Deck 4: Sex Development and Diversity

Question 1

If a developing embryo lacks the SRY gene, the embryo will

A) develop into a male.
B) develop into a female.
C) develop without gonads.
D) develop gonads of both sexes.
E) fail to develop and die in utero.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The male is responsible for determining a baby's sex because only a male gamete (sperm)

A) possesses either an X or a Y chromosome.
B) possesses an X chromosome.
C) possesses two sex chromosomes.
D) lacks a sex chromosome.
E) contributes a sex chromosome to the embryo.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Early in development, both the Müllerian and Wolffian ducts are present in both sexes. In females,

A) the Müllerian ducts degenerate and the Wolffian ducts develop into the female reproductive tract.
B) the Wolffian ducts degenerate and the Müllerian ducts develop into the female reproductive tract.
C) the Müllerian ducts develop into the female reproductive tract and the Wolffian ducts develop into the urinary tract.
D) the Müllerian ducts develop into the oviducts and the Wolffian ducts develop into the uterus and part of the vagina.
E) both Wolffian and Müllerian ducts degenerate.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

If a developing male embryo lacks the hormone AMH, how will development in this embryo differ from normal male development?

A) Testes will not develop.
B) Wolffian ducts will not develop.
C) Müllerian ducts will not develop.
D) Wolffian ducts will not degenerate.
E) Müllerian ducts will not degenerate.

Question 5

Which situation could occur if the opening of the pelvic cavity fails to completely close after the testicles descend?

A) The boy may be unable to urinate.
B) A hernia could develop with a piece of intestine descending into the scrotum.
C) There could be fewer testicular injuries because the testicles are always protected.
D) There could be fewer testicular injuries because the testicles can ascend when necessary.
E) Testosterone levels could be higher than normal because of high testicular temperatures.

Question 6

Cryptorchidism, or undescended testicles, is associated with increased likelihood of which condition in adulthood?

A) Depression
B) High fertility
C) Homosexuality
D) Testicular cancer
E) Turner syndrome

Question 7

Testosterone secreted from embryonic tissues drives male development, but estrogen secreted from embryonic tissues does not drive female development. This is because

A) embryos lack receptors for estrogen.
B) estrogen works only in the presence of testosterone.
C) estrogen activates androgen receptors.
D) both male and female embryos are exposed to estrogen from the mother.
E) androgens, such as testosterone, are the main drivers of female development.

Question 8

An XX embryo is exposed to greater-than-normal amounts of testosterone, due to congenital adrenal hyperplasia. This will most likely cause the embryo to

A) become a normal male.
B) become a normal female.
C) develop both male and female reproductive organs.
D) develop normal female sex organs, but have some male behaviors.
E) develop as a female, but have some masculinization of the genitals and some male-typical behaviors.

Question 9

A baby who is genetically male is born with female external genitalia and a uterus. It is most likely that this child does not possess

A) a cervix.
B) a clitoris.
C) testicles.
D) labia minora.
E) fallopian tubes.

Question 10

A fetus that is chromosomally male (XY) nevertheless develops female external genitalia. This could happen because the fetus

A) lacks estrogen receptors.
B) lacks androgen receptors.
C) has an excess of estrogen receptors.
D) has congenital adrenal hyperplasia.
E) has excess estrogen from the mother, which drives fetal development in a female direction.

Question 11

During the development of the male and female external genitalia, which structure must be present before either male or female structures begin to form?

A) Anus
B) Perineum
C) Inner labia
D) Scrotal septum
E) Genital tubercle

Question 12

Which abnormality during male development is likely to lead to hypospadias?

A) Incomplete fusion of the anal folds
B) Incomplete fusion of the urethral folds
C) Incomplete fusion of the genital swellings
D) Failure of the Wolffian ducts to disintegrate
E) Failure of the Müllerian ducts to disintegrate

Question 13

Which statement about the precursors of genital structures is correct?

A) External genital structures arise from different precursors in males and females.
B) Internal reproductive tracts arise from different precursors in males and females.
C) Internal reproductive tracts arise from the same precursors in males and females.
D) All genital structures arise from the same precursors in males and females.
E) All genital structures arise from different precursors in males and females.

