Vocabulary 1
1. This noun describes a rocky section of a river where the water moves at a very high speed.
A) Rapids B) Terror C) Extraordinary D) Diagnose
1. Correct Answer: A) Rapids
Why: The text defines rapids as a rocky place in a river where water moves very quickly.
Why the others are wrong: Terror refers to extreme fear; Extraordinary means outstanding or wonderful; Diagnose is the act of identifying a disease.
1. When an animal or person stops moving and becomes completely still to avoid a predator, they are doing this.
A) Relaxing B) Freezing C) Escaping D) Defending
B) Freezing
Why: To freeze is to stop and be completely still.
1. This is the physical result of your body when it realizes that danger is not present.
A) A sense of deep relief
B) A burst of strength and energy
C) The immediate loss of memory
D) A feeling of being completely relaxed
A) A sense of deep relief
2. Where in the brain does the emotion of fear originate?
A) The hair follicles
B) The heart
C) The limbic system
D) The stomach
C) The limbic system
Why: The limbic system is located in the brain, and it interprets the things people see, hear, taste, touch, and feel, so it can determine if danger is present.
This is a sudden, uncontrollable fear that often causes wild, unthinking behavior and a racing heart.
A. Panic
B. Sadness
C. Boredom
D. Happiness
Correct Answer: A) Panic
Why: Panic happens on its own, when our bodies feel like we are in danger, which causes the limbic system to start releasing chemicals to get us ready to handle danger.
2. If your excitement for an activity is much stronger and more important than your dislike of the weather, your excitement is said to do this to your dislike.
A) Diagnose B) Flip C) Outweigh D) Performance
3. Correct Answer: C) Outweigh
Why: To outweigh means to be more important than something else. For example, excitement can be more powerful than a dislike of cold weather.
Why the others are wrong: Diagnose is medical identification; Flip is what the raft did in the water; Performance refers to an actor's work in a play.
2. According to the text, humans learn to fear through two main ways: remembering what hurts and by doing this.
A) Watching what scares adults
B) Reading fairy tales about dragons
C) Learning to skydivide or bungee jump
D) Studying the limbic system
A) Watching what scares adults
Why: Young humans learn by seeing what scares adults.
2. When your glands release this substance throughout your body, you receive a sudden burst of strength, energy, and focus.
A) Oxygen B) Adrenaline C) Reflex D) Terror
B) Adrenaline
2. What does the limbic system do when fear is present?
A) It makes people sleepy, so they can stay quiet and hidden for a longer time in a dangerous situations
B) It shuts all organs in the body down to save energy and make people less likely to be seen by dangerous creatures
C) It decides how people should react to danger and makes memories to see if these responses worked or not
D) It makes people stop sweating, so they keep their bodies hydrated and avoid having to drink more water during dangerous situations
Correct Answer: C) It decides how people should react to danger and makes memories to see if these responses worked or not
Why: The limbic system helps the brain make fast decisions when danger is present, so by using information from the current danger and memories from the past, people are better prepared to survive the experience
2. This is the term for something that causes something to happen or start.
A. Buffer
B. Anchor
C. Trigger
D. Catalyst
Correct Answer: C) Trigger
Why: A trigger begins a sequence of events or responses.
3. The ancient belief that the Earth was flat is described in the text using this adjective, meaning "completely unbelievable and ridiculous".
A) Extraordinary B) Preposterous C) Courageous D) Rapid
4. Correct Answer: B) Preposterous
Why: This word describes something that is completely unbelievable and ridiculous. The text uses it to describe the old belief that the Earth was flat.
Why the others are wrong: Extraordinary has a positive "wonderful" connotation; Courageous relates to bravery (mentioned in the video title); Rapid is a noun or adjective describing fast water.
3. When your glands send adrenaline through your body, it results in which of the following effects?
A) A sense of relief and calm
B) A feeling of being defensive
C) A burst of strength and energy
D) A memory of the past
C) A burst of strength and energy
Adrenaline from glands provides a burst of strength and energy, so people can defend themselves or get away from danger.
