3. What attribute of male birds of paradise does Zahavi say is a kind of boast that even with a dangerous physical characteristic, the bird is strong enough to survive?

4. What does Wynne-Edwards believe about birth rates?

5. What does Dawkins cite Medawar's study to help explain?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. According to Dawkins, in what ways does weaning benefit an older child?

3. What possible explanation for viruses does Dawkins give?

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

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

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

7. Describe Trivers' observations of striped cleaner fish.

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the idea of a "gene machine" in The Selfish Gene.

1) Why does Dawkins make genes the dominant idea and organisms secondary to their genes?

2) What causes a "gene machine" to be successful or unsuccessful?

3) What causes change in "gene machines?" Why are they different from one another?

Essay Topic 2

One of Dawkins' primary premises is that the good of the individual is what organisms strive for, not the good of the species. Discuss the conflict between the individual and the species in The Selfish Gene.

1) Why are individuals representative of their genes?

2) What is Dawkins' central argument for selfishness of individuals within a species? Why does the selfishness of genes translate to the selfishness of individuals?

3) What are the arguments that other scientists pose for individuals acting for the good of the species, and how does Dawkins counter those arguments?