Question 14

During which stage of life are a boy's testosterone levels lowest?

A) Weeks 824 of fetal life
B) Months 16 of infancy
C) Months 112 of infancy
D) Month 7 of infancy to about age 11
E) Puberty, about ages 1216

Question 15

Which comparison of brain development in males and females is most accurate?

A) There is little difference; brain regions in the two sexes develop in the same way.
B) The brains of females develop more rapidly than those of males and are therefore more complex.
C) The brains of males are approximately 10 percent larger than those of females, resulting in higher intelligence in males.
D) With the exception of subcortical regions, male and female brains differ considerably, leading to pronounced behavioral differences between the sexes.
E) Different regions of the cerebral cortex are larger in one sex than in the other, which may result in slight differences in behaviors and abilities.

Question 16

A girl has higher than normal levels of circulating testosterone. How is this likely to affect her brain development?

A) It will not; testosterone acts only on the reproductive system.
B) Connections within each side of her brain may be weaker.
C) Connections between the two sides of her brain may be weaker.
D) She may show a greater tendency toward depression.
E) She may show less likelihood of developing alcoholism.

Question 17

Developmental disorders, such as Turner and Klinefelter syndromes, are caused by

A) irregularities in sperm motility.
B) incorrect numbers of sex chromosomes.
C) faulty production of sex hormones.
D) defects in development of internal sex organs.
E) defects in development of external genitalia.

Question 18

A boy begins speaking somewhat later than average and also enters puberty late. As he matures to adulthood, he is very tall, and has very little body hair and smaller than average testicles. He is unable to have children. A chromosome test would most likely show this young man to have which sex chromosome complement?

A) XX
B) XY
C) XXY
D) XO
E) XYY

Question 19

People having unusual sets of chromosomes show various physical and mental characteristics, depending on the combination of chromosomes, but one characteristic that is common to most is

A) fertility problems.
B) mental deficits.
C) short stature.
D) low testosterone.
E) autism.

Question 20

A girl but fails to undergo puberty. A doctor suspects AIS (androgen insensitivity syndrome). Which type of test would be most useful in confirming this?

A) Chromosome analysis
B) A test for estrogen levels
C) An external physical exam
D) Testing of family members
E) A test for adrenal hormone levels

Question 21

In one form of intersex, called congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), an XX fetus has adrenal glands that secrete excess androgens, causing the external genitalia to become partially masculinized. Which other situation might result in the same abnormality?

A) A fetus lacking androgen receptors
B) A fetus with an extra, undetected Y chromosome
C) A fetus with an extra, undetected X chromosome
D) A woman taking testosterone during her pregnancy
E) A woman taking extra estrogen during her pregnancy

Question 22

A child appears to be a girl, and is raised one. However, at puberty, the child's genitals become masculinized. From that time on, he is raised as a male, and accepts this new role. Which description of this child's development is most likely correct?

A) The child is XX, but begins to produce high levels of DHT at puberty and becomes a normal male.
B) The child is XX, but had congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), which led to masculinization due to high androgen production.
C) The child is XY, with a 5-alpha-reductase deficiency, which is overcome by high testosterone levels at puberty.
D) The child is XY, but had androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS), which led to his being raised as a girl.
E) The child is XXY, being functionally male, but having more female characteristics because of the extra X chromosome.

Question 23

A person has gonadal intersexuality (gonads having both ovarian and testicular tissue) but does not appear to have a chromosomal abnormality. It is most likely that the affected person will

A) produce offspring with gonadal intersexuality.
B) produce only sterile offspring.
C) produce only male offspring.
D) produce normal offspring.
E) be infertile.

Question 24

What is the currently accepted best practice regarding the treatment of intersex children, or those with ambiguous genitalia?

A) Have parents choose the desired sex and carry out surgery as early as possible.
B) Have parents choose the desired sex and teach the child to identify as that sex.
C) Wait until the child is old enough to participate in irreversible gender-identity decisions.
D) Raise the child as though he or she is normal, and ignore any gender-identity situations that result.
E) Raise the child as the desired sex, and use him or her as a "poster child" to educate the public on intersex conditions.

Question 25

Which statement most accurately compares gender identity and sexual orientation?

