What Do Flies Think About?

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

• complicated

• forceful

• skillful

• mysterious

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

• demonstrating how carefully a fly must target its landing place

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

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

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

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

• the discussion about the larger brain sizes of bees

• the list of intellectual feats that bees can accomplish

• the reasons that researchers are interested in studying bees

• the information about the complex colonies that bees live in

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

• Social insects develop larger brains.

• Brain structures have changed little over time

• Bee colonies can help us understand social systems.

• Insect brains can help us understand the human brain.

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

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

• “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.”

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

  swarm.”

What are the most likely reasons for including information about the Smithsonian laboratory in

Panama? Choose two options.

• to emphasize the results of a major study about bees

• to illustrate why biologists should conduct bee research

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

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

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

These lines suggest that the author believes

• The study of moths will reveal changes in insect brains

• The study of moths can provide ways to enhance technology

• Moth research will teach scientists more about the human brain

• Scientists should develop more advanced methods of moth research

Part B: Select the line that best supports your answer to Part A.

• Such discoveries are definitely pointing scientists in a new direction

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

• "Chemical substances do not spread out uniformly in air," Takashima explains

• 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.