The Ever-Plastic Brain Benchmark Checkpoint (Unit 1.2)

What is the purpose of the passage “The ever-plastic brain”?

• To present the research on the adolescent brain’s development

• To explain the ways in which the brain continues to change over time

• To argue the most accurate age for determining when the brain finishes developing

• To provide a warning about the effects of brain damage on a person’s personality

Which detail from the passage best supports the answer chosen in Part A?

• “The ability to inhibit automatic eye movements develops throughout childhood and adolescence and stabilizes in early adulthood” (paragraph 6)

• “One of the first studies to assess the development of inhibition was carried out by Beatriz Luna at the University of Pittsburgh.” (paragraph 6)

• “Many studies have confirmed that one of the brain regions that shows the most striking and prolonged changes is the prefrontal cortex” (paragraph 1)

• “patients with prefrontal cortex damage find it difficult to plan—whether it’s planning what they’re going to do today, next week or next year.” (paragraph 2)

1. Read this excerpt:

“However, patients with prefrontal damage who took part in this study performed pretty badly. Instead of planning which shops to visit and in which order, they shopped in a haphazard way, entering the same shop several times, missing items on the list, and going back for things they had already bought.” (paragraph 4)

What does haphazard mean in this excerpt?

• dangerous

• purposeful

• methodical

• disorganized

Select the word from paragraph 1 that comes from a Latin root meaning “knowledge” or “to know”.

“Many studies have  Ⓐ confirmed that one of the brain regions that shows the most striking and prolonged changes is the  Ⓑ prefrontal cortex, which, as we have already seen, is involved in a variety of  Ⓒ cognitive functions, including decision-making, planning, self-control, social  Ⓓ interaction and self-awareness.” (paragraph 1)

• confirmed

• prefrontal

• cortex

• cognitive

How would the use of a bar graph of the go/no-go task results by age affect the author’s purpose for paragraphs 6&7?

• A bar graph would show why younger participants can’t control their impulses.

• A bar graph would indicate how often the task resulted in superior results for younger participants.

• A bar graph would illustrate the frequency with which participants look away in a specific amount of time.

• A bar graph would emphasize the difference in the number of times a younger person looks away compared to an older person.

Which detail develops both of the following central ideas?

Central Idea 1: The prefrontal cortex is still developing throughout adolescence.

Central Idea 2: The prefrontal cortex is responsible for many important functions and behaviors.

• Central Idea 1: The prefrontal cortex is still developing throughout adolescence. Central Idea 2: The prefrontal cortex is responsible for many important functions and behaviors.

• “The ability to inhibit automatic eye movements develops throughout childhood and adolescence” (paragraph 6)

• “Patients with prefrontal cortex damage also find it difficult to inhibit behavior that’s rude or inappropriate.” (paragraph 4)

• “the ability to inhibit automatic responses is still developing in adolescence, as are the brain regions involved in this cognitive ability” (paragraph 7)