A) The terms are synonyms; both refer to a person's feelings about being male or female.
B) The terms are synonyms; both refer to a person's sexual attraction to either males or females.
C) Gender identity refers to behavioral traits that identify a person's sex; sexual orientation refers to physical traits that determine the person's sex.
D) Gender identity is whether a person feels like a male or a female; sexual orientation is whether the person is attracted to males or females.
E) Gender identity is whether a person feels like a male or a female; sexual orientation is whether the person feels comfortable with his or her gender identity.

Question 26

A medical job requires memorizing where important nerves and blood vessels are located. Based on this requirement, who would be more likely to excel at this job?

A) Men, because of their generally superior visuospatial skills
B) Women, because of their generally superior verbal fluency
C) Men, because of their superior skills in object location recall
D) Women, because of their generally superior memory skills
E) There's no difference between the sexes in memory tasks

Question 27

Which is generally true with regard to tasks like face recognition?

A) Men use three-dimensional rotation, while women use inspection.
B) Women use intuition, while men use analysis.
C) Neither men nor women are particularly good.
D) Women tend to outperform men.
E) There are no gender differences.

Question 28

The manager of a high-end clothing store would like to hire a salesperson who will bring in a lot of customers and increase sales. The person should be friendly, interested in people, and able to remember many clients by face and name. The manager should hire

A) a man, because men are generally more competitive and want to win.
B) a man, because men are more aggressive, and making the sale is the goal of the position.
C) a woman, because women are people-oriented and remember faces, which is essential to keeping clients.
D) a woman, because women generally understand fashion better than men.
E) either a man or a woman, because individuals of either sex may have these skills.

Question 29

When asked whether she is a boy or a girl, three-year-old Kendra emphatically replies that she is a girl. Kendra is stating her

A) gender role.
B) sexual script.
C) gender identity.
D) gender constancy.
E) sexual orientation.

Question 30

Compared to women, the attitudes of men toward sexual activity are generally more

A) permissive.
B) restrictive.
C) committed.
D) conservative.
E) regretful or ashamed.

Question 31

Which scenario would most likely cause the greatest jealousy in a young wife?

A) Seeing her husband kiss another woman
B) Seeing her husband give money to another man
C) Hearing her husband compliment a past girlfriend
D) Hearing her husband refer to another woman as a friend
E) Knowing her husband maintains a relationship with an ex-girlfriend

Question 32

An older woman has a strong attraction to a handsome but penniless young man and begins a sexual relationship with him. How would experts in sexuality most likely describe the woman in this relationship?

A) She has a serious sexual dysfunction.
B) She is behaving according to the statistical norm.
C) She is an exception to the statistical norm, but her behavior is normal.
D) She is an exception to the statistical norm and needs psychological treatment.
E) She may be acting out, and she should be watched to see if psychological treatment is necessary.

Question 33

A large-scale survey of people in their teens and twenties showed that males had a stronger sex drive than females, were more likely to be stimulated by pornography, and reached orgasm faster than females. A psychologist would most likely describe the results for males in this survey as

A) generalizations that fit many, but not all males.
B) rules that apply to all males and describe normal, acceptable behavior.
C) stereotypes based on prejudice and double standards about the sexes.
D) short-term differences that will disappear as males mature and become educated.
E) long-term differences that are potentially damaging to males and should be treated.

Question 34

Which gender difference appears to arise earliest in child development?

A) Aggression
B) Level of activity
C) Toy preference
D) Moral rules for play
E) Choice of same-sex play partners

Question 35

Studies of vervet monkeys show that male monkeys prefer to play with toy cars and balls, while female monkeys prefer to play with dolls. How do the monkeys' preferences relate to toy preferences observed in human children?

A) Results are different in humans and monkeys, suggesting that the two species evolved differently to meet specific social needs.
B) Results are different in humans and monkeys, suggesting that human play patterns are influenced by parents but monkey play patterns are not.
C) Results are the same in humans and monkeys, suggesting a social or parental basis for gender differences.
D) Results are the same in humans and monkeys, suggesting an evolutionary basis for gender differences.
E) Results are the same in humans and monkeys, but this is irrelevant because they are different species.

