ACT II Biology Practice Questions/Animal Behavior

12_Animal Behavior

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

____ 1. When disturbed, certain moths lift their front wings to expose eyelike markings on their hind wings. This
behavior would be most effective against predators that hunt by
a. sound.
b. smell.
c. sight.
d. touch.
____ 2. Which of the following behaviors is not necessary for an animal to reproduce?
a. avoiding predators
b. being brightly colored
c. finding a mate
d. finding food
____ 3. Which of the following behaviors is most likely influenced by genes?
a. An animal salivates in response to the sound of a bell.
b. An animal begs for food from humans.
c. An animal sits on command.
d. An animal displays coloring that discourages predators.
____ 4. The terms “inborn behavior” and “instinct” have the same meaning as
a. innate behavior
b. learned behavior
c. imprinting.
d. courtship behavior.
____ 5. Young sea turtles head for the ocean immediately after they hatch. This behavior is most likely
a. innate.
b. learned through trial and error.
c. classically conditioned.
d. the result of habituation.
____ 6. Certain behaviors are innate in animals because they are essential for
a. survival immediately after birth.
b. guarding territory.
c. acquiring other behaviors.
d. developing a circadian rhythm.
____ 7. The type of learning that occurs when a stimulus produces a particular response because it is associated with a
positive or negative experience is
a. classical conditioning.
b. operant conditioning.
c. habituation.
d. trial-and-error learning.

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 ACT II Biology Practice Questions/Animal Behavior

____ 8. Aquarium fish often swim to the water’s surface when a person approaches. Their behavior has probably
formed through
a. instinct.
b. classical conditioning.
c. imprinting.
d. insight learning.
____ 9. Learning occurs whenever
a. an animal performs a task perfectly without prior experience.
b. a stimulus causes an animal to change its behavior.
c. an animal leaves a chemical scent on its territory.
d. a stimulus has no effect on an animal the first time the animal encounters the stimulus.
____ 10. The Fischer’s lovebird builds its nests with long strips of vegetation that it cuts with its beak. All lovebirds
know how to punch holes with their beaks. But young birds must practice to find the arrangement of holes
that cuts a strip suitable for nest building. This suggests that nest-building behavior in Fischer’s lovebirds is
a. an innate behavior.
b. the product of classical conditioning.
c. influenced by imprinting.
d. a combination of innate and learned behavior.
____ 11. Imprinting is a form of behavior that
a. is restricted to birds.
b. is often used in the training of adult animals.
c. occurs during a specific time in young animals.
d. always involves the sense of sight.

____ 12. Study the illustration in above figure. These baby swans likely imprinted on their mother after they hatched
because she
a. moved.
b. has feathers.
c. looks like an adult swan.
d. provides warmth.
____ 13. The ability of salmon to recognize their home stream at spawning time is an example of
a. insight learning.
b. competition.
c. imprinting.
d. communication.

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 ACT II Biology Practice Questions/Animal Behavior

____ 14. The appearance of fireflies at dusk is an example of a circadian rhythm because it
a. is related to the phase of the moon.
b. is related to the temperature of the air.
c. happens daily.
d. happens seasonally.
____ 15. Which of the following events influences many species of water birds to fly south?
a. changing seasons
b. the phase of the moon
c. the rise and fall of tides
d. the time of day
____ 16. It is aggressive behavior and involves a variety of threats to settle disputes between individuals.
a. a circadian rhythm.
b. imprinting.
c. cooperation.
d. agonistic.
____ 17. During migration, animals undertake a
a. seasonal movement.
b. repeating daily cycle of behavior.
c. sleeplike state.
d. search for new permanent habitats.
____ 18. In winter, bears settle into dens and enter a sleeplike state that lasts until spring. This state is called
a. hibernation.
b. migration.
c. imprinting.
d. aggression.
____ 19. It is advantageous for grazing mammals to gather in groups because groups
a. can make the available food resources last longer.
b. can migrate more easily than individuals can.
c. are more difficult for predators to locate than individuals are.
d. offer greater protection from predation.
____ 20. In some species of balloon flies, males spin balloons of silk and carry them while flying. If a female
approaches one of the males and accepts his balloon, the two will fly off to mate. This type of behavior is an
example of
a. aggression.
b. territorial defense.
c. courtship.
d. language.
____ 21. Cephalopods such as squid and octopi can communicate by changing skin colors and sometimes even skin
patterns. This type of communication is an example of a
a. chemical signal. c. language.
b. sound signal. d. visual signal.

____ 22. Dolphins communicate with one another mainly through

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 ACT II Biology Practice Questions/Animal Behavior

a. sound. c. chemical signals.

b. visual displays. d. pheromones.

____ 23. Many cat species mark their territory by rubbing glands on their faces against a surface such as a tree trunk.
This form of communication relies on a
a. visual signal. c. chemical messenger.
b. sound signal. d. defensive display.

____ 24. Nocturnal animals that have a poorly developed sense of smell are most likely to communicate by
a. sound signals.
b. visual displays.
c. pheromones.
d. chemical signals.
____ 25. For trial-and-error learning to take place, an animal receives ____.
a. a dose of imprinting
b. a reward for a particular response
c. classical conditioning
d. habituation
____ 26. Which biologist first demonstrated conditioning in dogs?
a. Dimitri Mendeleev c. Ivan Pavlov
b. Bruno Huber d. Gregor Mendel
____ 27. A bird perching on a branch does not move or respond when a car drives by. Is the car a stimulus?
a. No, because it did not influence the bird’s activity.
b. Yes, because the bird could still see it.
c. Yes, because the exhaust fumes from the car change the bird’s environment.
d. No, because it did not pursue the bird or interfere with its feeding behavior.

____ 28. Which statement is a good generalization about innate behavior?

a. Animals who learn from others of their own species exhibit innate behavior.
b. Innate behavior is learned from experience.
c. Innate behavior results from conditioning and habituation.
d. Inherited behaviors that do not need to be learned are innate behaviors.
____ 29. Why did Pavlov’s dog salivate at the sound of a bell?
a. The dog was habituated to the sound of the bell, so it associated the bell with food.
b. In an example of operant conditioning, the dog was trained to get a food reward by
pressing a lever to make a bell ring.
c. The dog had imprinted on the bell.
d. Classical conditioning was used to create an association in the dog’s mind between food
and the sound of the bell.
____ 30. A student eats twice in one week at a fast-food restaurant, and becomes ill both times. Thereafter he becomes
queasy just from the sight of the restaurant’s sign. What type of learning is this an example of?
a. classical conditioning
b. habituation
c. imprinting
d. cognitive behavior

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 ACT II Biology Practice Questions/Animal Behavior

Animal Behavior
Answer Section

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. C
2. B
3. D
4. A
5. A
6. A
7. A
8. B
9. B
10. D
11. C
12. A
13. C
14. C
15. A
16. D
17. A
18. A
19. D
20. C
21. D
22. A
23. C
24. A
25. B
26. C
27. A
28. D
29. D
30. A

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