During childhood, children usually grow about -------- inches and gain about -------- pounds a year. 
A. 2; 10 
B. 2; 6 
C. 4; 10 
D. 6; 12 
Answer: B 
The advantage of growing slower during later childhood is 
A. the brain's growth can catch up with the rest of the body. 
B. more body fat can accumulate. 
C. more coordination. 
D. less effective brain lateralization. 
Answer: C 
Which of the following statements is TRUE concerning physical development in the school years? 
A. Children grow more quickly during the school years than they did as younger children. 
B. Children grow more slowly during the school years than they did as younger children. 
C. During the elementary school years, girls develop faster than boys. 
D. During the elementary school years, boys develop faster than girls. 
Answer: B 
According to recent reports on fitness and nutrition in the United States and Europe, which of the following is true? 
A. Over the past 20 years, American children have become increasingly fit and healthy. 
B. American children are much healthier than children in Europe. 
C. American children are heavier and fatter than children were 20 years ago. 
D. American children are just as fit and healthy as European children. 
Answer: C 
Which of the following statements is true? 
A. There are no differences in girls' and boys' motor skills in elementary school. 
B. In the elementary school years, boys tend to throw more accurately and girls tend to be more agile. 
C. In the school years, boys are more flexible in their hip joints than girls. 
D. In the school years, boys perform better than girls on all motor activities. 
Answer: B 
Which of the following factors does not contribute to children being less physically fit today than in the past? 
A. television 
B. video games 
C. living in the country 
D. increased eating of carbohydrates 
Answer: C 
Approximately what percentage of 10- to 18-year-olds is not sufficiently active in their typical daily routines? 
A. 10% 
B. 20% 
C. 35% 
D. 50% 
Answer: D 
Which of the following statements is TRUE? 
A. When children reach age 10, they need the same amount of calories and protein as adults need. 
B. Elementary school children don't need to eat as many calories as younger children because they are growing at a slower rate. 
C. During the school years, children only need a quarter of the calories that adults need because these children tend to be very inactive. 
D. During the school years, children need to eat twice as many calories as adults eat. 
Answer: D 
Which minerals are most important for facilitating growth? 
A. zinc, calcium, and iron 
B. zinc, iron, and potassium 
C. calcium, iron, and potassium 
D. calcium, potassium, and magnesium 
Answer: A 
Nutritional guidelines for children are 
A. similar to the guidelines for adults. 
B. similar in calories to the guidelines for adults, but more calcium is required. 
C. children need about double the calories and protein per pound compared to adults. 
D. children need about four times the calories and protein per pound compared to adults. 
Answer: C 
Which of the following statements is FALSE? 
A. Red meat and eggs are good sources of protein and iron for children. 
B. Children should avoid eating fats and cholesterol. 
C. Healthy eating for adults may not be appropriate for children. 
D. Children on reduced fat diets may develop nutritional deficiencies. 
Answer: B 
Tim says that, because obese parents often have obese children, genetics accounts for obesity and the environment plays no role. How would you evaluate Tim's statement? 
A. Tim is wrong; there is no genetic factor in obesity. 
B. Tim is wrong; all the research suggests that obesity relates to a lack of will power. 
C. Tim is wrong; not all obese parents have obese children. 
D. Tim is wrong about being able to determine from this family pattern the role of genetic and environmental factors because children may learn to overeat from their parents. 
Answer: D 
One of your friends argues that even though obese children have many social problems, they are healthy because they get better nutrition than other children. How would you evaluate this statement? 
A. Your friend is correct. 
B. Your friend is correct, but only about younger obese children. 
C. Your friend is correct except only for boys. 
D. Your friend is wrong. 
Answer: D 
Which of the following statements is accurate concerning obesity? 
A. About 13% of children are obese. 
B. Fewer children today are obese because of increased concerns with health. 
C. Genetics has not been found to play a role in obesity. 
D. Children on reduced fat diets are more likely than other children to become obese. 
Answer: A 
In the US, approximately ---------- of children experience short-term or chronic hunger. 
