Information Processing in Animals

Even when it is cold outside, the human body maintains an internal temperature of 37 °C. Which term describes the maintenance of a stable internal condition?

• mitosis

• homeostasis

• endocytosis

• photosynthesis

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-3

A rat approaches a piece of rotting fruit, smells it, takes a small bite, and then runs away. Which statement best explains the reason for the rat’s behavior?

• The rat runs away from the fruit to process the new sensory information.

• Sensory receptors in the rat’s whiskers respond to input about the texture of the fruit.

• The rat’s chemical receptors detect chemicals in the fruit that alert the rat to possible danger.

• Information gathered by the rat’s auditory receptors signal that the environment around the fruit is not safe.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-8

Which of these is an example of how the need to maintain homeostasis can cause an organism to change its behavior?

• A bear hibernates during the winter.

• A tree loses its leaves in the winter.

• A human shivers when exposed to cold weather.

• Organisms do not change their behavior to maintain homeostasis.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-3

The diagram shows several parts of a human eye. Which statement best describes how sensory receptors in the eye gather information to be processed by the brain?

• The iris controls the amount of light entering the eye.

• The lens transmits impulses from the optic nerve to the brain.

• The cornea bends incoming light, which is then focused by the lens.

• Cells in the retina detect light and produce nerve signals sent to the brain through the optic nerve.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-8

Beth has a one-day-old baby daughter. When Beth puts her finger in the baby’s hand, the baby grasps her finger. Which statement best describes why the baby grasps Beth’s finger?

• The baby’s reflex to grab is an innate behavior.

• The baby’s visual memory recognizes Beth’s finger.

• The baby is a day old and has learned to reach for Beth.

• The baby’s homeostatic response is to touch objects that are warm.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-8

This diagram shows the steps involved when chemical receptors in the nose detect different scents. Which statement describes the next two steps in the process?

• Nerves pass the signal to the brain, where it is processed.

• The scent is carried by red blood cells to the brain in blood.

• Hormones carry the scent through the body to be interpreted.

• If the scent is familiar, it causes a memory to become activated.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-8

NGSS.MS-LS1-3

A group of students is investigating memory. The students performed an experiment in which they showed letters on a screen to participants, and afterward asked participants to recall which letters they saw. Next, they showed the participants the letters and, at the same time, pronounced the sound that the letter represents. Which prediction and explanation are most likely to be correct?

• The participants would remember the most letters during the first trial since their memory was fresh.

• The participants would remember more letters during the first trial because the sound interferes with the ability to form memory.

• The participants would remember more letters while hearing the letter pronounced because information was received in more than one way.

• The participants would remember more letters while hearing the letter pronounced because sound input becomes memory faster than visual input does.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-8

One of the characteristics of living things is that they respond to external changes in their environment so that their internal environment stays as stable as possible. Which of the following is an environmental change that an animal must respond to in order to keep a stable internal environment?

• Temperature change

• Color change

• Sound change

• Shape change

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

Scientists conducted an experiment to show whether the ability to see an object affects a person’s idea of the mass of the object. They used the following procedure: - Obtain two cardboard boxes of different sizes. - Place rocks in each box so that both boxes have the same mass. - Close each box and tie a string to it so that participants lift each box using the string. - Blindfold half of the participants in the experiment. - Ask participants to lift each box using the string and report which one they think has more mass. - Record results. What was the main variable being tested in this experiment?

• The size of the boxes

• The mass of the rocks

• The ability to see the boxes

• The strength of the participants

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-8

NGSS.MS-LS1-3

Compare how the response to the sensory information was processed differently by the brain of the blindfolded participants and the non-blindfolded participants in the experiment.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-8