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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 7.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What would give longevity to early self-duplicating molecules, according to Dawkins?
(a) Larger numbers of components.
(b) Greater stability.
(c) Greater flexibility.
(d) Smaller numbers of elements.

2. What behavior does the author cite about how elephant seals relate to rivals?
(a) Elephant seals group together to attack the strongest rival.
(b) Elephant seals kill increasingly difficult rivals until they are killed.
(c) Elephant seals steal mates away from the strongest rival.
(d) Elephant seals wait for the strongest rival to die or become too old.

3. What is the name of the bee disease that Dawkins mentions in his example?
(a) Foul brood.
(b) Stone brood.
(c) Chalk brood.
(d) Sac brood.

4. What does Dawkins suggest fooling certain genes into thinking the body is younger might do?
(a) Decrease mutation.
(b) Increase lifespan.
(c) Increase reproduction.
(d) Decrease genetic variation.

5. What does Dawkins postulate maintains sexual reproduction as a feature?
(a) The sexual reproduction gene trying to copy itself.
(b) The need for genetic variation.
(c) The desireability of genetic mutations.
(d) The impossibility of asexual reproduction.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Dawkins describe life forms as?

2. What happens to animals that tend to lose in fights?

3. What is the smallest unit that is reproduced and carried on through natural selection?

4. If two genes normally cooperate, what happens when one gene is missing?

5. In the science fiction story Dawkins cites, what do the instructions make?

(see the answer key)

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