A. one-tenth 
B. one-quarter 
C. one-third 
D. one-half 
Answer: D 
Children and adults are considered obese when 
A. they are 20% over their ideal weight. 
B. they are 10 pounds over their ideal weight. 
C. they are 20 pounds over their ideal weight. 
D. they have health problems because of their weight. 
Answer: A 
Which of the following BEST characterizes the concrete operational period? 
A. egocentric thinking 
B. ability to think abstractly 
C. unidimensional thinking 
D. using logic and problem solving strategies 
Answer: D 
A child who is able to mentally represent an action or object and the actions on it is in the -------- stage of thinking. 
A. concrete operational 
B. preoperational 
C. pre-concrete 
D. abstract 
Answer: A 
Joey recognizes that a ball of clay can be rolled into a snake and rolled back into a ball. In this example, Joey is demonstrating which of the following? 
A. centration 
B. reversible thinking 
C. compensation 
D. multiple classification 
Answer: B 
Renee is 9 years old. She is likely to have difficulty solving which type of problem? 
A. problems involving class inclusion 
B. problems involving considering two dimensions of objects simultaneously 
C. problems that are hypothetical 
D. problems involving decentering 
Answer: C 
Anne decides that a tall, thin glass contains the same amount of water as a short, wide glass because the narrowness of the glass makes the water level higher in the glass. Which of the following concepts may Anne be applying? 
A. inclusive reasoning 
B. egocentric thinking 
C. abstract thinking 
D. compensation 
Answer: D 
A child has mastered the concept of compensation when 
A. he or she recognizes that shapes and colors can both be used in classification. 
B. he or she recognizes that one change in an object can offset another. 
C. he or she reaches the concrete operational stage of thinking. 
D. he or she uses logic to solve a problem. 
Answer: B 
Which of the following is NOT an indicator of concrete operational thinking? 
A. mentally representing an action 
B. focusing on more than one dimension 
C. classifying objects unsystematically 
D. recognizing that appearances can be deceiving 
Answer: C 
According to Piaget, children between the ages of 5 and 7 years transition from 
A. preoperational thought to concrete operational thought. 
B. concrete operational thought to preoperational thought. 
C. concrete operational thought to formal operational thought. 
D. preoperational thought to formal operational thought. 
Answer: A 
Robert is shown two rows of coins placed 1 inch apart and watches as an adult spreads the coins in the second row further apart. When asked which row contains more coins, Robert responds that the longer row has more pennies. Which stage of thinking is Robert in? 
A. preoperational 
B. concrete operational 
C. formal operational 
D. sensorimotor 
Answer: A 
At what age do most children understand number and length conservation? 
A. 10 or 11 years 
B. 8 or 9 years 
C. 3 or 4 years 
D. 6 or 7 years 
Answer: D 
Which type of conservation do children learn last? 
A. liquid and solid quantity conservation 
B. number conservation 
C. volume conservation 
D. area and weight conservation 
Answer: C 
Trey, a 9-year-old, is asked if there are more black cats or more cats in the world. How is Trey most likely to respond? 
A. There are more black cats. 
B. There are more cats. 
C. There is the same amount of black cats and cats. 
D. There are more white cats. 
Answer: B 
Children who understand that there are more dogs than brown dogs have mastered what concept? 
A. class inclusion 
B. multiple classification 
C. conservation 
D. compensation 
Answer: A 
Solving a multiple classification problem requires 
A. an understanding of class inclusion. 
B. the ability to consider two dimensions of an object at one time. 
C. an understanding of volume conservation. 
D. an understanding of object weight conservation. 
Answer: B 
The concept of class inclusion involves 
A. making comparisons between a whole class of objects and subsets within a class. 
B. considering two dimensions of objects simultaneously. 
C. considering only one dimension of an object. 
D. deciding whether one change offsets another. 
Answer: A 
Compared to children in the United States, children in nonindustrialized countries are 
A. likely to be advanced in their thinking if it matches with their experience. 
B. likely to be similar in levels of cognitive development because all children share similar experiences. 
C. only slightly behind the cognitive level of U.S. children. 
D. very delayed in their cognitive abilities. 
Answer: A 
Serif, a 10-year-old child who is a vendor in Zimbabwe, meets Jeffrey, a 10-year-old child from England. How similar are they likely to be in their cognitive abilities? 
