Chapter Four: Neurons, Hormones, and the Brain

Chapter Four Sample Questions

INTRODUCTION

Take the sample questions and find out what you missed. Click on the "Refer back to page __" next to the question you missed. It will open a new window (if your browser is set to open new windows) to the interactive chapter guide resources which cover the concept being tested. Close the window when you want to return to the test. If a new window does not open, just click on the back button to return to this page.

---

1. The central nervous system:

carries messages to the brain and spinal cord.
contains the somatic and autonomic nervous system.
contains the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
consists of the brain and spinal cord.

Refer back to page 114
(new window opens)

2. The role of the parasympathetic nervous system is to:

deactivate or turn down the arousal of the sympathetic nervous system.
increase breathing and heart rate.
mobilize the body for action.
pretend to be sympathetic without really meaning it.

Refer back to page 116

3. The ________ receives messages from the other nerve cells, and the ___________transmits messages to other neurons:

axon; dendrite.
myelin sheath; axon.
dendrite; axon.
cell body; dendrite.

Refer back to page 119

4. The synapse is best described as:

the part of the neuron that keeps it alive and determines whether it will fire.
a fatty insulation that surrounds the neuron.
the site where the transmission of a nerve impulse from one nerve cell to another occurs.
a bundle of nerve fibers in the peripheral nervous system.

Refer back to page 120

5. Which of the following neurotransmitters has been associated with the symptoms of Parkinson's disease?

GABA.
serotonin.
norepinephrine.
dopamine.

Refer back to page 122

6. Although John was injured while attempting to save a child from a burning house, he was not aware of the pain of his injury. This reduction of pain was likely due to:

norepinephrine which lowers arousal and blood pressure.
an injury to the amygdala.
endorphins which are endogenous morphine like substances.
acetylcholine which acts like a natural aspirin.

Refer back to page 123

7. The PET Scan (Positron-Emission Tomography) works by:

picking up the vibrations in the nuclei of atoms making up the organs.
removing a section of brain tissue.
recording biochemical activity in the brain via radioactive glucose.
detecting the electrical activity of neurons.

Refer back to page 125

8. Which of the following is responsible for basic bodily functions like breathing:

pons.
reticular activating system.
automatic breathing device.
medulla.

Refer back to page 129

9. Damage to this area would make one look clumsy and uncoordinated:

thalamus.
cerebellum.
white matter.
corpus callosum.

Refer back to page 129

10. The limbic system is involved in:

visual perception.
sleeping and dreaming.
emotional reactions.
South American dance routines.

Refer back to page 130

11. In the famous case of H.M., damage to the _____________ led to the inability to remember new experiences for longer than 15 minutes.

hippocampus.
amygdala.
long term memory.
master gland.

Refer back to page 130

12. The temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex is responsible for:

hunger, thirst and emotion.
processing sensory information.
ability to set goals and plan.
processing sounds and language comprehension.

Refer back to page 132

13. Concerning the Phineas Gage accident, the iron bar was shot through his _________, which is involved in ___________:

parietal lobe; ability to produce speech.
occipital lobe; remembering.
prefrontal lobe; social judgment and rational thinking.
Wernicke's area; language production.

Refer back to page 133

14. A patient with epilepsy had successful split-brain surgery. In a laboratory study where the left half of a picture was a girl and the right half was a boy, what did the patient verbally answer when asked to say what they saw?

a girl because the right hemisphere is better at facial recognition.
a boy because the left hemisphere contains the language center.
a boy because the right hemisphere is better at facial recognition.
both the boy and the girl because the brain stem was not divided.

Refer back to page 135

15. The activation-synthesis theory of dreaming suggests that dreams

have hidden meanings to gratify unconscious wishes.
are an attempt by the cortex to synthesize the spontaneous firing of the brain-stem in REM sleep.
are part of the period of consolidation when synaptic connections are being strengthened or weakened.
are a conscious preoccupation activated by problems in every day life.

Refer back to page 139

Correct Wrong

Questions Missed

Answer Key

1	=	D		6	=	C		11	=	A
2	=	A		7	=	C		12	=	D
3	=	C		8	=	D		13	=	C
4	=	C		9	=	B		14	=	B
5	=	D		10	=	C		15	=	B
				top