Chapter 2 Questions

Question 1

The neuron fiber that carries messages to other neurons is the…

a. dendrite.
b. axon.
c. cell body.
d. myelin.

Answer 1

b. axon.

Question 2

The tiny space between the axon of a sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of a receiving neuron is called the…

a. axon terminal.
b. branching fiber.
c. synaptic gap.
d. threshold.

Answer 2

c. synaptic gap.

Question 3

The neuron’s response to stimulation is an all-or-none response, meaning that the intensity of the stimulus determines…

a. whether or not an impulse is generated.
b. how fast an impulse is transmitted.
c. how intense an impulse will be.
d. whether the stimulus is excitatory or inhibitory.

Answer 3

a. whether or not an impulse is generated.

Question 4

When an action potential reaches the axon terminal of a neuron, it triggers the release of chemical messengers called…

a. dendrites.
b. synapses.
c. neural impulses.
d. neurotransmitters.

Answer 4

d. neurotransmitters.

Question 5

Endorphins are released in the brain in response to…

a. morphine or heroin.
b. pain or vigorous exercise.
c. the all-or-none response.
d. all of these are correct.

Answer 5

b. pain or vigorous exercise.

Question 6

The autonomic nervous system controls internal functions, such as heart rate and glandular activity. The word autonomic means…

a. calming.
b. voluntary.
c. self-regulating.
d. arousing.

Answer 6

c. self-regulating.

Question 7

The sympathetic nervous system arouses us for action and the parasympathetic nervous system calms us down. Together, the two systems make up the…

a. autonomic nervous system.
b. somatic nervous system.
c. central nervous system.
d. peripheral nervous system.

Answer 7

a. autonomic nervous system.

Question 8

The neurons of the spinal cord are part of the…

a. somatic nervous system.
b. central nervous system.
c. autonomic nervous system.
d. peripheral nervous system.

Answer 8

b. central nervous system.

Question 9

The most influential endocrine gland, known as the master gland, is the…

a. pituitary.
b. hypothalamus.
c. kidney.
d. adrenal.

Answer 9

a. pituitary.

Question 10

______ secrete(s) epinephrine and norepinephrine, helping to arouse the body during times of stress.

a. Adrenal glands
b. The pituitary gland
c. The hypothalamus
d. Neurotransmitters

Answer 10

a. Adrenal glands

Question 11

The brainstem is the oldest and inner-most region of the brain. The part of the brainstem that controls heartbeat and breathing is the…

a. cerebellum.
b. medulla.
c. cortex.
d. thalamus.

Answer 11

b. medulla.

Question 12

The thalamus receives information from the sensory neurons and routes it to the higher brain regions that control the senses. The thalamus functions like a…

a. memory bank.
b. balance center.
c. breathing regulator.
d. switchboard.

Answer 12

d. switchboard.

Question 13

The lower brain structure that governs arousal is the…

a. spinal cord.
b. cerebellum.
c. reticular formation.
d. medulla.

Answer 13

c. reticular formation.

Question 14

The part of the brain that coordinates voluntary movement is the…

a. cerebellum.
b. medulla.
c. thalamus.
d. reticular formation.

Answer 14

a. cerebellum.

Question 15

The limbic system, a doughnut-shaped structure at the border of the brain’s older parts and the cerebral hemispheres, is associated with basic motives, emotions, and memory functions. Two parts of the limbic system are the amygdala and the…

a. cerebral hemispheres.
b. hippocampus.
c. thalamus.
d. pituitary.

Answer 15

b. hippocampus.

Question 16

The cat’s ferocious response to electrical brain stimulation would lead you to suppose the electrode had touched the…

a. hippocampus.
b. pituitary.
c. hypothalamus.
d. amygdala.

Answer 16

d. amygdala.

Question 17

The neural structure that most directly regulates eating, drinking, and body temperature is the…

a. endocrine system.
b. hypothalamus.
c. hippocampus.
d. amygdala.

Answer 17

b. hypothalamus.

Question 18

The initial reward center discovered by Olds and Milner was located in the…

a. hippocampus.
b. brainstem.
c. hypothalamus.
d. spinal cord.

Answer 18

c. hypothalamus.

Question 19

If a neurosurgeon stimulated your right motor cortex, you would most likely…

a. see light.
b. hear a sound.
c. feel a touch on the right arm.
d. move your left leg.

Answer 19

d. move your left leg.

Question 20

Which of the following body regions has the greatest representation in the sensory cortex?

a. Knee
b. Toes
c. Forehead
d. Thumb

Answer 20

d. Thumb

Question 21

The “uncommitted” areas that make up about 3/4 of the cerebral cortex are called…

a. occipital lobes.
b. fissures.
c. association areas.
d. Wernicke’s area.

Answer 21

c. association areas.

Question 22

Judging and planning are enabled by the ______ lobes.

a. occipital
b. parietal
c. frontal
d. temporal

Answer 22

c. frontal

Question 23

Plasticity - the brain’s ability to reorganize itself after damage - is especially evident in the brains of…

a. split-brain patients.
b. young adults.
c. young children.
d. right-handed people.

Answer 23

c. young children.

Question 24

An experimenter flashes the word HERON across the visual field of a man whose corpus callosum has been severed. Her is transmitted to his right hemisphere and ON to his left. When asked to indicate what he saw the man…

a. says he saw HER but points to ON.
b. says he saw ON but points to HER.
c. says he so HERON but points to HER.
d. says he saw HERON but points to ON.

Answer 24

b. says he saw ON but points to HER.

Question 25

Studies of people with split brains and brain scans of those with undivided brains indicate that the left hemisphere excels in…

a. processing language.
b. visual perceptions.
c. making inferences.
d. neurogenesis.

Answer 25

a. processing language.

Question 26

Damage to the brain’s right hemisphere is most likely to reduce a person’s ability to…

a. recite the alphabet rapidly.
b. make inferences.
c. understand verbal instructions.
d. solve arithmetic problems.

Answer 26

b. make inferences.