Test Bank
to accompany
Animal Behavior, Twelfth Edition
John Alcock, Linda Green, Paul Nolan, Stefanie Siller, and Dustin Rubenstein
Chapter 1: An Introduction to Animal Behavior
Multiple Choice Questions
1. “If female lizards with reddish throats produce more eggs than females with orangish throats,
then the reddish throat is an evolved adaptation.” This statement
a. is true, because this species has variation, a critical requirement for the evolution of
adaptations by natural selection.
b. is false, because females with orangish throats could still have more offspring that live to
reproduce than females with reddish throats.
c. is false, because there is no guarantee that females with reddish throats are the best for the
long-term preservation of this species.
d. could be true or false, because we cannot tell without knowing whether reddish females
outnumber orangish females in this species.
Answer: b
Learning Objective: 1.1.1 Identify the conditions required to produce evolutionary change
through natural selection and examine these conditions using the gene’s eye view.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
2. The statement “Lemmings disperse from areas of high population density because they
inherited this ability from a lemming-like ancestor in the past” is a hypothesis about
a. evolved function.
b. genetics and development.
c. evolutionary history.
d. adaptive value.
Answer: c
Learning Objective: 1.1.3 Consider how proximate and ultimate levels of analysis can be used to
provide an integrative understanding of the development, mechanism, adaptive value, and
evolutionary history of a behavior.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
3. The infanticide hypothesis, which posits that infanticide is a reproduction-enhancing tactic
practiced by males, is called a hypothesis because it
a. can be proven.
b. is an explanation based on limited evidence that can be tested.
c. is mutually exclusive to any other potential explanations.
d. is a basic principle that can be applied widely.
Answer: b
to accompany
Animal Behavior, Twelfth Edition
John Alcock, Linda Green, Paul Nolan, Stefanie Siller, and Dustin Rubenstein
Chapter 1: An Introduction to Animal Behavior
Multiple Choice Questions
1. “If female lizards with reddish throats produce more eggs than females with orangish throats,
then the reddish throat is an evolved adaptation.” This statement
a. is true, because this species has variation, a critical requirement for the evolution of
adaptations by natural selection.
b. is false, because females with orangish throats could still have more offspring that live to
reproduce than females with reddish throats.
c. is false, because there is no guarantee that females with reddish throats are the best for the
long-term preservation of this species.
d. could be true or false, because we cannot tell without knowing whether reddish females
outnumber orangish females in this species.
Answer: b
Learning Objective: 1.1.1 Identify the conditions required to produce evolutionary change
through natural selection and examine these conditions using the gene’s eye view.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
2. The statement “Lemmings disperse from areas of high population density because they
inherited this ability from a lemming-like ancestor in the past” is a hypothesis about
a. evolved function.
b. genetics and development.
c. evolutionary history.
d. adaptive value.
Answer: c
Learning Objective: 1.1.3 Consider how proximate and ultimate levels of analysis can be used to
provide an integrative understanding of the development, mechanism, adaptive value, and
evolutionary history of a behavior.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
3. The infanticide hypothesis, which posits that infanticide is a reproduction-enhancing tactic
practiced by males, is called a hypothesis because it
a. can be proven.
b. is an explanation based on limited evidence that can be tested.
c. is mutually exclusive to any other potential explanations.
d. is a basic principle that can be applied widely.
Answer: b
