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Question 15 (1 point)

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Which of the following quotes from "The Last Leaf" most strongly supports the inference that Behrman sacrificed his life for Johnsy's well-being?

Question 15 options:

"Behrman did not speak. He went quietly into his room and shut the door. He did not come out again that night."

"When the last leaf falls, she will die. I've been waiting for that leaf to fall for three days," said Johnsy.

"In the morning, when Sue looked out, she saw that the last leaf was still there, and she knew that Behrman had done something to keep it from falling."

"Behrman had painted the last leaf on the wall during the night. He had climbed up in the rain and wind to do it, and now he was very ill."

What Do Flies Think About?
What Do Flies Think About?

(1) It seems unbelievable, but an insect's brain is more brilliant than any supercomputer. That's why researchers are studying flies and bees to understand their cognition. Food for thought . . .

(2) Though it may seem like a mundane question, there is serious science behind it: Why is a common housefly able to land on a ceiling? After all, the insect flies with its feet down when it's below the ceiling, yet, in the blink of an eye, the fly is suddenly perched with feet upward. The explanation for the fly's aerial feat is important because it can reveal a lot about what the insect's brain is capable of: Regardless of how the fly manages the landing, its tiny brain (which consists of only 100,000 nerve cells) has to go into high gear to carry it out. For a long time, scientists believed the flies turn around in flight much like a fighter pilot performs loops. This would require them to first "visualize" a mental rotation—in other words, to plan the loop beforehand.

(3) It was only recently that researchers discovered how a fly actually lands on a ceiling. Using a high-speed camera, they discovered that flies don't perform a loop after all. Instead, they stretch out their front legs over their head and toward the ceiling. As soon as the legs make contact with the ceiling, the fly swings its body around 180 degrees like a gymnast on a horizontal bar. Then it simply attaches itself to the ceiling with all its legs. This precision landing requires perfect coordination of all its muscles. The fly's swinging motion also needs to be calculated, which means information shoots through its body in the space of milliseconds. Not even an autopilot system controlled by a high-tech computer could carry out such a maneuver.

(4) Bees are a favorite experimental creature for researchers because they are easy to breed and are considered the "Einsteins" of the insect world. These striped geniuses perform intellectual feats that cannot be taken for granted, even among mammals. Bees can count, distinguish between objects like humans and dogs, recognize complex shapes, learn things, navigate across great distances and remember their routes, and return to their hives and tell other bees exactly where the tastiest flowers are. Compare that with the difficulties humans can have when finding their way around an unfamiliar city without a map—not to mention having to describe to friends the route they took. "Brain size is not necessarily an indicator of intelligence," says bee researcher Lars Chittka at Queen Mary, University of London. "Larger brains usually utilize the same circuits over and over again. This might make for more detailed thinking or remembering, but it doesn't guarantee the thoughts or memories will be better."

(5) Bees are also social insects that create complex colony systems and display a high degree of social behavior. 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. In other words, bee brains could provide us with information on nerve connections that will help us better understand our own human nature and how we think.

(6) Researchers already know that insects living in groups need to have more computing power in their head. This is illustrated by the fact that all social insects have a larger brain than their loner counterparts. A key factor in this discovery was a study conducted by biologists at a Smithsonian lab in Panama. The country is home to a bee species that contains some members that live alone and others that form groups. The biologists discovered that the loner bees also had a smaller brain. So it appears that a larger brain is a consequence of group living. The same phenomenon is even more pronounced among several species of locusts that begin life alone and later join up to form giant swarms: As soon as they get together, their brains begin to grow by one-third. It's likely they need to possess greater thinking capacity in order to compete with rivals in the swarm. It's also likely that flying and communicating in a swarm is more difficult than doing those things alone. The biologists still don't know how locusts get their brains to grow. The explanation, should it be found, might be of interest to medical researchers looking into treatments for paralysis or strokes. In any case, the researchers have found substances in the locusts' brain that are extremely effective at killing bacteria. These substances are not related to any known antibiotics, so they could possibly pave the way for new medications in the future.

(7) Such discoveries are definitely pointing scientists in a new direction. However, practically no insect brain researcher has gone as far as Atsushi Takashima at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan. Takashima has inserted electrodes into the brains of male moths that he then uses as control units for a robot. Whenever the moth-machine hybrid catches the scent of a female moth, it begins to search for the source. "Chemical substances do not spread out uniformly in air," Takashima explains. "So even though their concentrations increase as you get closer to their source, the effects of wind and air currents make an analysis extremely difficult. But thanks to evolution, insect brains have developed techniques to get around this problem." 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. One day a processor will control such robots, but for now, a moth's brain is far superior to any supercomputer on the market.

Question 16 (1 point)

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According to paragraph 6, why do locusts need to possess greater thinking capacity when they join together to form giant swarms?

Question 16 options:

To adapt to a solitary lifestyle

To simplify communication within the swarm

To compete with rivals in the swarm

To make their brains smaller and more efficient

Question 17 (1 point)

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What is the MOST logical evidence to support the claim that flies are intelligent creatures?

Question 17 options:

"Not even an autopilot system controlled by a high-tech computer could carry out such a maneuver."