A. Serif is more advanced in his spatial abilities and use of logic. 
B. Jeffrey is more advanced in his understanding of conservation. 
C. Serif is more advanced in understanding concepts about profit. 
D. Jeffrey is more advanced in spatial abilities and conservation abilities. 
Answer: C 
Which of the following is FALSE concerning children in industrialized and nonindustrialized countries? 
A. Communication and experience account for many differences in children's ability to use concrete operational thinking. 
B. Because of differences in experience, children from nonindustrialized countries usually do not develop concrete operational thought. 
C. Children from Zimbabwe have been shown to understand the concept of profit sooner than children from Scotland. 
D. People in every culture reach concrete operational levels of understanding. 
Answer: B 
In his study of Australian Aboriginal children, Dasen found 
A. Aboriginal and European children develop concrete operational reasoning at the same age. 
B. European children understand conservation earlier than Aboriginal children. 
C. Aboriginal children understand conservation earlier than European children. 
D. European children performed better on spatial tasks than Aboriginal children. 
Answer: B 
What are the two main components of the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children? 
A. verbal and mathematical 
B. problem solving and verbal 
C. verbal and performance 
D. verbal and social 
Answer: C 
What is the most popular test of intelligence used for school children? 
A. WISC 
B. Stanford-Binet 
C. Stanford-Simon 
D. WAST 
Answer: A 
Which of the following skills is assessed by the verbal component of the WISC? 
A. unscrambling pieces of objects 
B. digit span memory 
C. arranging pictures in order 
D. arranging blocks to reproduce a design 
Answer: B 
What assumption underlies the use of an intelligence quotient? 
A. Ninety percent of the population receives a score of 100. 
B. Ten percent of people score in the genius range. 
C. Intelligence is normally distributed across the population with most people falling into average ranges. 
D. Boys are smarter than girls. 
Answer: C 
Which of the following statements is true? 
A. For many children, IQ scores predict school achievement. 
B. For most people, IQ scores predict how successful they will become. 
C. Despite controversy, research has shown that IQ tests are not culturally biased. 
D. It is a widely accepted belief that IQ scores should be used as the sole indicator of a child's abilities. 
Answer: A 
Which of the following is a weakness of the Raven Progressive Matrices Test? 
A. It relies too heavily on language skills. 
B. It is more culturally biased than the WISC. 
C. It requires children to understand that three-dimensional objects can be represented in two dimensions. 
D. It is too easy for most of the population. 
Answer: C 
According to Sternberg's triarchic theory of intelligence, what are the three components of intelligence? 
A. verbal, performance, and mathematical 
B. performance, knowledge acquisition, and metacomponents 
C. verbal, problem solving, and mathematical 
D. mathematical, logical, and verbal 
Answer: B 
Which of Sternberg's components of intelligence is best illustrated by the following problem? "One bag filled with 8 oranges and another bag filled with 26 apples are sitting on a table. If a person eats 3 oranges, how many oranges are left?" 
A. metacomponents 
B. performance 
C. verbal 
D. knowledge acquisition 
Answer: D 
The ability to transfer information from one context to another is illustrated by which component of Sternberg's theory of intelligence? 
A. metacomponents 
B. performance 
C. verbal 
D. knowledge acquisition 
Answer: A 
Who is associated with the "frames of mind" approach? 
A. Sternberg 
B. Binet 
C. Gardner 
D. Weschler 
Answer: C 
Which of the following is NOT one of the seven frames of mind identified by Gardner? 
A. spatial 
B. interpersonal 
C. musical 
D. creativity 
Answer: D 
According to Gardner, Mahatma Gandhi exemplified the -------- frame of mind. 
A. intrapersonal 
B. interpersonal 
C. linguistic 
D. bodily-kinesthetic 
Answer: A 
A prodigy  
A. is a child who shows exceptional abilities in one frame of mind but may be severely retarded in other frames of mind. 
B. shows exceptional abilities in one domain but average ability in others. 
C. is exceptionally talented in music. 
D. is exceptionally talented in two or more frames of mind. 
Answer: B 
"Breaking set" refers to 
A. dropping old ways of thinking and developing new ways. 
B. switching from a verbal to a graphic question in a creativity test. 
C. solving a problem that no one else has solved. 
D. scoring above average on a creativity test. 
Answer: A 
"The mouse was chased by the cat" is an example of 
A. an active sentence. 
B. a passive sentence. 
C. the minimal distance principle. 
D. a syntax error. 
Answer: B 
At what age do most English-speaking children learn to understand many passive sentences? 
