SparkNotes: Neurons, Hormones, and the Brain: Sample Quiz Questions

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1. The sensations we experience when we think we’ll hit another car on the freeway are due to activation of which system?

(A) Sympathetic nervous system

(B) Parasympathetic nervous system

(D) Central nervous system

2. Which type of sensory information does not pass through the thalamus?

(A) Visual

(B) Tactile

(D) Auditory

3. What is damage to the hippocampus likely to affect?

(A) Hearing

(B) Vision

(D) Memory

4. In which lobe of the brain is Wernicke’s area, the part of the brain involved in understanding language?

(A) The right parietal lobe

(B) The left occipital lobe

(D) The left temporal lobe

5. Which group of hormones is responsible for the development of male secondary sex characteristics?

(A) Estrogens

(B) Androgens

(D) Thyroid hormones

6. Which of the following is a function of the myelin sheath?

(A) Increases the speed at which nerve impulses travel along an axon

(B) Receives information from other neurons or from sense organs

(D) All of the above

7. Why does the resting potential occur?

(A) The inside of a neuron has a higher concentration of positive ions than the outside

(B) The inside of a neuron has a higher concentration of negative ions than the outside

(D) None of the above

8. What is the interval called during which a neuron is dormant after an action potential has been completed?

(A) Postaction potential

(B) Resting potential

(D) Postsynaptic potential

9. What is a function of antagonists?

(A) Block the action of a neurotransmitter

(B) Mimic the action of a neurotransmitter

(D) Speed up the action of a neurotransmitter

10. What is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain?

(A) Glutamate

(B) Serotonin

(D) GABA