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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Dawkins characterize the natural world in his discussion of selfishness?

2. What does Dawkins compare point mutation to?

3. What mixture tends to arrive in ESS simulations of multiple types of behavior?

4. According to Dawkins, are the self-copying molecules that Dawkins discusses "life" or not?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What results in variety in Dawkins' view of early self-copying molecules?

2. What is a cistron?

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

4. How does Dawkins view whether fidelity is important to evolution?

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

6. How do genes directly and indirectly control behavior?

7. What does Dawkins say would happen if a selfish member of a species were born into a species of unselfish members?

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

9. How are the beginning and end of genes in DNA marked?

10. How does Dawkins view many-celled life forms?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Dawkins' treatment of memes.

1) How does Dawkins apply theories of evolution to memes? How do memes differ from genes?

2) What role do memes play in human culture? Do memes play any role in other species' existence?

3) How do memes relate to Dawkins' theory of the selfish gene? Why does he discuss memes?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the role of game theory in Dawkins' book.

1) What is game theory? How does it allow scientists to look at systems in the natural world?

2) Why does Dawkins use game theory to support his arguments about the selfish gene? How convincing is the support that Dawkins provides using game theory?

3) What are the limitations of game theory in analyzing natural systems?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss sexual reproduction in The Selfish Gene.

1) How does Dawkins characterize male and female reproductive cells? What is the relationship between this characterization and Dawkins' theory of the selfish gene?

2) How does sexual reproduction affect the ability of genes to survive? Why should sexual reproduction exist at all?

3) What implications do Dawkins' ideas about sexual reproduction have for the male and the female of a species?

(see the answer keys)

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