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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 a mother protecting a child promote the selfish gene theory?

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

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

4. Does Dawkins believe people want to view parental care as different from other evolutionary behaviors?

5. What bee eggs get fertilized?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What explanation does Zahavi propose for stotting?

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

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

7. How does Dawkins describe female cells versus male cells?

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

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

10. What is Hamilton's explanation of how herds are formed?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the distinctions between humanity and other species in Dawkins' work.

1) In Dawkins' book, how does he treat humanity similarly to and differently from other species?

2) What does Dawkins believe makes humanity unique? How does this relate to Dawkins' theory of the selfish gene?

3) What implications does Dawkins' theory have for human beings?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss gender and the relationships of mates in Dawkins' arguments.

1) Why does Dawkins present mates as competing with each other over the resources expended in care of offspring?

2) How does Dawkins analyze the attitudes of organisms towards mates and caring for offspring? Do his arguments seem convincing?

3) How much variation is there in the natural world regarding the relationships between mates?

Essay Topic 3

The opposite of selfishness is altruism, and Dawkins argues that many seemingly altruistic behaviors actually originate with the selfishness of genes. Discuss altruism in Dawkins' book.

1) What altruistic behaviors does Dawkins attribute to selfish genes? How convincing are his arguments?

2) What is "altruism"? Is there such a thing as true "altruism?"

3) How can altruism function for the good of the individual or for the good of the individual's genes?

(see the answer keys)

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