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 hide by freezing to camouflage itself?
(a) The call might cause the rest of the flock to freeze and not attract attention.
(b) The call might allow the bird to focus and remain quiet for a longer period of time.
(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.

2. In the natural world, which gender does Dawkins identify as more likely to select the other for breeding?
(a) Species are split about halfway on which gender selects the other for breeding.
(b) Females tend to select males for breeding.
(c) Species tend to have both selective females and selective males, which are individuals that select another for breeding.
(d) Males tend to select females for breeding.

3. What does AI stand for?
(a) Authentic Intelligence.
(b) Anomalous Involvement.
(c) Antecedent Integrity.
(d) Altruistic Investment.

4. In the example that Dawkins gives, what do pigs sometimes do to the runt of the litter?
(a) Refuse to feed it.
(b) Kick it away.
(c) Allow the other piglets to attack it.
(d) Eat it.

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

6. Why might an older animal be less valuable to selfish genes than young related animals?
(a) The older animal's genes are likely to be decayed over time.
(b) The older animal is likely to contain less successful genes than the young related animals.
(c) The older animal is less likely to reproduce more of the genes.
(d) The older animal is certain to have all its genes already represented in a few young, related animals.

7. Does Dawkins believe people want to view parental care as different from other evolutionary behaviors?
(a) No, but Dawkins believes that parental care is 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) Yes, he believes people want to consider parental care a special case.

8. What does Dawkins cite Medawar's study to help explain?
(a) Male and female hormonal differences.
(b) Menopause.
(c) Menstrual cycles.
(d) Male fertility.

9. What does Dawkins give as his example of the individual benefit of pack behavior in hyenas?
(a) The hyenas can gain more information from the pack.
(b) The hyenas can hunt bigger prey as a pack.
(c) The hyenas can get protection from other hyenas.
(d) The hyenas can find more prey as a pack.

10. What bee eggs get fertilized?
(a) Eggs that will become males.
(b) All eggs.
(c) No eggs.
(d) Eggs that will become female workers.

11. What does Dawkins believe about the tension between survival of different generations?
(a) The children are always benefited, even at costs to older generations.
(b) Children begin at a disadvantage, at the mercy of parents, and later begin to control the resources.
(c) A compromise evolves where different generations get reasonable amounts of resources.
(d) The parents are the primary benefactor because they control resources, and children only get the minimum of what they need.

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

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

14. How does Dawkins characterize the runt of a litter?
(a) As a way for parents to hedge their bets.
(b) As an evolutionary anomaly that can't be explained.
(c) As a means of creating competition among offspring.
(d) As a waste of resources for parents.

15. What does Trivers look at breeding as?
(a) A race with time.
(b) A goal of existence.
(c) A war between the sexes.
(d) A careful calculation based on resources.

Short Answer Questions

1. In sexual reproduction, what does the larger egg cell have that the smaller sperm cell does not?

2. What does PI stand for?

3. What does Dawkins point out about different species' attitude toward offspring?

4. What happens to female mice as the population rises to unacceptable limits?

5. In Dawkins' example, why might a child try to get extra food, to the detriment of brothers and sisters?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 870 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample