one child over others?
(a) No, but there are circumstantial reasons.
(b) Yes, different children have different genetic relatedness to parents.
(c) Yes, but these genetic reasons are unusual.
(d) No, there are no genetic or other reasons to favor one child.

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

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

11. What does Dawkins say that Honeyguide chicks do?
(a) Scream less loud to not attract too much attention to themselves as intruders.
(b) Kill other chicks in the nest.
(c) Blackmail parents into getting more food by screaming loud enough to attract predators.
(d) Steal food from other chicks in the nest.

12. 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.

13. What does Wynne-Edwards suggest that animals do to communicate overpopulation?
(a) Leave measurable tracks in a common area.
(b) Eat a communal meal in an area of limited food.
(c) Gather together in a clear area where they are easily seen.
(d) Gather together and make a lot of noise.

14. What did Spanish researchers see a baby swallow do?
(a) Steal food from a magpie chick in the nest and give it to siblings.
(b) Alert parents to a magpie in the nest.
(c) Gather other chicks into a circle to surround and kill a magpie chick.
(d) Use leverage to throw a magpie egg out of its nest.

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What happens to cuckoo eggs that look dissimilar to the host eggs they replace?

3. In the behavior called stotting, where do Thompson gazelles jump?

4. How common are genes that cause altruistic behaviors in nature?

5. In Dawkins' game theory analysis of a colony of birds and ticks, what were grudger birds?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 918 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample