Opravy

In the lecture, the teacher questions two behaviours in both animal and human societies that are considered altruistic in the reading passage.

She explains how, according to her, they do not fully correspond to the definition of altruistic acts.

First, she talks about the sentinel meerkat: some studies of meerkats' eating habits have shown they usually eat before they stand guard.

Thus, the sentinel meerkat does not "go without food while the others eat" as written in the text.

Moreover, the sentinel meerkat usually stands near a burrow: hence, it can be the first to escape a predator by jumping into the burrow right after having given the alarm.

Besides, when the other members of the meerkat's group hear the alarm, they tend to either gather or move about together, drawing the predator's attention away from the caller.

The lecturer shows that the sentinel behaviour is not as altruistic as the writer thinks.

Last, the teacher explains that a person who gives his or her kidney to a family member (or even to a stranger) does gain something from it: the donor is rewarded with the receiver's appreciation, society's approval, and a rise of self-worth.

This strongly opposes the reading passage, that states that this altruistic act provides "little reward to the one performing the act", while the donor actually gains something valuable as well.