Question 36

Which social or cultural factor is most likely associated with the evolutionary development of emotional jealousy in women?

A) Desire to keep all resources, including men, for themselves
B) Fear that men will abandon them and their children
C) Unwillingness to raise children who are not their own
D) Worry about aging and loss of beauty and desirability
E) Desire to maximize the number of offspring

Question 37

A tendency in men toward casual sex probably evolved because men could

A) limit the spread of other men's genes.
B) have many offspring at little personal cost.
C) try many partners until they found the best.
D) invest maximal resources in raising children.
E) prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

Question 38

If prenatal testosterone exposure leads to male gender development, then girls affected by congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) would be expected to show higher abilities than unaffected girls in all of these behaviors or skills except

A) aggression.
B) navigation.
C) mental rotation.
D) face recognition.
E) male toy preference.

Question 39

A higher 2D:4D finger-length ratio would likely be consistent with a higher incidence of which characteristic in either men or women?

A) Aggression
B) Spatial skills
C) Social skills
D) Physical activity
E) Testosterone levels

Question 40

What conclusion can be drawn about the effect of pre-birth brain exposure to androgens on the gender characteristics of an adult?

A) There is no effect; the exposure occurred only before birth.
B) There is a weak influence on all gender characteristics.
C) There is a strong influence on all gender characteristics.
D) There is a strong influence on some gender characteristics and a weak influence on others.
E) The exposure is important enough to determine gender characteristics, not just influence them.

Question 41

The strongest social influence on children's gender development appears to be the child's

A) parents.
B) siblings.
C) school peers.
D) religious upbringing.
E) exposure to television and other media.

Question 42

Parents might try to influence a young boy to develop masculine behavior by doing all of the following except

A) allowing him to play with dolls.
B) rewarding typically masculine behaviors.
C) signing him up for football.
D) buying him trucks and building blocks.
E) decorating his room with a pirate theme.

Question 43

Excluding other influences, which child would likely display the most masculine behavior?

A) A singleton of either sex
B) A boy with an older sister
C) A boy with a younger sister
D) A boy with an older brother
E) A boy with a younger brother

Question 44

A family has two children. The parents give the boy a computer and Lego sets. They give the girl dolls and a dollhouse. This suggests that the parents are attempting to reinforce gender stereotypes using which process?

A) Language
B) Socialization
C) Media-based learning
D) Advice-based learning
E) Rewards and punishments

Question 45

A family provides their son with male-oriented toys and uses techniques such as language, advice, and rewards and punishments to ensure that the boy behaves in a "masculine" way. The boy has an unhappy childhood and grows up to be transgender. What does this scenario suggest about the process of gender identification?

A) Socialization affects gender identity.
B) Socialization is not the only influence on gender identity.
C) Parents should not attempt to socialize their children's gender choices.
D) Children do not know what sex they are until they learn from parents and society.
E) Children sometimes rebel and choose to become the opposite of what their parents want.

Question 46

Fewer girls than boys enter careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Studies show that girls have low self-esteem in their ability to be successful in STEM careers and that parents and teachers reinforce this low self-esteem by encouraging girls less, evaluating them differently than boys, and giving them lower recommendations. Based on studies of gender development, these findings suggest that

A) girls are unsuited for STEM careers and should be satisfied in more traditional "female" careers.
B) abilities associated with STEM careers are biologically based and are much stronger in males than in females.
C) abilities associated with STEM careers are biologically based and present equally in males and females.
D) more girls would likely enter STEM careers if they received encouragement from parents and teachers.
E) girls may enter STEM careers if they receive sufficient encouragement, but they will never succeed as well as boys.

Question 47

Research has shown that the effect of gender socialization may be bidirectional, with society sometimes pulling the same person in opposite directions. Which situation is an example of these contrasting effects?

A) Society considers swearing more acceptable for boys than for girls.
B) A girl is encouraged to be "ladylike," while a boy is encouraged to "act like a man."
C) Video games encourage male sexual violence, while rape is a crime leading to prison.
D) Parents give their daughter boy-oriented toys and encourage her to take science classes.
E) Parents fear their son is homosexual, so they double their efforts to make him masculine.

