Psyc/Biol 240 - Exam 1 Sample Questions


First, a few words about the test:

There will be 24 multiple-choice questions. Many of these are more difficult than just asking you to recognize a term. They require critical thinking. Some people like to call these types of questions "tricky", but I prefer to describe them as "not insulting to your intelligence."

There will be 5 or 6 questions that require a short answer, short essay, or some other activity. When you write answers, explain thoroughly. You will be graded on the clarity and completeness of the answer. Don't throw extra junk in, that just tells me you don't know the answer. If you use a term from class, make sure that you use it in such a way that I know that you know what you are talking about instead of just repeating back what I said in class.

It has been a very long time since someone scored 100% on an exam in Psyc/Biol 240. A few of the questions are difficult. Don't expect to be able to answer everything. Remember the curve. And remember that plenty of people get "A"s (both Psych and Bio majors.)

You will not be labeling a diagram of the eye, but you should be familiar with all of the structures and their functions.

Here are a few sample questions (that of course won't be on the test, but do reflect the kind of questions you can expect.) Drop by my office for the answers.

1. How many muscles are there in the eye, and what do they (or, what does it) do?

2. I have a rod monochromat in my lab. I shine a small spot of light into one of her eyes. I keep the intensity of the light constant, but I slowly change its wavelength from 400 to 700 nm. Describe, as precisely and completely as possible, what the person sees when:
a. I shine the light on the center of the fovea
b. I shine the light on the periphery of the retina.

3. Liz is lookng at a flower. What is the proximal stimulus?
a. The flower itself
b. The larger context of which the flower is a part
c. The image of the flower on her retina
d. The neural signal representing the flower

4. Janet is sitting in her garden at twilight. She can easily distinguish the shapes of flowers, but their colors seem to fade in the dusk. Why does this phenomenon occur?
a. Cones are more sensitive to wavelength differences than rods
b. There are more rods than cones in the retina
c. The wavelengths of light decrease as it gets dark
d. The central fovea is less sensitive in low light than in daylight

5. Visual acuity refers to our ability to:
a. see all the colors that make up visible light
b. determine how far away an object is
c. see objects in three dimensions rather than flat
d. discriminate visual details


Go to Section 1 - Course Material for Exam 1.
Go to Review Terms for Each Exam.
Go to Psyc/Biol 240 Home Page.

Updated February 4, 2005.