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Student: ___________________________________________________________________________
1. Of all the developments that take place during the second decade of life, the only one that is truly
inevitable is:
A. physical maturation.
B. an identity crisis.
C. rebellion against one’s parents.
D. the first experience of romantic love.
2. The average girl in the United States reaches _________, the time of her first menstrual period, sometime
between the ages of 12 and 13.
A. spermarche
B. menarche
C. puberty
D. adrenarche
3. The physical transformation from child to adult is called:
A. puberty.
B. early adolescence.
C. middle adolescence.
D. late adolescence.
4. The term puberty refers to the period during which:
A. an individual is between the ages of 12 and 15.
B. an individual’s endocrine system creates new hormones.
C. an individual becomes capable of sexual reproduction.
D. an individual stops growing.
5. According to the text, puberty involves all of the following except
A. development of the primary sex characteristics.
B. changes in distribution of fat and muscle in the body.
C. development of secondary sex characteristics.
D. increases in intellectual functioning.
6. Professor Radon is studying the _________ system, which produces, circulates, and regulates levels of
hormones in the body.
A. adrenal
B. circulatory
C. respiratory
D. endocrine
7. Which of the following statements about the production of hormones at puberty is false?
A. The body begins to produce several hormones that have not been present in the body up until this time.
B. There is an increase in the production of certain hormones.
C. Boys’ bodies produce more androgens and girls’ bodies produce more estrogens.
D.
The feedback loop regulating the endocrine system’s set point for each hormone becomes increasingly
important.
8. When levels of _____ & _____ fall below the set points, the _____ stops inhibiting the pituitary gland,
thus permitting it to stimulate the release of sex hormones by the gonads.
A. leptin & thyroid hormones; hypothalamus
B. androgens & estrogen; adrenal gland
C. androgens & estrogens; hypothalamus
D. leptin & thyroid hormones; adrenal gland
9. The presence or absence of certain hormones early in life may “program” the brain and the nervous
system to develop in certain ways later on. These hormones are considered:
A. androgens.
B. estrogens.
C. organizational.
D. activational.
10. Hormones play two very different roles in adolescence. _______ hormones program the brain to behave
in certain ways, whereas _______ hormones are thought to stimulate development of the secondary sex
characteristics.
A. Activational; organizational
B. Organizational; activational
C. Testosterone; endocrine
D. Endocrine; testosterone
11. Which of the following statements about prenatal development is not true:
A. Up until about eight weeks after conception, all human brains are feminine.
B. Puberty is part of a gradual process that begins at conception.
C. All hormones necessary for puberty are present before birth.
D. The amount of cortisol exposed to the fetus is directly linked to the timing and tempo of puberty.
12. Which of the following is not thought to contribute to the onset of puberty?
A. the presence of sexually mature partners in the environment
B. whether the individual is healthy enough to begin reproduction
C. the development of primary sex characteristics
D. whether there are nutritional resources available to support a pregnancy
13. Which of the following observations suggests that rising levels of the protein leptin is the most important
signal that the body is ready for puberty?
A. Production of pubic hair relates to increased sex drive.
B. Excessive thinness can delay onset of puberty.
C. Puberty tends to occur earlier among boys who are obese.
D. Excessive exercise promotes early physical development.
14. Which of the following is not part of the feedback loop in the endocrine system?
A. gonads
B. hypothalamus
C. pituitary gland
D. thyroid hormones
15. Ten-year-old Luna’s budding feelings of sexual attraction are most likely explained:
A. by maturation of the adrenal glands through the process called adrenarche.
B. by maturation of the gonads through a process called menarche.
C. as rising levels of leptin instruct her hypothalamus to set the hormonal changes of puberty in motion.
D. as increases in sex hormones activate her HPG axis.
16. The hormonally induced increase in the rate of growth in height and weight is referred to as:
A. the adolescent growth spurt.
B. epiphyses.
C. secular trend.
D. delayed phase preference.
17. The simultaneous release of growth hormones, thyroid hormones, and _________ stimulates rapid
acceleration in height and weight during puberty.
