45) The human cerebral cortex accounts for what percentage of the total mass of the brain?
A) 20%
B) 40%
C) 60%
D) 80%
46) Which of the following statements regarding brain activity is true?
A) Recent research has revealed that the 1848 accident involving Phineas Gage caused damage
to his hindbrain.
B) People usually die following a hemispherectomy.
C) People cannot function when the communication channels between the hemispheres are cut.
D) New techniques, such as PET scans and fMRIs, allow researchers to associate specific parts
of the brain with certain activities.
47) fMRI technology can provide significant insights into brain function by
A) measuring areas of electronegativity.
B) detecting damaged areas of the brain.
C) measuring changes in blood oxygen usage at sites of brain activity.
D) showing the pathways of nerve impulses.
48) The network of neurons that extends through the core of the brainstem and selects
information that reaches the cerebral cortex during sleep is the
A) medulla.
B) limbic system.
C) reticular formation.
D) brainstem core.
49) During REM sleep, an EEG shows
A) a flat trace with very few waves.
B) mainly alpha waves.
C) sleep waves.
D) an irregular, rapidly changing pattern.
50) Our emotions, learning, and memory depend upon the
A) limbic system.
B) parietal lobes.
C) frontal lobes.
D) occipital lobes.
51) What part of the brain allows us to recognize the emotional content of facial expressions and
also helps lay down emotional memories?
A) hippocampus
B) amygdala
C) prefrontal cortex
D) corpus callosum
52) Schizophrenia
A) can best be described as feeling a sense of worthlessness.
B) is often associated with hallucinations and paranoid delusions.
C) causes changes in body weight and sleeping patterns.
D) is best defined as a type of mental deterioration or dementia.
53) Treatments for depression often include drugs that help correct imbalances in the levels of
A) serotonin.
B) acetylcholine.
C) nitric oxide.
D) epinephrine.
54) Which of the following statements about Alzheimer’s disease is true?
A) Alzheimer’s disease is suspected if a patient cannot retain his or her balance.
B) Alzheimer’s disease is age-related, increasing in frequency as people age.
C) Alzheimer’s disease often reverses or improves with time.
D) Alzheimer’s disease frequently involves positive changes in personality.
55) Which of the following statements about Parkinson’s disease is true?
A) Parkinson’s disease can be cured with injections of serotonin.
B) Parkinson’s disease results from the death of neurons in the cerebellum.
C) Parkinson’s disease is a motor disorder, affecting physical movements of the body.
D) Parkinson’s disease is age-related, decreasing in frequency as people age.
56) Excitatory neurotransmitters are most like what part of an automobile?
A) brakes
B) windshield wiper
C) accelerator
D) horn
57) Inhibitory neurotransmitters are most like what part of an automobile?
A) brakes
B) radio
C) muffler
D) engine
58) When the human brain’s normal electrical activity is suddenly altered, a seizure can result.
Seizures cause several behavioral and physical complications such as sudden mood changes,
muscle spasms, or uncontrollable body shaking. Seizure impulses often start in one hemisphere
of the brain and travel to the other. Which of the following surgical treatments would reduce the
severity of seizures?
A) severing the suprachiasmatic nucleus so that the patient’s biological clock has altered
circadian rhythms
B) severing the corpus callosum so that the brain has diminished ability to send messages
between the two cerebral hemispheres
C) severing the parietal lobe so that speech capabilities are diminished
D) stimulating the cerebrum to allow the retention of short-term memory capabilities
59) Suppose that you have a younger sibling who excels in mathematics and logic but has
extreme difficulty remembering the faces of people she meets, even if she sees them again only a
few hours after first meeting them. What other evidence would indicate that your sibling is left-
brained?
A) an fMRI indicating high levels of activity in the left parietal lobe
B) an fMRI indicating high levels of activity in the left occipital lobe
C) an fMRI indicating high levels of activity in the left temporal lobe
D) an fMRI indicating high levels of activity in the left cerebral hemisphere
60) Low levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine can lessen the ability to focus effectively on
tasks. However, high levels of dopamine can result in feelings of motivation. How would you
classify dopamine and why?