A. 3 years 
B. 4 years 
C. 5 years 
D. 8 years 
Answer: C 
Which of the following is an example of a passive sentence? 
A. The rabbit was chased by the dog. 
B. The dog chased the rabbit. 
C. Joey promised Bobby he would feed the dog. 
D. Sara and Kayoko fed the dog. 
Answer: A 
If children apply the minimal distance principle to the sentence "Jeffrey told Sachiyo to walk the dog," 
A. they will incorrectly interpret the sentence. 
B. they will say the sentence incorrectly. 
C. they will correctly interpret the sentence. 
D. they will say the sentence correctly. 
Answer: C 
The minimal distance principle says that 
A. the first noun in the sentence is the subject of the sentence. 
B. the noun that is furthest away from the verb is the subject of the sentence. 
C. the object of the sentence is closest to the verb. 
D. the noun that most closely precedes the verb is the subject of the sentence. 
Answer: D 
When children apply the minimal distance principle to the sentence "Bart promised Desiree to walk the dog," 
A. they will incorrectly interpret the sentence. 
B. they will say the sentence incorrectly. 
C. they will correctly interpret the sentence. 
D. they will say the sentence correctly. 
Answer: A 
At what age do children learn the exceptions to the minimal distance principle? 
A. 4 years 
B. 6 years 
C. 8 years 
D. 12 years 
Answer: C 
By first grade, a child's vocabulary consists of about -------- words, and by fifth grade, children know about -------- words. 
A. 500; 2000 
B. 5000; 10,000 
C. 10,000; 40,000 
D. 40,000; 100,000 
Answer: C 
During the school years, children develop an increased ability to maintain a conversation and the ability to clarify a message when a listener does not understand. These changes indicate an increased understanding of 
A. pragmatics. 
B. semantics. 
C. literacy. 
D. idioms. 
Answer: A 
The unwritten rules of conversations are called 
A. semantics. 
B. idioms. 
C. minimum distance principles. 
D. pragmatics. 
Answer: D 
At approximately what age do children begin to read fluently? 
A. 4 to 5 years 
B. 7 to 8 years 
C. 9 to 10 years 
D. 10 to 11 years 
Answer: B 
Which of the following best defines phonemic awareness? 
A. Realizing that separate sounds are blended together to form words. 
B. Understanding that words are read from left to right. 
C. Understanding that spaces between letters indicate chunks of words. 
D. Realizing that letters must be placed in a certain way to have meaning. 
Answer: A 
Which of the following statements BEST characterizes the whole language approach to reading? 
A. Reading is a natural process that can be encouraged through exposure to words. 
B. Children need to be trained to translate letters and sounds into words in order to learn to read. 
C. The use of simple and basic materials should be used to help children recognize individual words. 
D. Sounding out words is the best way to learn to read. 
Answer: A 
In Mrs. Treat's first-grade class, students are learning to identify letters and sounds that form words. They sound out words that they don't recognize and practice reading by using very basic materials. What approach is Mrs. Treat using to teach her students to read? 
A. whole language 
B. emergent literacy 
C. semantics 
D. phonics 
Answer: D 
Emergent literacy is associated with which approach to reading? 
A. whole language 
B. phonics 
C. semantics 
D. pragmatics 
Answer: A 
Eight-year-old Jessica is talking on the phone with her Aunt Jennifer. When Aunt Jennifer asks if she had fun at the zoo, Jessica answers by shaking her head yes. What skill is Jessica lacking? 
A. social perspective taking 
B. the minimal distance principle 
C. discrimination 
D. intrinsic motivation 
Answer: A 
Theories of the development of prejudice have shown that an important shift takes place in childhood when white children show a decline in prejudice and minority children show more of a preference for their own group. At what age does this important shift take place? 
