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Chapter: Chapter 01: Testbank, Introduction

Multiple Choice

1. While interest in the study of animal behavior has existed for thousands of years, which of the following goals exemplifies a more recent motive for studying animals?
A) being able to make predictions about the behavior of prey species
B) insuring animal welfare, both in the wild and in captivity
C) knowing which animals are likely to fight most fiercely when trapped
D) learning which animals are trainable and useful for work

Ans: B
Difficulty: EASY
Feedback: Introduction.

2. Of Niko Tinbergen’s “four questions,” the one that deals most explicitly with a behavior’s underlying physical structure or related mental processes is
A) development.
B) evolution.
C) mechanism.
D) survival value.

Ans: C
Difficulty: MEDIUM
Feedback: Four Questions about Animal Behavior.

3. Of Niko Tinbergen’s “four questions,” the one that deals most explicitly with whether or not a behavioral tendency changes over an individual’s lifetime is
A) development.
B) evolution.
C) mechanism.
D) survival value.

Ans: A 
Difficulty: MEDIUM
Feedback: Four Questions about Animal Behavior.

4. Of Niko Tinbergen’s “four questions,” the one that deals most explicitly with the evaluation of the risks associated with a behavior relative to its benefits is
A) development.
B) evolution.
C) mechanism.
D) survival value.

Ans: D
Feedback: Four Question about Animal Behavior.
Difficulty: MEDIUM

5. Of Niko Tinbergen’s “four questions,” the one that deals most explicitly with how a behavior developed over the history of a species as a whole is
A) development.
B) evolution.
C) mechanism.
D) survival value.

Ans: B
Difficulty: MEDIUM
Feedback: Four Questions about Animal Behavior.

6. In the extended example in the text, a number of interesting issues were raised about the social and reproductive behavior of dwarf mongooses.  Which of the following statements accurately describes the dwarf mongoose?
A) Dwarf mongooses have a patriarchal society.
B) In many packs only the dominant pair breed.
C) Most subordinate individuals disperse from the pack and establish their own breeding groups.
D) Subordinate individuals frequently attempt to kill the offspring of the dominant pair.

Ans: B
Difficulty: MEDIUM
Feedback: Animal Behavior as an Interdisciplinary Study.

7. If you are a subordinate dwarf mongoose at a time when resources are scarce you will probably
A) disperse and attempt to form a new pack.
B) disperse and join a pack without a breeder of your own sex.
C) remain in the pack and assist in rearing the dominants’ offspring.
D) remain in the pack and produce offspring yourself.

Ans: C
Difficulty: DIFFICULT
Feedback: Animal Behavior as an Interdisciplinary Study.

8. It has been determined that reproductive suppression in the dwarf mongoose is not absolute.  Which of the following statements about reproductive suppression is NOT true.
A) A dominant female is able to control a subordinate’s reproductive behavior only if she can behaviorally prevent a subordinate from mating.
B) DNA fingerprinting has revealed that as many as 25% of offspring had subordinate parents.
C) Reproductive suppression is most intense when the number of young that can be raised in a group is limited by the scarcity of resources.
D) Subordinate individuals may be allowed to breed within the pack under conditions in which they might otherwise benefit more by leaving.

Ans: A
Difficulty: DIFFICULT
Feedback: Animal Behavior as an Interdisciplinary Study.

9. The finding that reproductive suppression in dwarf mongoose females occurs by means of both hormonal and behavioral controls exemplifies an emphasis on which of Tinbergen’s four questions?
A) Development
B) Evolution
C) Mechanism
D) Survival value

Ans: C
Difficulty: EASY
Feedback: Animal Behavior as an Interdisciplinary Study.

10. The finding that the observed degree of reproductive suppression practiced by the dominant females in a group allowed them to maximize their reproductive success exemplifies an emphasis on which of Tinbergen’s four questions?
A) Development
B) Evolution
C) Mechanism
D) Survival value

Ans: D
Difficulty: MEDIUM
Feedback: Animal Behavior as an Interdisciplinary Study.

11. Which of the following statements regarding hypotheses is TRUE.
A) Different hypotheses will always lead to different predictions.
B) Hypotheses are proposed answers to questions that must be tested.
C) Hypotheses are questions that result from observations.
D) Only one hypothesis can be tested in a single study.

Ans: B
Difficulty: MEDIUM
Feedback: Hypothesis Testing.

12. “Male burrowing owls scatter manure around the entrance to their burrow in order to attract females.”  This statement is an example of a(n)
A) hypothesis.
B) observation.
C) prediction.
D) research question.

Ans: A
Difficulty: EASY
Feedback: Hypothesis Testing.

13. Each of the following hypotheses suggests a different prediction about the timing of manure scattering by male burrowing owls.  Which of them is most strongly supported by the finding that in 87% of burrows manure scattering occurred after pair bonds were already formed?
A) Mate attraction
B) Sign that burrow is occupied
C) Olfactory camouflage
D) Prey attraction

Ans: D
Difficulty: DIFFICULT
Feedback: Hypothesis Testing.

14. The prediction that a nonresident male burrowing owl would be less likely to enter a burrow if manure was scattered around the entrance than one with no scattered manure is most clearly derived from which of the following hypotheses?
A) Mate attraction
B) Sign that burrow is occupied
C) Olfactory camouflage
D) Prey attraction

Ans: B
Difficulty: EASY
Feedback: Hypothesis Testing

15. The prediction that more of the small arthropod species that burrowing owls typically eat will be attracted to nests with more manure than to nests with less manure is most clearly derived from which of the following hypotheses?
A) Mate attraction
B) Sign that burrow is occupied
C) Olfactory camouflage
D) Prey attraction

Ans: D
Difficulty: EASY
Feedback: Hypothesis Testing

16. The finding that the presence or absence of manure at the entrance of the nests of burrowing owls made no difference in the probability of predation of the nest most clearly contradicts which of the following hypotheses?
A) Mate attraction
B) Sign that burrow is occupied
C) Olfactory camouflage
D) Prey attraction

Ans: C
Difficulty: MEDIUM
Feedback: Hypothesis Testing

17. A decline in the number of burrowing owls, to the point that they are listed as threatened or endangered in several states, has been found to be related to a decline in numbers of
A) arthropods.
B) cattle.
C) coyotes.
D) prairie dogs.

Ans: D
Difficulty: MEDIUM
Feedback: Hypothesis Testing.