Question 48

Which of these situations is not an example of a child learning gender differences by imitation?

A) A young boy learns to use the toilet by watching his father.
B) A young girl learns to cook by watching her mother.
C) Girls in a group of children pay more attention to the behavior of other girls than to that of boys.
D) Children watching videos pay more attention to same-sex characters than to opposite-sex characters.
E) Children who speak languages that differentiate words by sex (French, Hebrew) are more conscious of their own sex than those who speak languages that do not specify sex (Finnish, English).

Question 49

Parents who wanted to limit gender stereotyping in their female child's development would most likely use which strategy?

A) Provide her with gender-typical toys and movies related to dolls and princesses.
B) Provide her with gender-opposite toys and movies related to superheroes and war.
C) Provide her with gender-neutral toys favored by both sexes.
D) Provide her with a variety of toys, including those favored by both boys and girls, as well as gender-neutral toys.
E) Use rewards and punishments to guide her toy choices in the desired direction.

Question 50

A young heterosexual couple kisses, and then the man tries to remove the woman's clothing. She resists but does not say anything. He continues, assuming she "wants it" but is just shy or being a "tease." In this situation, which statement about sexual scripts is most likely correct?

A) The man and woman are following different, incompatible sexual scripts.
B) The man and woman are following the same socially accepted sexual script.
C) The man is following a modern sexual script; the woman's is more old-fashioned.
D) The couple is following a sexual script based on their longstanding relationship.
E) The couple is following a sexual script that is based on biology and is unlikely to change.

Question 51

A transgender woman in Thailand, known as a kathoey, would be most likely to be accepted in which job?

A) A shaman
B) A construction worker
C) A singer in a band
D) A member of the army
E) A political leader

Question 52

An individual is born and grows up as a boy, and is sexually attracted to women. As a young man, he becomes aroused by wearing women's clothes and eventually decides that he wants to become a woman. After marriage and children, undergoes sex transitioning. This individual could best be described as a(an)

A) heterosexual man.
B) homosexual woman.
C) autogynephilic trans man.
D) autogynephilic trans woman.
E) nonautogynephilic ("classical") trans woman.

Question 53

A girl has been gender-dysphoric for several years, but as she reaches puberty, she begins to question her desire to transition to a male. Her parents are debating whether to give her puberty blockers. Which would be the strongest reason in favor of using puberty blockers?

A) They would hasten the development of secondary sexual characteristics.
B) They may have negative physical impacts if taken for too long.
C) They would give the girl time to decide for certain whether she should transition.
D) They would ease the hormonal and surgical procedures of transitioning.
E) They would prevent adults from determining if the girl is trans or homosexual.

Question 54

In surveys of parents with children with rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD), the parents cited causative factors including prior mental health disorders and strong influence from social media. Given the current status of research on ROGD, a concerned parent in dealing with an ROGD child, might be advised to employ

A) the watchful waiting model because most children will outgrow ROGD around puberty.
B) the watchful waiting model because most children will outgrow social media and embrace their natal-sex identity.
C) the gender-affirmative model of care because it is up to the child, not the parents, to choose their correct sexual identity.
D) the gender-affirmative model of care because allowing the child to embrace their chosen sexual identity will eliminate their mental health problems.
E) neither of these models because ROGD studies are highly controversial and strict adherence to either model has risks and is likely to confuse the child.

Question 55

A transexual woman has recently transitioned and is living among women who are unaware that she was once a man. It is least likely that this woman will

A) fear sharing her past with potential sex partners.
B) have legal difficulties related to her reassigned sex.
C) have medical complications that require further surgery.
D) suffer from depression and regret her sexual reassignment.
E) have no problems and live a life very similar to that of other women.

Question 56

Which factor provides the best evidence that transgender individuals are not yet accepted in American society?

A) They are not allowed to use public toilets.
B) They encounter much higher rates of hate crimes than homosexuals do.
C) Sex reassignment surgery can be done only outside of the United States.
D) Gender dysphoria is considered a mental illness.
E) Some people who have fully transitioned stop referring to themselves as transgender.

Question 57

Which factor has most likely prevented the transgender community from achieving recognition, respect, and equal treatment under the law?

