Question 1

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 2

Researchers have found that a region of the canary forebrain shrinks during the nonbreeding season and enlarges when breeding season begins. This annual enlargement of brain tissue is probably associated with the annual

Accepted Answer

A) addition of new syllables to a canary's song repertoire. 
B) crystallization of subsong into adult songs. 
C) sensitive period in which canary parents imprint on new offspring. 
D) renewal of mating and nest-building behaviors. 
E) elimination of the memorized template for songs sung the previous year. 
A) addition of new syllables to a canary's song repertoire. 
B) crystallization of subsong into adult songs. 
C) sensitive period in which canary parents imprint on new offspring. 
D) renewal of mating and nest-building behaviors. 
E) elimination of the memorized template for songs sung the previous year.

Question 3

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 4

Sow bugs become more active in dry areas and less active in humid areas. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

A) taxis. 
B) tropism. 
C) kinesis. 
D) cognition. 
E) net reflex. 
A) taxis. 
B) tropism. 
C) kinesis. 
D) cognition. 
E) net reflex.

Question 5

A female cat in heat urinates more often and in many places. Male cats congregate near the urine deposits and fight with each other. Which of the following would be an ultimate cause of the male cats' response to the female's urinating behavior?

Accepted Answer

A) The males have learned to recognize the specific odor of the urine of a female in heat. 
B) When the males smelled the odor, various neurons in their brains were stimulated. 
C) Male cats respond to the odor because it is a means of locating females in heat. 
D) Male cats' hormones are triggered by the odor released by the female. 
E) The odor serves as a releaser for the instinctive behavior of the males. 
A) The males have learned to recognize the specific odor of the urine of a female in heat. 
B) When the males smelled the odor, various neurons in their brains were stimulated. 
C) Male cats respond to the odor because it is a means of locating females in heat. 
D) Male cats' hormones are triggered by the odor released by the female. 
E) The odor serves as a releaser for the instinctive behavior of the males.

Question 6

In Belding's ground squirrels, it is mostly the females that behave altruistically by sounding alarm calls. What is the likely reason for this distinction?

Accepted Answer

A) Males have smaller vocal cords and are less likely to make sounds. 
B) Females invest more in foraging and food stores, so they are more defensive. 
C) Females settle in the area in which they were born, so the calling females are warning kin. 
D) The sex ratio is biased. 
E) Males forage alone; therefore, alarm calls are useless. 
A) Males have smaller vocal cords and are less likely to make sounds. 
B) Females invest more in foraging and food stores, so they are more defensive. 
C) Females settle in the area in which they were born, so the calling females are warning kin. 
D) The sex ratio is biased. 
E) Males forage alone; therefore, alarm calls are useless.

Question 7

The core idea of sociobiology is that

Accepted Answer

A) human behavior is rigidly determined by inheritance. 
B) humans cannot choose to change their social behavior. 
C) much human behavior has evolved by natural selection. 
D) the social behavior of humans has many similarities to that of social insects such as honeybees. 
E) the environment plays a larger role than genes in shaping human behavior. 
A) human behavior is rigidly determined by inheritance. 
B) humans cannot choose to change their social behavior. 
C) much human behavior has evolved by natural selection. 
D) the social behavior of humans has many similarities to that of social insects such as honeybees. 
E) the environment plays a larger role than genes in shaping human behavior.

Question 8

A type of learning that can occur only during a brief period of early life and results in a behavior that is difficult to modify through later experiences is called

Accepted Answer

A) insight. 
B) imprinting. 
C) habituation. 
D) operant conditioning. 
E) trial-and-error learning. 
A) insight. 
B) imprinting. 
C) habituation. 
D) operant conditioning. 
E) trial-and-error learning.

Question 9

Animal communication involves what type of sensory information?

Accepted Answer

A) visual 
B) auditory 
C) chemical 
D) A and C only 
E) A, B, and C 
A) visual 
B) auditory 
C) chemical 
D) A and C only 
E) A, B, and C

Question 10

Female spotted sandpipers aggressively court males and, after mating, leave the clutch of young for the male to incubate. This sequence may be repeated several times with different males until no available males remain, forcing the female to incubate her last clutch. Which of the following terms best describes this behavior?

Accepted Answer

A) monogamy 
B) polygyny 
C) polyandry 
D) promiscuity 
E) certainty of paternity 
A) monogamy 
B) polygyny 
C) polyandry 
D) promiscuity 
E) certainty of paternity

Question 11

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 difficult to see, and inland snakes, which have poor vision compared with 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 slugs are distasteful, so inland snakes learn to avoid them. Coastal banana slugs are not distasteful. 
E) Garter snakes are conditioned 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 difficult to see, and inland snakes, which have poor vision compared with 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 slugs are distasteful, so inland snakes learn to avoid them. Coastal banana slugs are not distasteful. 
E) Garter snakes are conditioned to eat what their mother eats. Coastal snake mothers happened to prefer slugs.

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 13

A salmon returns to its home stream to spawn. What term best applies to this behavior?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 14

Although many chimpanzee populations live in environments containing oil palm nuts, members of only a few populations use stones to crack open the nuts. The most likely explanation for this behavioral difference between populations is that

Accepted Answer

A) the behavioral difference is caused by genetic differences between populations. 
B) members of different populations have different nutritional requirements. 
C) the cultural tradition of using stones to crack nuts has arisen in only some populations. 
D) members of different populations differ in learning ability. 
E) members of different populations differ in manual dexterity. 
A) the behavioral difference is caused by genetic differences between populations. 
B) members of different populations have different nutritional requirements. 
C) the cultural tradition of using stones to crack nuts has arisen in only some populations. 
D) members of different populations differ in learning ability. 
E) members of different populations differ in manual dexterity.

Exam 51: Animal Behavior

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

Researchers have found that a region of the canary forebrain shrinks during the nonbreeding season and enlarges when breeding season begins. This annual enlargement of brain tissue is probably associated with the annual

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

Sow bugs become more active in dry areas and less active in humid areas. This is an example of

A female cat in heat urinates more often and in many places. Male cats congregate near the urine deposits and fight with each other. Which of the following would be an ultimate cause of the male cats' response to the female's urinating behavior?

In Belding's ground squirrels, it is mostly the females that behave altruistically by sounding alarm calls. What is the likely reason for this distinction?

The core idea of sociobiology is that

A type of learning that can occur only during a brief period of early life and results in a behavior that is difficult to modify through later experiences is called

Animal communication involves what type of sensory information?

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

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

A salmon returns to its home stream to spawn. What term best applies to this behavior?

Although many chimpanzee populations live in environments containing oil palm nuts, members of only a few populations use stones to crack open the nuts. The most likely explanation for this behavioral difference between populations is that

Introduction: Themes in the Study of Life

The Chemical Context of Life

Water and the Fitness of the Environment

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: Harvesting Chemical Energy

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

Control 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 Introduction to Animal Diversity

Invertebrates

Vertebrates

Plant Structure, Growth, and Development

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

Conservation Biology and Restoration Ecology

Filters