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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 chance does a parent have of giving a particular gene to a child?
(a) A sixty percent chance.
(b) A fifty percent chance.
(c) A forty percent chance.
(d) A thirty percent chance.

2. To what does Dawkins attribute a male backing down from a powerful rival over territory?
(a) The abundance of other territories that might be claimed.
(b) The desire not to over-compete with a rival's young.
(c) Self-preservation to more likely breed in the future.
(d) The desire to preserve the species.

3. What does Dawkins point out about different species' attitude toward offspring?
(a) Different species all care for offspring equally, if environment is accounted for.
(b) Different species care for offspring similarly, but there is great variety between individuals within species.
(c) Different species fall into two categories of caring for offspring.
(d) Different species treat offspring differently.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Who does Dawkins' idea of AI expand the idea of PI to include?

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

3. What is difficult to explain about honeybees, according to Dawkins' theory?

4. In the example Dawkins gives, why do some ants grow a plant?

5. What shape is the location where guillemots lay their eggs?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What two possible explanations for the behavior of the baby swallow observed by the Spanish researchers does Dawkins present?

3. According to Dawkins, what selfish behavior might birds that have fewer eggs because of overpopulation exhibit?

4. What does Dawkins substitute for survival of a species?

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

6. What explanation does Zahavi propose for stotting?

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

8. What examples does Dawkins give of male animals resisting raising offspring that's not their own?

9. What theory about parental suffering for children's success does Dawkins describe?

10. What factors does Dawkins mention that affect the human birthrate and population?

(see the answer keys)

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