Animal Minds
Which animal was observed solving puzzles?
Octopuses
What did the free rat eventually do for the rat trapped inside the tube?
It figured out how to open the door and released the trapped rat.
What did D.B. Cooper demand after hijacking the airplane?
$200,000 and four parachutes.
What object found at the murder scene first led police to a suspect?
A pager.
In the animal passage, what does evolved mean?
Changed or developed over time.
What do some crows use sticks for?
To pull insects from tree trunks.
What makes a free rat more likely to help another rat?
Having a familiar social connection or group relationship with it.
What happened to Cooper after he jumped from the airplane?
No one knows; he disappeared and was never seen again.
What did the suspect claim the victim had done to him?
He claimed that she had robbed him.
In the D.B. Cooper passage, what does analyze mean?
To examine or look at something closely in order to study it.
What did Frans de Waal argue scientists should recognize about animals?
That animals have consciousness.
What important idea did scientists learn from the rat experiment?
Relationships can affect whether animals help one another.
Why was the tie Cooper left on the airplane valuable evidence?
It had collected tiny materials from places Cooper had been.
What plant evidence did investigators find in the suspect’s truck?
Seed pods from a palo verde tree.
In the Arizona case, what does convict mean?
To prove someone guilty in court.
What is the main idea of What Are They Thinking?
Scientists are finding evidence that many animals have intelligence and emotions similar to humans.
Give one example of animals playing just for fun from the passage.
Examples: dolphins or belugas playing with bubble rings; baboons pulling cows’ tails; young elephants following other animals; tadpoles riding bubbles.
What unusual material did researchers discover on Cooper’s tie?
Pure titanium.
How did scientists connect the suspect’s truck to the crime scene?
DNA from the seed pods matched the specific palo verde tree at the crime scene.
What was the author's main purpose for writing What Are They Thinking?
To explain research showing that animals may have complex emotions and intelligence.
Why is research about animal emotions controversial?
Some scientists think researchers may be giving human characteristics to animals instead of objectively interpreting their behavior.
What are two reasons scientists think play may have evolved?
It can strengthen social bonds and help animals practice survival skills such as running and jumping.
What did the titanium and other unusual elements suggest about Cooper’s possible job?
He may have worked with metals or chemicals, possibly in a factory making parts for TVs or computer monitors.
Why was the plant DNA evidence so important to the case?
It proved the truck had been at the crime scene and had hit that specific tree, contradicting the suspect’s story.
What important idea is shared by both crime stories in Unit 2?
Science and technology can help investigators uncover the truth.