The Debt We Owe to the Adolescent Brain

The title of the selection highlights the idea that —

• we would be okay without an extended adolescent period to develop our brains

• brain growth during adolescence correlates to our intelligence as adults

• Homo sapiens would die out if they didn’t have their adolescent brains

• our brain’s development during adolescence has positive effects on us as adults

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The comparison between most mammals and humans in paragraph 2 helps the reader understand that —

• most mammals have a period of adolescence similar to that of other animals

• humans reproduce later in life than most mammals

• humans have a unique period of adolescence compared to most mammals

• most mammals are not protected by their families

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Read the dictionary definition below.

streamline \strēm’līn’\ n 1. a contour designed for decreased air resistance 2. a path of a particle flowing without turbulence past an object v 3. to make something more efficient or simple 4. to modernize something

Which definition best fits how streamlines is used in paragraph 4?

• Definition 1

• Definition 2

• Definition 3

• Definition 4

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The organizational pattern of the section Brain Under Construction allows the author to —

• highlight examples that explain why Neanderthals died out

• explain the effects of gray matter on the adolescent brain

• describe the makeup and composition of the adult brain

• compare and contrast human development with Neanderthals

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Read the thesaurus entry.

insulate

v: wrap, cushion, isolate, detach

Which synonym best fits how insulating is used in paragraph 4?

• Wrap

• Cushion

• Isolate

• Detach

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The organization of the section Moving On from Childhood helps the author emphasize that —

• teenage brains are wired for risk-taking to propel them out of their homes

• the brains of children are fundamentally different from those of teenagers

• teenage desire for peer approval can lead to destructive risk-taking

• manipulating the desire for rewards can alter teenage behavior

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Which TWO phrases describe how the organizational structure in the section Moving On from Childhood supports the

author’s thesis?

• Comparing the brains of adolescents to the brains of adults

• Giving an ordered timeline of important adolescent brain studies

• Naming the effects of rewards on the adolescent brain

• Presenting the problems associated with the adolescent brain

• Describing the positive effects of rewards on the adolescent brain

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The author includes the information in the section Stone Age Impulses in the Modern World most likely to —

• compare the success of modern teens against their ancestors

• explain the benefits of risk-taking for teenage development

• caution teens and their parents about the dangers of risk-taking

• provide scientific evidence that the teenage brain is unique

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Which quotation from the selection best explains how teenagers can benefit from their developing brains?

• “There needs to be some push-pull tension in evolution to get you to leave that home.”

• “As long as it’s not lethal—as in the case of foolish risk taking—it can lead to innovation and creativity.”

• But the price we pay is that, as myelin is laid down, flexibility diminishes.

• “. . . even adolescent rodents tend to hang out with same-aged peers and tend to have more fights with their parents.”

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