"What Do Flies Think About" CMAS Prep

Read the following lines from the article:

“For a long time, scientists believed the flies turn around in flight much like a fighter pilot performs loops.”

The author compares flies to fighter pilots in these lines to show that flies are_____

• Complicated

• Forceful

• Skillful

• Mysterious

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Read the following lines from the article:

“This precision landing requires perfect coordination of all its muscles. The fly’s swinging motion also needs to be calculated, which means information shoots through its body in the space of milliseconds. Not even an autopilot system controlled by a high-tech computer could carry out such a maneuver.”

The sentences in these lines develop a key concept of the article by ______

• A. demonstrating how carefully a fly must target its landing place

• B. revealing the difficulty of conducting research on how a fly lands

• C. illustrating the complexity of the process a fly’s brain must control

• D. explaining how rapidly the fly’s landing occurs after it makes a loop

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What information best develops the view that bees are “the ‘Einsteins’ of the insect world?”

• A. the discussion about the larger brain sizes of bees

• B. the list of intellectual feats that bees can accomplish

• C. the reasons that researchers are interested in studying bees

• D. the information about the complex colonies that bees live in

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Read the following lines from the article:

“Bees are also social insects that create complex colony systems and display a high degree of social behavior. The idea of life in a group is firmly rooted in their brains— which is what makes bees so interesting to brain researchers. We, too, are social creatures, after all, and scientists suspect that certain neuronal circuits have changed very little over the course of evolution. In other words, bee brains could provide us with information on nerve connections that will help us better understand our own human nature and how we think.”

Which central idea of the article is most supported by these lines?

• A. Social insects develop larger brains.

• B. Brain structures have changed little over time

• C. Bee colonies can help us understand social systems.

• D. Insect brains can help us understand the human brain.

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Read the following sentence from the article:

“Researchers already know that insects living in groups need to have more computing power in their head.”

Which evidence from the article best supports the claim made in these lines?

• A. “Larger brains usually utilize the same circuits over and over again.”

• B. “The idea of life in a group is firmly rooted in their brains—which is what makes bees so interesting to brain researchers.”

• C. “We, too, are social creatures, after all, and scientists suspect that certain neuronal circuits have changed very little over the course of evolution.”

• D. “It’s likely they need to possess greater thinking capacity in order to compete with rivals in the swarm.”

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Re-read paragraph 6.

What are the most likely reasons for including information about the Smithsonian laboratory in Panama? Choose two options.

• A. to emphasize the results of a major study about bees

• B. to illustrate why biologists should conduct bee research

• C. to point out that biologists still know very little about locust brains

• D. to provide evidence as to why bees’ brains are larger than those of other insects

• E. to provide evidence that other countries are performing studies of locust brains

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Part A: Read the following lines from the article:

"Such discoveries are definitely pointing scientists in a new direction. However, practically no insect brain researcher has gone as far as Atsushi Takashima at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan. Takashima has inserted electrodes into the brains of male moths that he then uses as control units for a robot. Whenever the moth-machine hybrid catches the scent of a female moth, it begins to search for the source. “Chemical substances do not spread out uniformly in air,” Takashima explains. “So even though their concentrations increase as you get closer to their source, the effects of wind and air currents make an analysis extremely difficult. But thanks to evolution, insect brains have developed techniques to get around this problem.” Takashima’s research has significant applications: His goal is to create robots that can sniff out explosives or dangerous chemicals in the air and locate their source. One day a processor will control such robots, but for now, a moth’s brain is far superior to any supercomputer on the market."

These lines suggest that the author believes ___________

• A. The study of moths will reveal changes in insect brains

• B. The study of moths can provide ways to enhance technology

• C. Moth research will teach scientists more about the human brain

• D. Scientists should develop more advanced methods of moth research

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Part B: Which line best supports your answer to Part A (Question 7)?

• A. "Such discoveries are definitely pointing scientists in a new direction."

• B. "Takashima has inserted electrodes into the brains of male moths that he then uses as control units for a robot."

• C. “ 'Chemical substances do not spread out uniformly in air,' Takashima explains."

• D. "Takashima’s research has significant applications: His goal is to create robots that can sniff out explosives or dangerous chemicals in the air and locate their source."

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