A. pituitary glands
B. estrogens
C. androgens
D. thyroid glands
18. At the time of peak height velocity, adolescents grow at about the same rate as:
A. newborns.
B. infants.
C. toddlers.
D. elementary school children.
19. The adolescent growth spurt:
A. generally begins two years earlier for girls than for boys.
B. generally begins two years earlier for boys than for girls.
C. is slower in the early adolescent years, then speeds up around age 15 for boys and girls.
D. proceeds along a smooth and rapid course over the teen years.
20. Which of the following is not characteristic of changes in skeletal structure during puberty?
A. One marker that indicates the termination in growth in height is epiphysis.
B. Bones become more porous and more likely to break.
C. Height gains are attributable more to increases in torso length than leg length.
D.
The growth sequence generally begins with the extremities, then proceeds to the arms and legs, then to
the torso and shoulders.
21. Who is at the greatest risk of developing body dissatisfaction?
A. Callie, an early-maturing, affluent Caucasian girl who compares herself to her friends
B. Miranda, a late-maturing African-American girl
C. John, an early-maturing African-American male who compares himself to his friends
D. Mike, a late-maturing Caucasian male who feels he is not muscular enough
22. One reason for the difference in the body shapes of the sexes is:
A. the timing of the growth spurt.
B. that females tend to be more “left-brained” and males more “right-brained.”
C. differences in the size of the hypothalamus.
D. the difference in the amount and distribution of body fat.
23. Although both sexes experience changes in muscle tissue and body fat, the ratio of muscle to body fat
is:
A. greater in boys than girls.
B. greater in girls than boys.
C. about the same in both genders.
D. greater in early maturing girls than in late-maturing boys.
24. Which of the following girls would probably be least susceptible to feelings of body dissatisfaction due to
the rapid increase in body fat in early adolescence?
A. Suzy, an early maturer
B. Lilly, someone who began dating early
C. Diane, someone from a relatively affluent family
D. Beth, a Black adolescent girl
25. The rapid increase in body fat that adolescent girls experience:
A. leads to a majority of adolescent girls dieting unnecessarily.
B. leads to an increase in healthy eating patterns among adolescent girls.
C. increases vulnerability to feelings of body dissatisfaction for African-American adolescent girls.
D. is seen by the Centers for Disease Control as a major risk factor for obesity among adolescent girls.
26. According to the textbook, the sex difference in athletic performance during early adolescence results
from all of the following except:
A. self confidence
B. body fat
C. hormones
D. diet and exercise
27. All of the following are reasons that males have greater gains in strength than females during early
adolescence, except:
A. increased production of androgens.
B. strong societal pressures on girls to decrease their physical activity in preadolescence.
C. inadequate nutrition among adolescent girls.
D. adolescent girls’ increase in body fat.
28. Which of the following sex characteristics is the first to develop in boys?
A. production of sperm
B. appearance of facial hair
C. growth of testes and scrotum
D. growth of penis
29. Which of the following is probably true for Ashley, an early-maturing girl who was short and stocky as a
child?
A. After puberty, she will be shorter and heavier than her late-maturing peers.
B. After puberty, she will be shorter and thinner than her late-maturing peers.
C. After puberty, she will be taller and heavier than her late-maturing peers.
D. After puberty, she will be taller and thinner than her late-maturing peers.
30. The first ejaculation of seminal fluid that occurs is:
A. biologically predetermined.
B. genetically inherited.
C. often determined culturally.
D. a major embarrassment for most boys.
31. The first sign of puberty in girls is generally:
A. budding of the breasts.
B. underarm hair.
C. menarche.
D. acne.
32. Molly’s breasts are beginning to develop, she is beginning to grow pubic hair, and her body is growing
rapidly. This change is brought about by the secretion of _____ by the _____.
A. estrogen; testes
B. androgens; ovaries
C. estrogen; ovaries
D. androgens; testes
33. Which of the following female sex characteristics is usually the last to develop?
A. menarche
B. regular ovulation
C. development of the nipples of the breasts
D. growth of pubic hair
34. Which of the following statements about puberty in girls is false?
A. Regular ovulation and the ability to carry a baby to term usually follow menarche by several years.
B.
The development of the areola and nipple are far better indicators of sexual maturation than is breast
size.
C. Menarche occurs very early in the process of sexual development.
D. The changes in the nipple and areola occur regardless of the size to which the breast finally develops.