A) Dopamine is excitatory because it enhances motivation levels.
B) Dopamine is inhibitory because it diminishes the ability to focus.
C) Dopamine is both inhibitory and excitatory because it can enhance motivation levels but
diminish the ability to focus.
D) There is not enough information given to answer the question.
61) You are sitting with a friend in the park next to some children who are playing Frisbee. You
turn to talk to your friend and out of the corner of your eye you see a Frisbee quickly
approaching your face. As an innate, protective behavior, you blink your eyes. The protective
action of blinking is an example of a(n)
A) reflex.
B) integration.
C) chemical synapse.
D) neurotransmitter.
62) Which of the following best describes the protective action of blinking?
A) An interneuron detects motion and sends this message to the peripheral nervous system
(PNS), and the PNS sends a message back to blink.
B) A sensory receptor detects motion, a sensory neuron sends this information to the spinal cord,
and the information in the central nervous system (CNS) sends a message back to blink.
C) A cell body detects motion, a sensory neuron sends this message to the peripheral nervous
system (PNS), and the PNS sends a message back to blink.
D) A cell body detects motion, a sensory neuron sends this message to the spinal cord, and the
information in the central nervous system (CNS) sends a message back to blink.
63) You are practicing throwing baseballs long distances with the members of your baseball
team. At the same time that your partner throws the ball to you, another player across from you
throws his baseball off-target, and it heads straight toward you. You hold your baseball glove up
to catch your partner’s ball, and you instinctively throw up your other arm to protect your face
from the other incoming ball. The protective action of throwing up your arm is an example of
a(n)
A) nerve net.
B) reflex.
C) effector cell.
D) blood-brain barrier.
1) Which part of this diagram of a neuron depicts the axon?
A) part A
B) part B
C) part C
D) part D
2) Which part of this diagram of the human brain depicts the cerebellum?
A) part A
B) part B
C) part C
D) part D
3) Describe what is happening in the following figure.
A) Resting potential is not restored.
B) The neuron is experiencing resting potential.
C) There are fewer positive charges on the inside of the neuron, so it is less negative.
D) The neuron is working to restore the resting potential of -70 mV.
Use the figure below to answer the following questions.
4) What is the minimum change in the membrane’s voltage that must occur to generate the action
potential?
A) +20
B) +40
C) +70
D) +120
5) Why do the two parts of the graph marked with arrows look identical?
A) They represent the depolarization and repolarization of the membrane.
B) They represent the minimum change in the membrane’s voltage that must occur to generate
and complete the action potential.
C) They represent the stimulus that begins and ends the action potential.
D) They represent the resting potential before and after the action potential has occurred.
28.3 Scenario Questions
After reading the paragraphs below, answer the questions that follow.
You recently sprayed your apartment with insecticide to remove an infestation of cockroaches. In
your kitchen, you noticed some roaches lying on their backs twitching furiously before they died.
This aroused your curiosity, so you decided to investigate exactly how the insecticide works on
the nervous system.
In your research, you discover that the insecticide you used contains a permanent
acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that stimulates skeletal muscle
to contract. Acetylcholinesterase removes acetylcholine from the synapse after the signal is
received. Exposure to high pesticide concentrations has a similar effect on humans, which can
also be caused by exposure to the nerve gas Sarin and other chemical agents.
1) Why did the insecticide cause uncontrollable twitching in the roaches?
A) Acetylcholine was released, but the insecticide prevented it from diffusing across the synapse.
B) Acetylcholine was released, but the insecticide prevented it from binding to the receptor sites
of the postsynaptic neurons.
C) The insecticide caused continuous stimulation of the muscles.
D) The insecticide prevented acetylcholinesterase from being removed from the synapse.
2) Since pesticides affect humans in a manner similar to that of roaches, it would be valid to
conclude that
A) acetylcholinesterase affects the DNA of all animals.
B) the mechanism of stimulating skeletal muscle contraction must be similar in humans and
roaches.
C) pesticides are more harmful to roaches than humans.
D) the terminal end of the axon releases acetylcholine in roaches, but not in humans.