Question 1

Animal communication involves what type of sensory information?

Accepted Answer

A)  visual 
B)  auditory 
C)  olfactory 
D)  tactile 
E)  visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile 
A)  visual 
B)  auditory 
C)  olfactory 
D)  tactile 
E)  visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile

Question 2

Which of the following examples describes a behavioral pattern that results from a proximate cause?

Accepted Answer

A)  A cat kills a mouse to obtain nutrition. 
B)  A male sheep fights with another male because it helps to improve its social position. 
C)  A female bird lays its eggs because the amount of daylight is decreasing slightly each day. 
D)  A goose squats and freezes motionless to escape a predator. 
E)  A cockroach runs into a crack in the wall and avoids being stepped on. 
A)  A cat kills a mouse to obtain nutrition. 
B)  A male sheep fights with another male because it helps to improve its social position. 
C)  A female bird lays its eggs because the amount of daylight is decreasing slightly each day. 
D)  A goose squats and freezes motionless to escape a predator. 
E)  A cockroach runs into a crack in the wall and avoids being stepped on.

Question 3

What type of signal is fast and requires daylight with no obstructions?

Accepted Answer

A)  olfactory 
B)  visual 
C)  auditory 
D)  tactile 
E)  electrical 
A)  olfactory 
B)  visual 
C)  auditory 
D)  tactile 
E)  electrical

Question 4

A guinea pig loves the lettuce kept in the refrigerator and squeals each time the refrigerator door opens. What term best applies to this behavior?

Accepted Answer

A)  sign stimulus 
B)  cognition 
C)  imprinting 
D)  classical conditioning 
E)  operant conditioning 
A)  sign stimulus 
B)  cognition 
C)  imprinting 
D)  classical conditioning 
E)  operant conditioning

Question 5

What probably explains why coastal and inland garter snakes react differently to banana slug prey?

Accepted Answer

A)  Ancestors of coastal snakes that could eat the abundant banana slugs had increased fitness. No such selection occurred inland, where banana slugs were absent. 
B)  Banana slugs are camouflaged, and inland snakes, which have poorer vision than coastal snakes, are less able to see them. 
C)  Garter snakes learn about prey from other garter snakes. Inland garter snakes have fewer types of prey because they are less social. 
D)  Inland banana slugs are distasteful, so inland snakes learn to avoid them. Coastal banana slugs are palatable to garter snakes. 
E)  Garter snakes learn to eat what their mother eats. Coastal snake mothers happened to prefer slugs. 
A)  Ancestors of coastal snakes that could eat the abundant banana slugs had increased fitness. No such selection occurred inland, where banana slugs were absent. 
B)  Banana slugs are camouflaged, and inland snakes, which have poorer vision than coastal snakes, are less able to see them. 
C)  Garter snakes learn about prey from other garter snakes. Inland garter snakes have fewer types of prey because they are less social. 
D)  Inland banana slugs are distasteful, so inland snakes learn to avoid them. Coastal banana slugs are palatable to garter snakes. 
E)  Garter snakes learn to eat what their mother eats. Coastal snake mothers happened to prefer slugs.

Question 6

The proximate causes of behavior are interactions with the environment, but behavior is ultimately shaped by

Accepted Answer

A)  hormones. 
B)  evolution. 
C)  sexuality. 
D)  pheromones. 
E)  the nervous system. 
A)  hormones. 
B)  evolution. 
C)  sexuality. 
D)  pheromones. 
E)  the nervous system.

Question 7

Listed below are several examples of types of animal behavior. Match the letter of the correct term (A-E) to each example in the following questions.
A. operant conditioning
B. agonistic behavior
C innate behavior
D. imprinting
E. altruistic behavior
-Upon observing a golden eagle flying overhead, a sentry prairie dog gives a warning call to other foraging members of the prairie dog community.

Accepted Answer

A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  D 
E)  E 
A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  D 
E)  E

Question 8

What type of signal is long-lasting and works at night?

Accepted Answer

A)  olfactory 
B)  visual 
C)  auditory 
D)  tactile 
E)  electrical 
A)  olfactory 
B)  visual 
C)  auditory 
D)  tactile 
E)  electrical

Question 9

During a field trip, an instructor touched a moth resting on a tree trunk. The moth raised its forewings to reveal large eyespots on its hind wings. The instructor asked why the moth lifted its wings. One student answered that sensory receptors had fired and triggered a neuronal reflex culminating in the contraction of certain muscles. A second student responded that the behavior might frighten predators. Which statement best describes these explanations?

Accepted Answer

A)  The first explanation is correct, but the second is incorrect. 
B)  The first explanation refers to proximate causation, whereas the second refers to ultimate causation. 
C)  The first explanation is biological, whereas the second is philosophical. 
D)  The first explanation is testable as a scientific hypothesis, whereas the second is not. 
E)  Both explanations are reasonable and simply represent a difference of opinion. 
A)  The first explanation is correct, but the second is incorrect. 
B)  The first explanation refers to proximate causation, whereas the second refers to ultimate causation. 
C)  The first explanation is biological, whereas the second is philosophical. 
D)  The first explanation is testable as a scientific hypothesis, whereas the second is not. 
E)  Both explanations are reasonable and simply represent a difference of opinion.

Exam 51: Animal Behavior

Animal communication involves what type of sensory information?

Which of the following examples describes a behavioral pattern that results from a proximate cause?

What type of signal is fast and requires daylight with no obstructions?

A guinea pig loves the lettuce kept in the refrigerator and squeals each time the refrigerator door opens. What term best applies to this behavior?

What probably explains why coastal and inland garter snakes react differently to banana slug prey?

The proximate causes of behavior are interactions with the environment, but behavior is ultimately shaped by

What type of signal is long-lasting and works at night?

Introduction: Themes in the Study of Life

The Chemical Context of Life

Water and Life

Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life

The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules

A Tour of the Cell

Membrane Structure and Function

An Introduction to Metabolism

Cellular Respiration and Fermentation

Photosynthesis

Cell Communication

The Cell Cycle

Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles

Mendel and the Gene Idea

The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance

The Molecular Basis of Inheritance

From Gene to Protein

Regulation of Gene Expression

Viruses

Biotechnology

Genomes and Their Evolution

Descent with Modification: A Darwinian View of Life

The Evolution of Populations

The Origin of Species

The History of Life on Earth

Phylogeny and the Tree of Life

Bacteria and Archaea

Protists

Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonized Land

Plant Diversity II: The Evolution of Seed Plants

Fungi

An Overview of Animal Diversity

An Introduction to Invertebrates

The Origin and Evolution of Vertebrates

Plant Structure, Growth, and Development

Resource Acquisition and Transport in Vascular Plants

Soil and Plant Nutrition

Angiosperm Reproduction and Biotechnology

Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals

Basic Principles of Animal Form and Function

Animal Nutrition

Circulation and Gas Exchange

The Immune System

Osmoregulation and Excretion

Hormones and the Endocrine System

Animal Reproduction

Animal Development

Neurons, Synapses, and Signaling

Nervous Systems

Sensory and Motor Mechanisms

An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere

Population Ecology

Community Ecology

Ecosystems and Restoration Ecology

Conservation Biology and Global Change

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