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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. 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 fly and distract predators.
(b) The call might be hard to pinpoint and therefore distract predators.
(c) The call might cause the rest of the flock to freeze and not attract attention.
(d) The call might allow the bird to focus and remain quiet for a longer period of time.

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

3. In the behavior called stotting, where do Thompson gazelles jump?
(a) In front of a predator.
(b) Over a natural obstacle.
(c) Into the center of the pack.
(d) In front of a rival.

4. What happens to cuckoo eggs that look dissimilar to the host eggs they replace?
(a) They are raised by the cuckoos instead of surrogates.
(b) They aren't recognized by the surrogate parent birds.
(c) They are recognized but allowed to stay in the nest.
(d) They are thrown out of the nest and don't survive.

5. From a gene's point of view, what does Dawkins say an organism is equally related to?
(a) A father and a son.
(b) A baby brother and a baby son.
(c) A baby brother and a parent's sibling.
(d) A cousin and a grandparent.

Short Answer Questions

1. How is male and female responsibility for offspring different in fish?

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

3. According to Dawkins, is there a genetic reason to favor one child over others?

4. What does Wynne-Edwards teach?

5. In Dawkins' discussion, why do baby birds scream?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. What is the result of Dawkins' game theory analysis of male and female sexual and childrearing behaviors?

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

7. Explain the conflict between Wynne-Edwards and Dawkins over territory behavior.

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

9. What is the cuckoo's adaptation to care for its eggs?

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

(see the answer keys)

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