Phineas Gage Unit

Which BEST represents the relationship between the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex in adolescence, according to Steinberg and Casey?

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

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

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

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

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.

• Paragraph 7

• Paragraph 8

• Paragraph 9

• Paragraph 10

Paragraph 12 explains...

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

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

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

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”?

• Divided

• Schools

• Doctors

• Fiercely

Paragraph 10 explains...

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

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

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

Review paragraph 6.

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.

Which statement BEST summarizes the paragraph without personal opinions or judgments?

• 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.

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

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

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

Reread paragraphs 7–8.

When the author states that “adolescents get a kick out of taking risks” (8), he means that these risks result in __________.

• a positive emotion

• a serious punishment

• a financial boost

• a physical pain

Paragraph 11 explains...

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

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

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

Which is the best meaning of the word "elicited"?

• to go backwards

• to draw out

• to stomp

• to collect

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 shopper deciding to purchase one gift item instead of another.

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

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

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