The Debt We Owe to the Adolescent Brain by Jeanne Miller

The title of the selection highlights the idea that

• Humans could survive without an extended period of adolescent brain development.

• Humans would likely become extinct without sufficient adolescent brain growth.

• Adolescent brain growth determines adult communication ability.

• Adolescent brain development has important benefits for adults.

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

• humans reproduce at a similar stage of development as compared to other mammals.

•   rapid adolescent growth is more common in other mammals than it is in humans

• humans have a unique period of adolescence as compared to other mammals

• family protection is more important for other mammals than it is for humans

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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 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 dictionary entry.

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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Which sentence about the selection is in the interrogative mood?

• The author makes some really great points about how the human brain changes during adolescence.

• Did you know that our brain has the greatest potential for mastering new skills during adolescence?

• I loved learning about how this has enabled humans to adapt more than most other animals!

• I wonder how the human brain will change over the next several thousand years.

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Which two phrases best describe how the author organizes the ideas in the section “Moving On from Childhood”?

• By describing the brains of adolescents and the brains of early human ancestors

• By comparing the brains of adolescents to the brains of children and adults

• By presenting a timeline of important studies on the adolescent brain

• By explaining the problems associated with the adolescent brain

• By identifying the 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 to that of 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?

• But the price we pay is that, as myelin is laid down, flexibility diminishes. (paragraph 4)

•       “There is evidence,” she says, “that even adolescent rodents tend to hang out with same-aged peers and tend to have more fights with their parents.” (paragraph 6)

• And, compared to children or adults, teens are much more sensitive to rewards. (paragraph 8)

• “As long as it’s not lethal—as in the case of foolish risk-taking—it can lead to innovation and creativity.” (paragraph 12)

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