First quiz:
(And who knows whether there is going to be another?) (No, that’s not the first question.  It’s rhetorical.)

This is homework.  I’m putting it in the form of an open computer test.  If you like, you can reply by completing this form and sending it by email to info@nobabies.net  For subject you can say “quiz one.”  That will help me keep them straight. 

I’ll look at the answers and whoever gets the best score I’ll announce so be sure to include the name you want to be called by (handle) when the winner comes out.  In event of tie, I plan to announce all unless it goes over two or three.  In that case the first to respond will win.  Also please include a password so if, for some reason I can’t think of, any question arises, I’ll be able to deal with it.  (Like somebody else claims he was “genius one,” maybe.  The email address should handle that, of course.) 

Unless you say otherwise on your answer form I shall assume that your answer becomes the property of “nobabies.net”  That way if it’s really good I can post the whole completed quiz or parts of it. 

There is no prize.  I shall not be responsible for any mistakes I make in good faith.  If this goes viral and I get overloaded, please understand.  I do not by any means expect that to happen.  I shall not give your email address to anybody else nor contact you without an invitation.

I’ll try to give a couple of days notice before shutting down entries. 

Quiz 1.
Date taken:
Handle:
Password:

Would you like me to let you know by email how well you did … all right then, how well I think you did … on the quiz? 

Would you like me to send you a message if something comes up I think may interest you specifically?

Take your time. 
1) December 21, 2013
Taking the “3” data point on abscissa of the graph of the Icelandic data for children in the Helgason study, what does “3” mean.

1. Couples that are third cousins once removed.
2. Couples that are calculated as second cousins once removed and who might be less kin by traditional reckoning.
3. Couples that are second cousins once removed.
4. Couples that are third cousins.

Explain your answer.

2) December 21, 2013

In the data on the fertility of affluent people and their descendants given by Goodman what does fertility do?

1. Is somewhat low for two generations and then gets worse. 
2. Is higher in the first generation but falls after that.
3. Is lower in the first generation but rises after that.
4. Is somewhat low in the first two generations but then recovers.

Explain what the researchers expected and why.

3) December 21, 2013

In the Fisher study of deer mouse sperm, what did the researchers find?

1. Deer mouse sperm can recognize and bind to sperm from any other deer mouse.
2. Deer mouse sperm can recognize ova from any related deer mouse.
3. Deer mouse sperm can recognize and bind to sperm of related deer mice but not to sperm of unrelated deer mice. 
4. Deer mouse sperm can bind to the ova of unrelated deer mice but not to the ova of related deer mice.

What do the pictures show?

4) December 21, 2013

In the Fisher study of deer mouse sperm, the data demonstrates what?

1. And example of pre zygotic infertility.
2. An example of post zygotic infertility.
3. A phenomenon somewhat suggesting a mechanism for pre zygotic infertility.
4. A combination of pre zygotic and post zygotic infertility.

Explain why.

5) December 21, 2013

In the Diamond study of the Long House Valley community comparing maximum population estimated from tree ring width and population as estimated from counting occupied houses, what does the graph show:

1. Estimated population higher than calculated population from about the year 850 to 1150.
2. Good correlation between estimated and calculated population from 1150 to just before 1300.
3. Estimated population falling faster than calculated population after 1300.
4. All of the above.

Which period of time is least suggestive of the theory that climate change is determining the size of the population and why?

6) December 21, 2013

In the UN data introduced at the beginning of the page the graphs show at the time the statistics were compiled:

1. No relationship between the fertility of rich and poor countries.
2. Fertility falls throughout the time covered by the data in every section of countries given.
3. Rich and poor countries are all on the same curve but at different places along the curve.
4. All countries will stabilize at a birth rate that will keep population constant.

Which countries and at what time show a meta stable birth rate, one that is fairly constant but cannot produce a stable population?  What does this portend for other contries?

7) December 21, 2013

In the Danish study by Labouriau the graph shows:

1. Fertility is determined by education and income.
2. A straight line drop in fertility with decreasing consanguinity, which more resembles the Icelandic data of a geometric correction is made.
3. There is never inbreeding depression.
4. There is no best “marital radius” for maximum fertility.

Why do you suppose that genealogy was the best measure for consanguinity in Iceland while marital radius was better in Denmark?

8) December 21, 2013
In the graphs purporting to show historical data for Chinese and Japanese dynasties,

1. Neither country shows an early rise in resilience of dynasties
2. There is an apparent crisis at a particular age of the dynasties that happens in both countries.
3. Both countries have a slow tapering off of resilience as dynasties approach maximum age.
4. Chinese dynasties are clearly more resilient than Japanese at any age.

Which country do you suppose, on the basis of the presented data, has noble families unrelated to the imperial household and why do you think that? 
9) December 21, 2013

The Swedish data taken from gapminder.com shows:

1. In recent years the Swedish birth rate has been fairly constant.
2. Age at first marriage for women rises followed by a decline in fertility.
3. The birth rate in Sweden is rising in the last few years presented.
4. Age at first marriage never falls during the period shown.

Do you find Gapminder.com difficult to use?  If so, what is the problem?

10) December 21, 2013

Speciation should be expected to occur between two separated populations:

1. After a long time, perhaps thousands of generations.
2. After the same period of time of separation regardless of the species.
3. After a long delay and occur as happenstance because hybrid infertility never did any species any good.
4. Within a few hundred generations because species compete for ecological niches.

What is the relationship between time to speciation and the maximum sustainable population size? 

Well there you go, I hope you enjoyed it. 

There have been 58 visitors since the change in statistics.  I guess I’m not going to be overloaded with paper grading, eh what?

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