A. 4 years 
B. 6 years 
C. 7 years 
D. 12 years 
Answer: C 
Which of the following represents a social-cognitive interpretation of the development of prejudice? 
A. Children learn prejudice and discrimination from their parents. 
B. Children receive more positive reinforcement for playing with children of their own race and, therefore, prefer to play with children like themselves. 
C. As children acquire more advanced modes of thinking, they are able to recognize more than one quality of a person at a time and use this information to develop preferences for others. 
D. Children learn prejudice and discrimination by watching older children. 
Answer: C 
Which of the following BEST illustrates constructivist theories of learning? 
A. Students are encouraged to actively participate in their education. 
B. A teacher's role is to impart information in a lecture-type format. 
C. Students are discouraged from being actively involved in their education. 
D. Students should be discouraged from working in groups so they can make important discoveries on their own. 
Answer: A 
Which of the following is NOT a technique used by teachers who adopt a constructivist view of teaching? 
A. cooperative learning 
B. generative learning 
C. discovery learning 
D. rote memory learning 
Answer: D 
What percentage of children in the educational system has special needs because of physical and emotional disabilities or mental retardation? 
A. 2% 
B. 5% 
C. 10% 
D. 20% 
Answer: C 
Which of the following best describes mainstreaming? 
A. including children with disabilities in regular classrooms 
B. developing special classes for different types of disabilities 
C. requiring that special needs children be schooled at home 
D. requiring that schools have a certain percentage of students from different races 
Answer: A 
On average, how many American children are affected by ADHD? 
A. 20 million 
B. 60 million 
C. 6 million 
D. 2 million 
Answer: D 
In about one half of the cases, at what age are symptoms of ADHD noticeable? 
A. 6 months 
B. 3 or 4 years 
C. 10 years 
D. 12 years 
Answer: B 
Which of the following statements regarding ADHD is FALSE? 
A. Evidence suggests that ADHD may be genetically inherited. 
B. Premature infants are more likely to have ADHD than overdue infants. 
C. ADHD is more common in families with high amounts of hostility. 
D. ADHD is more common in single-parent families. 
Answer: B 
How do most professionals treat ADHD? 
A. stimulants (i.e., Ritalin) 
B. behavior therapy 
C. diet therapy 
D. most professionals use combinations of treatments 
Answer: D 
What is the leading known cause of mental retardation? 
A. early prenatal events (such as maternal alcohol consumption, chromosomal changes) 
B. environmental events (such as lack of cognitive stimulation, neglect) 
C. accidents 
D. lead poisoning or infections during childhood 
Answer: A 
What are the two approaches that have been used to educate gifted children? 
A. acceleration and talent-driven programs 
B. acceleration and enrichment programs 
C. enrichment and talent-driven programs 
D. accelerated and cooperative programs 
Answer: B 
What IQ score is associated with mild retardation? 
A. 35-55 
B. 50-70 
C. 20-35 
D. 75-85 
Answer: B 
Which of the following is MOST likely to have a serious debilitating effect on a child's achievement? 
A. diabetes 
B. anxious parenting 
C. poverty 
D. being an only child 
Answer: C 
Which of the following is MOST likely to have a positive effect on the development of gifted children? 
A. Parents allow children to practice their skills independently. 
B. Parents provide little structure for children so that they have time to practice skills. 
C. Parents encourage children to watch television for relaxation. 
D. Parents encourage children to share in the responsibilities of the home. 
Answer: D 
Gifted children have been found to differ from non-gifted children in the early years in which way? 
A. They have different personalities. 
B. They have fewer emotional problems. 
C. They have more learning opportunities. 
D. They have fewer friends. 
Answer: C 
Parents in Taiwan and Japan are more likely than U.S. parents to 
A. feel satisfied with their child's schooling. 
B. believe that good math skills are due to hard work. 
C. provide tutoring in mathematics. 
D. believe in their children's abilities. 
Answer: B 
Minority parents are -------- than non-minority parents. 
A. more positive about the value of homework 
B. less positive about educational opportunities for their children 
C. more likely to provide tutoring in mathematics 
D. negative about the value of natural abilities 
Answer: A