Retake: Amplify 7C Assessment

"Laurence Steinberg has carried out many studies on risk-taking in this age group. In his excellent book Age of opportunity, Steinberg describes his compelling research on adolescence and his work with young people being prosecuted for dangerous decisions they have made, such as driving risks that have gone wrong. He argues that brain development, and the fact that risk-taking is a natural part of adolescent development, must be taken into account when considering whether an adolescent is guilty of a crime or not" (paragraph 6).

Review paragraph 6 above. Which statement BEST summarizes the paragraph without personal opinions or judgments?

• a. Steinberg has carried out more studies on adolescence than Blakemore, the author of this book.

• b. Steinberg’s findings on adolescent behavior are the most compelling findings that have been published in recent years.

• c. Steinberg, a researcher who has studied risk-taking in adolescents, is trying to convince the public that adolescents should not be prosecuted for breaking the law.

• d. Steinberg, a researcher who has studied risk-taking in adolescents, argues that brain development should be considered when young people are accused of crimes.

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CCSS.RI.7.2

In paragraph 7, the author refers to the brain’s limbic system generating “...the rewarding feeling— the kick—elicited by taking risks.” Later, when the author states that “adolescents get a kick out of taking risks” (8), he means that these risks result in __________.

• A. a serious punishment

• B. a physical pain

• C. a positive emotion

• D. a financial boost

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CCSS.RI.7.4

“The core idea is that, in young adolescents, the limbic system is already mature and particularly sensitive to the rewarding feeling that risk-taking sometimes elicits. At the same time, the prefrontal cortex—which stops us acting on impulse and inhibits risk-taking—is not yet mature, and will continue developing throughout adolescence and early adulthood. (7) The theory suggests that this results in a ‘developmental mismatch’ between the maturity and functioning of these two brain systems, and this in turn explains why adolescents get a kick out of taking risks (a function of the limbic system) and aren’t always able to stop themselves doing so in the heat of the moment (a skill that relies on the prefrontal cortex).” (8)

According to the text above, which BEST represents the relationship between the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex in adolescence, according to Steinberg and Casey?

• A. The mature limbic system usually has greater influence than the less-developed prefrontal cortex.

• B. Both systems reward risk-taking, but one does so much more strongly

• C. The prefrontal cortex often causes risk-taking behavior, but the limbic system rewards it.

• D. One system has started to function by this stage, but the other has not.

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CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.3

In paragraph 8, the author writes, “The theory suggests that this results in a ‘developmental mismatch’ between the maturity and functioning of these two brain systems, and this in turn explains why adolescents get a kick out of taking risks (a function of the limbic system) and aren’t always able to stop themselves doing so in the heat of the moment (a skill that relies on the prefrontal cortex).” Which of the following examples BEST demonstrates the meaning of someone not being able to stop themselves from doing something in the heat of the moment?

• A. A shopper deciding to purchase one gift item instead of another

• B. A driver in a car with faulty brakes speeding out of control down a hill

• C. A person saying something they will later regret during an argument

• D. A boss firing an employee who was caught stealing from the business

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CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RI.7.4

Select the paragraph in which readers will find out why the author’s team performed their 2014 analysis on the question of adolescent brain development.

• A. Paragraph 7: In the late 2000s, Steinberg, along with other researchers including B.J. Casey, proposed a theory to explain why risk-taking peaks in adolescence. Both Steinberg’s and Casey’s theories involve the brain’s limbic system, which (among other processes) generates the rewarding feeling—the kick— elicited by taking risks. The core idea is that, in young adolescents, the limbic system is already mature and particularly sensitive to the rewarding feeling that risk-taking sometimes elicits. At the same time, the prefrontal cortex— which stops us acting on impulse and inhibits risk-taking—is not yet mature, and will continue developing throughout adolescence and early adulthood.

• B. Paragraph 9: These theories are based on the assumption that the brain’s reward and emotion systems mature earlier in adolescence than the prefrontal cortex control system. What is the evidence for this? Until recently there wasn’t much. So in 2014 Kate Mills, Anne-Lise Goddings and I carried out an analysis in collaboration with Jay Giedd from the National Institute of Health in Bethesda to look at the question in a bit more detail.

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CCSS.RI.7.6

"We were interested in whether the limbic regions—specifically the nucleus accumbens, which processes reward, and the amygdala, which processes emotion—reach maturity earlier than the prefrontal cortex. We analyzed each of these regions in terms of the amount of grey matter it contained. In our study, a brain region was defined as ‘mature’ when its grey matter volume appeared to have stopped changing."

Paragraph 12 (above) states that the author’s team decided the sign of a mature brain region was that it had ceased ________.

• A. growing

• B. changing

• C. aging

• D. reacting

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CCSS.RI.7.4

"We were interested in whether the limbic regions—specifically the nucleus accumbens, which processes reward, and the amygdala, which processes emotion—reach maturity earlier than the prefrontal cortex. We analyzed each of these regions in terms of the amount of grey matter it contained. In our study, a brain region was defined as ‘mature’ when its grey matter volume appeared to have stopped changing" (12).

What is the paragraph above describing?

• A. It explains how the author’s team determined which groups of participant brain scans were usable in the study.

• B. It explains how the author’s team checked each participant’s brain scan for image quality.

• C. It explains that the author’s team examined the volume of gray matter in each brain region.

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CCSS.RI.7.2

Passage: Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science

Read this passage from paragraph 18:

“If Phineas survived with a large piece of his cortex destroyed, then what does the cortex do? Across America and Europe, doctors are fiercely divided over this very question. There are two rival schools.” Which word in this excerpt provides the strongest context clue for the meaning of “rival”?

• A. Doctors

• B. Fiercely

• C. Divided

• D. Schools

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CCSS.RI.7.4

Passage: Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science

Which sentence states a conclusion the Whole Brainers draw from the case of Phineas Gage? Hint: Pay attention to the transition words used here.

• A. They conclude that, “Unfortunately, the Whole Brainers have no hard evidence for their theory” (19).

• B. They conclude that a “weak electrical current applied to the exposed brain of a laboratory animal will make certain muscles twitch involuntarily and certain senses sharpen or go dead” (21).

• C. They conclude that, “If you have a weak organ, it will be small and you’ll have a dip or depression in your skull” (22).

• D. “Therefore, say the Whole Brainers, the whole brain must be able to perform any function of one part.” (23)

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CCSS.RI.7.1

Passage: Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science

Paragraph 18 says, “One group thinks the brain is a ‘whole intelligence,’ that is, that your brain is one interconnected ‘mind.’ Let’s call them the ‘Whole Brainers.’”

According to the text, how would Whole Brainers explain how the brain is structured?

• A. The brain is one “whole intelligence” and any part of the brain can give instruction or thought.

• B. The brain is divided into a group of organs, each of which has a specific function.

• C. The brain is divided into specific areas, many of which interact with each other to control specific functions.