3. This is the primary difference between anxiety and fear.
A) Anxiety is a response that happens when danger is actually around, but fear is a response that happens when someone worries about potential danger
B) Anxiety creates new memories for preparing for danger, but fear only uses old memories of danger
C) Anxiety is a response that happens when someone worries about potential danger, but fear is a response that happens when danger is actually around
D) Anxiety only uses old memories of danger, but fear creates new memories of danger
C) Anxiety is a response that happens when someone worries about potential danger, but fear is a response that happens when danger is actually around
3. What is the very first thing an animal typically does when it senses a threat?
A) Runs away
B) Bares its teeth
C) Freezes for a split second
D) Puffs up its fur
Correct Answer: C) Freezes for a split second
Why: When people or animals are in danger, they freeze for a little bit, so they can decide if they need to run away or fight to defend themselves.
3. When a doctor taps your patellar tendon with a small hammer, they are testing this—an action performed without conscious thought.
A. Routine
B. Reflex
C. Reflection
D. Relapse
Correct Answer: B) Reflex
Why: A reflex is a quick reaction, so it is not something that is controlled or thought about. A reflex just happens when something triggers it.
4. An actor might win several awards if their performance is described as this word, meaning "outstanding" or "wonderful".
A) Preposterous
B) Terror
C) Outweigh
D) Extraordinary
5. Correct Answer: D) Extraordinary
Why: Extraordinary means outstanding or wonderful. An actor’s performance is extraordinary if it is good enough to win several awards.
Why the others are wrong: Preposterous means ridiculous; Terror is a state of fear; Outweigh is a verb used for comparing importance.
4. This animal is used as an example of what happens when a species has no fear; they become easy prey and can face extinction.
A) Great Shark B) Salamander
C) Steller’s sea cow D) Deer
C) Steller’s sea cow
Steller's sea cow shows that animals without fear can become extinct. Steller's sea cow was not afraid of hunters, so they were killed quickly.
7. What is the term for an extreme reaction to stress that can be harmful?
A) Anticipation response
B) Hyper-responsive reaction
C) Neurotransmitter signal
D) Evolutionary change.
Correct Answer: B) Hyper-responsive reaction
Why: Hyper-responsive reactions are very strong reactions.
4. What physical reaction occurs when tiny muscles around hair follicles tense up due to adrenaline?
A) Butterflies in the stomach
B) Clammy skin
C) Goosebumps
D) Faster breathing
Correct Answer: C) Goosebumps
Why: Adrenaline makes muscles tense up, so the hair follicles on our bodies also tense up, which gives us goosebumps.
4. This word refers to a fact or condition connected with or relevant to an event or action.
A. Circumference
B. Circumnavigation
C. Circulation
D. Circumstance
Correct Answer: D) Circumstance
Why: A circumstance is a fact or situation that affects something else.
5. When a doctor works to identify or discover a specific disease or sickness in a patient, they are performing this action.
A) Outweighing B) Diagnosing
C) Rafting D) Predicting
2. Correct Answer: B) Diagnosing
Why: To diagnose is to discover or identify a disease or sickness. Doctors perform this task to decide how to help a patient.
Why the others are wrong: Outweighing relates to importance; Rafting is an activity mentioned in the text but not a medical term; Predicting refers to making a claim about the future.
5. This specific type of "calm" isn't something everyone is born with; instead, it involves focusing on what needs to be done and slowing down your breathing.
A) Automatic calm B) Reflexive calm
C) Deliberate calm D) Intense calm
C) Deliberate calm
Why: You can practice deliberate calm by slowing your breathing and focusing.
5. Based on this unit, why did evolution cause humans to have strong reactions to "false alarms"?
A) Reacting to every potential threat helped our ancestors survive.
B) Evolution made humans more afraid of the wind than of predators.
C) It was a way for the body to practice fighting.
D) False alarms help the body clear away unused chemicals.
Correct Answer: A) Reacting to every potential threat helped our ancestors survive.
Why: Anxiety is a response humans evolved to have because having worries about the future or something that could potentially be dangerous helped our ancestors live. These feelings helped our ancestors prepare for the worse even if it did not always happen.
5. In a research study, how did newborn salamanders act if their eggs had been exposed to the smell of predators?
A) They hatched earlier than usual
B) They immediately attacked
C) They moved around less
D) They grew defensive spines
Correct Answer: C) They moved around less
Why: Even though the baby salamanders had never seen their predators, they have an inborn fear to the smells of predators. Being born with this fear is useful because it means newborns can draw less attention from predators and stay safer longer.
Author Ernest Hemingway famously defined this virtue as "grace under pressure," or the ability to do something that frightens you.
A. Courage
B. Curiosity
C. Complacency
D. Caution
Correct Answer: A) Courage
Why: Courage is the ability to do something brave when things are scary or dangerous.