DO TEENAGES REALLY MAKE BAD DECISIONS?

1. What is the main job of the prefrontal cortex?

• a) Breathing and heartbeat

• b) Movement and balance

• c) Planning, decision-making, and emotions

• d) Digestion and body temperature

2. Why are teenagers often seen as risk takers?

• a) They have smaller brains

• b) They want attention

• c) Their prefrontal cortex is still developing

• d) They don’t learn from mistakes

3. What is a "high-order process"?

• a) A simple action like walking

• b) A complicated brain task like decision-making

• c) A type of brain surgery

• d) A low-level thought

4. At what age does the prefrontal cortex finish developing?

• a) Around age 15

• b) Around age 18

• c) Around age 25

• d) Around age 30

5. What is the “processing hierarchy”?

• a) A type of computer system

• b) A system that ranks how foods are digested

• c) A pyramid showing how brain functions are ordered from simple to complex

• d) A school grading system

6. What happens during “synapse pruning”?

• a) The brain grows new parts

• b) Weak brain connections are removed to make strong ones better

• c) The brain rests for long periods

• d) Neurons stop working

7. When does synapse pruning happen in the prefrontal cortex?

• a) Age 2 in boys and girls

• b) Age 5 in all children

• c) Around age 11 in girls and 12 in boys

• d) In college only

8. What tool do scientists use to see changes in the brain?

• a) Thermometer

• b) Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

• c) Microscope

• d) X-ray glasses

9. What does the text suggest about teenage decision-making?

• a) Teens can't make any decisions at all

• b) Teens always make poor choices

• c) Teens make daily decisions but struggle with weighing risks and consequences

• d) Teens are better than adults at making decisions

10. Why should teens listen to adult advice, according to the text?

• a) Adults are always right

• 
  b) Teen brains are not fully developed yet, especially for decision-making

• c) Adults like to control teens

• d) Teenagers don’t have emotions