A) They are believed to have a psychiatric condition that requires medical treatment by greater society.
B) They are generally more violent and prone to criminal acts than cisgender individuals.
C) They are relatively few in number and are often grouped in with the gay rights movement.
D) After transition, they are indistinguishable from cisgender people and do not need separate rights.
E) They are difficult to identify, so their existence is often uncertain.

Question 58

A person is born male but identifies as female. This person chooses to have hormone therapy and sexual reassignment surgery. The most precise way to identify this person after the treatment is as

A) homosexual.
B) a transgender male.
C) a transgender female.
D) a transexual male.
E) a transexual female.

Question 59

A person is born a girl, but from a very young age, she hates her femaleness and identifies herself as male. As much as possible, she chooses male clothing, hairstyles, friendships, and activities. According to sexologists, this person's condition could best be described as

A) cisgenderism.
B) transvestism.
C) autogynephilia.
D) gender dysphoria.
E) gender discrimination.

Question 60

Which piece of data would provide the strongest evidence for the idea that transexuality has a biological basis?

A) The presence of a gene that occurs only in transexual individuals
B) An increase in the number of transgenders seeking sexual reassignment surgery
C) A study showing that transexual behavior can be suppressed by psychotherapy
D) A study of identical twins showing that one twin is transexual and the other is not
E) A large group of genetic males who choose transvestism over gender reassignment

Question 61

In a sexual reassignment surgery that results in a transexual male, it is impossible to surgically construct a functional

A) penis.
B) clitoris.
C) testicle.
D) urethra.
E) scrotum.

Question 62

What is the most likely reason the real-life experience part of sexual reassignment is done before the surgery?

A) To be sure the person understands the risks of surgery
B) To be sure the person can be comfortable living as the opposite sex
C) To show the person that gender transition is ill-advised and dangerous
D) To show the person that gender transition can be done without surgery
E) To encourage the person to back out of the surgery

Question 63

If a male planning gender transition chooses to undertake the real-life experience part of treatment before beginning hormone therapy, which major difficulty is he likely to encounter?

A) He will look too masculine.
B) He will be unable to ejaculate.
C) He will be unable to have an erection.
D) He will be unable to reverse the physical changes.
E) He will be psychologically unprepared to act as a woman.

Question 64

A transexual man who wishes to have a functional penis that enables coitus must have which surgical procedure?

A) Phalloplasty
B) Transitioning
C) Vaginoplasty
D) Metoidioplasty
E) Penile removal

Question 65

The monozygotic twins in the Maines family were born boys. One of the twins, Wyatt (now Nicole) always identified as a girl. Given our current knowledge, the most reasonable explanation for this is that

A) Nicole's DNA is different from her brother's.
B) their parents treated Nicole as a girl and her brother as a boy.
C) Nicole had an undiagnosed physical or psychological defect.
D) the twins received different amounts of androgens before birth.
E) the difference was caused by unidentified genetic and environmental factors.

Question 66

Explain how the Wolffian and Müllerian ducts develop or regress and how they transform during prenatal sexual development in male and female fetuses.

Question 67

Describe the complete process of prenatal development of the external genitalia in both males and females.

Question 68

What does it mean to have a "disorder of sex development"? Provide two examples of a disorder of this type. What impact can this diagnosis have on a child, and what can be done to minimize psychological harm?

Question 69

Define gender identity. Explain and provide examples of how gender identity may differ from a person's biological sex.

Question 70

Describe at least five ways in which men and women differ in cognitive and personality traits.

Question 71

Summarize the sex differences between men and women in their sexual attitudes and behaviors.

Question 72

Provide an explanation, from an evolutionary psychology perspective, to account for differences in men and women in terms of cognitive skills, sexuality, and jealousy.

Question 73

Explain, with reference to the research evidence, how animal research and "experiments of nature" in humans have assisted in the understanding of issues related to gender.

Question 74

Compare and contrast socialization theories of gender development with cognitive theories of gender development.

Question 75

Discuss the variations seen among transexuals. Include the life history, sexual orientation, and gender identity for both male-to-female and female-to-male transexuals.

Question 76

Describe the four stages of sex reassignment. Why might a transgender person opt not to undergo this process?