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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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) Staying awake to warn the flock of approaching predators.
(d) Drawing the attention of a hawk to itself and away from the flock.

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

3. What would molecules that grouped and built protective walls around themselves become?
(a) Plants.
(b) Animals.
(c) Inorganic materials.
(d) Single-celled organisms.

4. According to Dawkins, how might a gene that normally does something selfish end in doing something unselfish?
(a) The selfish behavior, combined with other genes' behaviors, might create an unselfish-seeming behavior.
(b) The selfish behavior gene cannot end in doing something unselfish.
(c) The gene might change its role because of negative response to the selfish behavior.
(d) The selfish behavior might be modified by external influences.

5. What does the Watt Governor machine regulate?
(a) How fast its arms spin.
(b) How heavy it becomes.
(c) How hot it becomes.
(d) How high it rises.

Short Answer Questions

1. How common does Dawkins say doubt about evolution is?

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

3. What does Dawkins describe as "intruder retreat" behavior?

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

5. What apparently selfish act of the praying mantis does the author describe?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the main actions living organisms do, as gene machines?

2. How do animals become active and quicker than plants?

3. What two ways does Dawkins picture that the first self-copying molecule might copy itself?

4. Describe "crossing over."

5. In ESS simulations, what happens when a hawk enters a stable group of doves?

6. Explain how the Watt Governor uses mechanics to regulate itself.

7. According to Dawkins, what happened to self-copying molecules that were less successful?

8. Describe the comparison that Dawkins makes regarding a gangster.

9. Explain what a prober-retaliator is.

10. Describe the behavior of chains of atoms in human blood, as Dawkins describes it.

(see the answer keys)

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