Question 1

Problem specificity of adaptive mechanisms tends to be favored over generality for the following reasons except __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   general solutions fail to guide the organism to the correct adaptive solutions
B)   general solutions lead to too many errors and are costly to the organism
C)   general solutions are always anatomically more complex
D)   a successful solution differs from problem to problem C

Question 2

Male chimpanzees have relatively _________ testes than human males because of the greater selection pressure of female promiscuity in chimpanzees.

Accepted Answer

A)   larger
B)   smaller
C)   equal
D)   fewer A

Question 3

Adaptations must have which of the following characteristics?

Accepted Answer

A)   must be present at birth
B)   must be associated with one particular gene
C)   must develop reliably
D)   must be easily identifiable C

Question 4

Which of the following is not a class of adaptive problems?

Accepted Answer

A)   problems of life
B)   problems of mating
C)   problems of parental investment
D)   problems of survival and growth

Question 5

The __________ mechanisms we have, the ___________ the range of behaviors we can perform.

Accepted Answer

A)   more, smaller
B)   fewer, greater
C)   fewer, larger
D)   more, greater

Question 6

Which of the following cues was shown to have the most influence on incest avoidance behaviors?

Accepted Answer

A)   degree of genetic relatedness
B)   duration of co-residence with a member of the opposite sex during childhood
C)   parents passing on knowledge of which individuals are unsuitable for mating
D)   amount of time spent playing together during adolescence

Question 7

Sperm competition is generally present in all of the following species except __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   exclusively monogamous species
B)   moderately monogamous species
C)   polygamous species
D)   promiscuous species

Question 8

Byproducts __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   do not solve adaptive problems and have no functional design
B)   do not solve adaptive problems but do have functional design
C)   do solve adaptive problems and have no functional design
D)   do solve adaptive problems and do have functional design

Question 9

As predicted from an evolutionary perspective, a study by Flinn and colleagues documented that children living with a stepparent have _______ levels of _________ than children living with biological parents.

Accepted Answer

A)   lower; testosterone
B)   higher; testosterone
C)   lower; cortisol
D)   higher; cortisol

Question 10

Identifying an evolved psychological mechanism requires an identification of its ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)   function
B)   physiological characteristics
C)   component parts
D)   current utility

Question 11

Which of the following is not a product of evolution by natural selection?

Accepted Answer

A)   adaptations
B)   sexual selection
C)   byproducts
D)   random effects

Question 12

Psychological mechanisms are theorized to have access only to the information stored within them, and cannot access information contained in other psychological mechanisms except via information-sharing mechanisms. This phenomenon is referred to as __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   compartmentalization
B)   repression
C)   subconscious
D)   encapsulation

Question 13

Which of the following is an example of a byproduct?

Accepted Answer

A)   light produced by a light bulb
B)   yawning produced by being tired
C)   bellybutton produced by umbilical cord
D)   calluses produced by friction

Question 14

In which of following species do males make greater investments in their offspring than females?

Accepted Answer

A)   poison dart frog
B)   kangaroo
C)   zebra finch
D)   pipefish seahorse

Question 15

Which data source for testing evolutionary hypotheses can be clouded by social desirability motives?

Accepted Answer

A)   human products
B)   archeological evidence
C)   self-report data
D)   public records

Question 16

Using physiological measurement techniques, such as hormonal assays, evolutionary psychologists can __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   determine whether a trait or behavior is evolved or not
B)   measure proximal influences on an evolved trait or behavior
C)   see ultimate causation in action
D)   illustrate the phylogeny of a trait under investigation

Question 17

An evolved psychological mechanism that led to a successful solution in the evolutionary past ___________ lead to a successful solution now.

Accepted Answer

A)   must
B)   will always
C)   may or may not
D)   cannot

Question 18

Which of the following theories predicts psychological differences between men and women?

Accepted Answer

A)   theory of reciprocal altruism
B)   theory of parent-offspring conflict
C)   theory of parental investment
D)   inclusive fitness theory

Question 19

The environment of evolutionary adaptedness refers to __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   a time when humans evolved toward a common ancestor with chimpanzees
B)   a specific period of human evolution when all adaptations emerged
C)   the statistical composite of selection pressures that occurred during an adaptation's period of evolution responsible for producing the adaptation
D)   the environment that is necessary for an adaptation to emerge

Question 20

Which of the following is not an adaptive problem caused by an evolutionary history of social hierarchies?

Accepted Answer

A)   protection of one's resources
B)   preventing upstarts from usurping one's status
C)   preventing defection from reciprocally altruistic relationships
D)   attracting a mate

Exam 2: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology