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

2. Why might mates favor offspring over their mate, according to Dawkins?
(a) Offspring have more of a lifespan ahead of them than mates.
(b) Mates in the animal world are not permanent and therefore inconsequential.
(c) Mates share no DNA with each other, but they do share DNA with offspring.
(d) Offspring need more resources for survival than a mate does.

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

4. How common are genes that cause altruistic behaviors in nature?
(a) They are vast majority of genes.
(b) They are extremely rare.
(c) They are nonexistent.
(d) They are pretty common.

5. In sexual reproduction, what does the larger egg cell have that the smaller sperm cell does not?
(a) A complete set of DNA.
(b) The ability to move around to more beneficial environments.
(c) More food reserves for the future embryo.
(d) The ability to protect itself from other cells.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Dawkins give as his example of the individual benefit of pack behavior in hyenas?

2. What happens to baby birds if the parent does not find enough food for the group?

3. What factors are part of Dawkins' net benefit score?

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

5. What does Dawkins say that Honeyguide chicks do?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does higher PI mean, in R.L. Trivers' ideas?

2. Does Dawkins agree or disagree with the theory about parental suffering for children's success, and why?

3. Why, from the standpoint of the selfish gene, is it more beneficial to save five siblings than five cousins?

4. When and why are gulls' offspring in danger?

5. What may happen to guillemot eggs, and what is the adaptation of guillemots to deal with this?

6. How do Trivers and Dawkins differ in their interpretation of males investing energy into offspring before mating?

7. Why does Dawkins say mothers are more altruistic to their children than fathers?

8. What explanation does Zahavi propose for stotting?

9. What does Dawkins cite that makes human beings exceptions to the idea that genes for having too large a number of children die out?

10. Explain Dawkins' interpretation of the affects of overpopulation on female mice.

(see the answer keys)

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