"Regardless of how the fly manages the landing, its tiny brain (which consists of only 100,000 nerve cells) has to go into high gear to carry it out."

"It seems unbelievable, but an insect's brain is more brilliant than any supercomputer."

"The explanation for the fly's aerial feat is important because it can reveal a lot about what the insect's brain is capable of."

Question 18 (1 point)

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Which statement BEST illustrates the central idea of this passage?

Question 18 options:

Bees are considered the "Einsteins" of the insect world due to their exceptional intellectual abilities.

Insects, such as houseflies, perform complex aerial maneuvers by visualizing mental rotations.

Insect brain research is leading to the development of robots with superior olfactory capabilities.

Insects like flies and bees have incredible brains that researchers study to understand cognition.

Question 19 (1 point)

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Which sentence BEST summarizes paragraph 5?

Question 19 options:

Bees can count, distinguish between objects like humans and dogs, recognize complex shapes, learn things, and navigate across great distances.

The concept of communal living is deeply ingrained in bee brains, making them particularly intriguing subjects for brain researchers.

Bees are a favorite experimental creature for researchers because they are easy to breed and are considered the 'Einsteins' of the insect world.

Brain size is not necessarily an indicator of intelligence; larger brains usually utilize the same circuits over and over again.

Question 20 (1 point)

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What can you infer about the importance of studying insect brains from the passage?

Question 20 options:

Insect brains are too simple to provide valuable information for scientific research.

The study of insect brains is irrelevant to understanding human nature and cognition.

Insect brains have unique capabilities that can inspire advancements in technology and medicine.

Researchers are interested in insect brains primarily for entertainment purposes.

Question 21 (1 point)

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According to the passage, why do researchers study the brains of bees and flies?

Question 21 options:

To create robots controlled by moth brains for various applications.

To develop new antibiotics based on substances found in locusts' brains.

To prove that insect brains are inferior to those of mammals.

To understand the cognitive abilities and problem-solving skills exhibited by insects.

Question 22 (1 point)

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What does the word feats mean as it is used in this sentence: "These striped geniuses perform intellectual feats that cannot be taken for granted, even among mammals."

Question 22 options:

Remarkable achievements or actions

Routine activities or processes

Difficulties or challenges

Social behaviors or conduct

Question 23 (1 point)

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Why is paragraph 3 important to the passage?

Question 23 options:

It discusses the challenges faced by researchers in studying insect brains.

It presents new discoveries about how flies land on ceilings, challenging previous beliefs.

It introduces the idea of studying bees as experimental creatures.

It provides information about the social behavior of bees in complex colony systems.

Question 24 (1 point)

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How does paragraph 7 support the author's position?

Question 24 options:

By presenting intriguing facts about insect behavior and intelligence

By describing challenges in analyzing chemical substances in the air and how insect brains overcome them

By explaining difficulties researchers face when studying insect brains in a laboratory setting

By introducing the idea of using electrodes in moth brains to control robots for practical applications

Question 25 (1 point)

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What is the MOST likely reason the author didn't include a different medium, like pictures or videos to show the information about flies?

Question 25 options:

Videos and pictures take up more storage space compared to written words and numbers.

It would be harder to clearly show the exact numbers and sizes using pictures or videos.

The cameras and video gear could bother or hurt the flies while filming them.

Pictures and videos probably can't explain all the important details clearly enough.

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Answer 1

Here are the answers for the questions based on the passage and your quiz:

Question 15: The quote that most strongly supports the inference that Behrman sacrificed his life for Johnsy's well-being is:

• "Behrman had painted the last leaf on the wall during the night. He had climbed up in the rain and wind to do it, and now he was very ill."

Question 16: According to paragraph 6, locusts need to possess greater thinking capacity when they join together to form giant swarms:

• To compete with rivals in the swarm.

Question 17: The MOST logical evidence to support the claim that flies are intelligent creatures is:

• "Not even an autopilot system controlled by a high-tech computer could carry out such a maneuver."

Question 18: The statement that BEST illustrates the central idea of the passage is:

• Insects like flies and bees have incredible brains that researchers study to understand cognition.

Question 19: The sentence that BEST summarizes paragraph 5 is:

• The concept of communal living is deeply ingrained in bee brains, making them particularly intriguing subjects for brain researchers.

Question 20: What can you infer about the importance of studying insect brains from the passage is:

• Insect brains have unique capabilities that can inspire advancements in technology and medicine.

Question 21: According to the passage, researchers study the brains of bees and flies:

• To understand the cognitive abilities and problem-solving skills exhibited by insects.

Question 22: The word "feats" means:

• Remarkable achievements or actions.

Question 23: Paragraph 3 is important to the passage because:

• It presents new discoveries about how flies land on ceilings, challenging previous beliefs.

Question 24: Paragraph 7 supports the author's position:

• By introducing the idea of using electrodes in moth brains to control robots for practical applications.

Question 25: The MOST likely reason the author didn't include a different medium, like pictures or videos, is:

• Pictures and videos probably can't explain all the important details clearly enough.

Let me know if you need any further assistance!