Chapter 2 Evolution, Genetics, and Experience

Question 1

There has been a long-standing debate on whether humans and other animals inherit their behavioral responses or acquire them through learning. This is called the _______ debate.

Answer 1

nature–nurture

Question 2

The condition that can result from damage to the right parietal lobe and typically involves a lack of awareness of one’s own body parts (most commonly on the left side) is known as _______.

Answer 2

asomatognosia

Question 3

Darwin proposed that the striking similarities among living species were evidence that they shared a common _______.

Answer 3

ancestor

Question 4

Through selective _______ programs, major changes have been made to domestic animals and plants.

Answer 4

breeding

Question 5

In some species, the _______ male is likely to copulate more and, therefore, pass on his genes to the future
generations.

Answer 5

dominant

Question 6

One distinctive feature of early Homo species was that they had brains _______ than Australopithecus but _______ than modern humans.

Answer 6

larger, smaller

Question 7

Incidental nonadaptive evolutionary by-products such as the belly button are called _______.

Answer 7

spandrels

Question 8

During the course of the vertebrate evolution, birds emerged approximately _______ years ago.

Answer 8

160 million

Question 9

The overall human brain size does not predict _______.

Answer 9

intelligence

Question 10

Over millions of years, there has been a remarkable increase in the surface area of the _______, the outmost
layer of the cerebral tissue in humans.

Answer 10

cerebral cortex

Question 11

Evolutionary psychologists suggest that male–female _______ during copulation ensures that the offspring will survive, reproduce, and pass on their genes to the next generation.

Answer 11

bonding

Question 12

_______ structures are similar because of convergent evolution.

Answer 12

Analogous

Question 13

According to Mendel’s experiments, the dominant trait will result in about _______ of the offsprings in the second
generation.

Answer 13

three-quarters

Question 14

An offspring’s observable traits are called its _______
while its genetic material is referred to as _______.

Answer 14

phenotype, genotype

Question 15

A single trait is controlled by two expressions of the
same gene called _______.

Answer 15

alleles

Question 16

Egg and sperm cells are also called _______, and each contains half the usual number of chromosomes.

Answer 16

gametes

Question 17

During fertilization, the resulting _______ contains a full set of chromosomes.

Answer 17

zygote

Question 18

The four nucleotide bases in DNA are adenine, thymine, cytosine, and _______.

Answer 18

guanine

Question 19

Accidental errors in individual genes are called _______.

Answer 19

mutations

Question 20

_______ are stretches of DNA that control the process of gene expression.

Answer 20

Promoters

Question 21

_______ mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone remodeling may control gene.

Answer 21

Epigenetic

Question 22

The shape of DNA can be influenced by the change of shape of the adjacent _______.

Answer 22

histones

Question 23

All chromosomes except _______ chromosomes come in matched pairs.

Answer 23

sex

Question 24

The first phase of gene expression involves the
transcription of DNA to RNA, and the second phase involves the _______ of RNA base-sequence code into a sequence of amino acids.

Answer 24

translation

Question 25

The Human Genome Project discovered that only _______ percent of human DNA contains protein-encoding genes.

Answer 25

1

Question 26

The somatic nervous system includes _______ nerves that carry motor signals from the central nervous system to the muscles.

Answer 26

efferent

Question 27

The _______ is the part of the peripheral nervous system that regulates the body’s internal environment.

Answer 27

ANS

Question 28

The brain and the spinal cord are the only organs that are protected with three layers of protective membranes called _______.

Answer 28

meninges

Question 29

_______ or “tough mother” is the outer meninx.

Answer 29

Dura mater

Question 30

The _______ nervous system is activated when you encounter a threatening information such as a bear attacking you. This system is essential for the initiation
of fight-or-flight responses.

Answer 30

sympathetic

Question 31

Motor nerves that project from the brain and
the lower region of the spine are called _______
nerves.

Answer 31

parasympathetic

Question 32

The _______ nerve is a purely sensory nerve that transfers visual information from the retina of the eye to the brain.

Answer 32

optic

Question 33

The _______ nerve is the nerve cell that extends directly from the brain to the gut.

Answer 33

vagus

Question 34

The _______ is a channel that connects the third and fourth ventricles in the brain.

Answer 34

cerebral aqueduct

Question 35

The ventricles of patients with a congenital condition called _______ build up fluid as a result of blocked channels in the brain.

Answer 35

hydrocephalus

Question 36

Many toxic substances that are present in the
bloodstream are prohibited from entering the brain by a mechanism called the _______ where cells of blood vessel walls are tightly packed, forming a barrier to the
passage of large proteins.

Answer 36

blood–brain barrier

Question 37

Unlike large toxic molecules, _______, which is critical for the function of the brain, is actively transported through the vessel walls.

Answer 37

glucose

Question 38

myelin

Answer 38

fatty substance

Question 39

soma

Answer 39

cell body

Question 40

axon hillock

Answer 40

cone-shaped region

Question 41

Golgi complex

Answer 41

packaging membranes

Question 42

ribosomes

Answer 42

protein synthesis

Question 43

synapses

Answer 43

neurotransmitter storage

Question 44

glial cells

Answer 44

the forgotten cells

Question 45

synaptic vesicles

Answer 45

neurotransmitter storage

Question 46

astrocytes

Answer 46

largest glial cells

Question 47

ganglia

Answer 47

PNS clusters of cell bodies

Question 48

oligodendrocytes

Answer 48

CNS myelinators

Question 49

Golgi stain

Answer 49

black

Question 50

dorsal

Answer 50

top of head