Deck 17: Physical Development in Late Adulthood

Question 1

Which of the following biological reasons explains women's increased resistance to infections and degenerative diseases?

A) estrogen production and the additional X chromosome
B) lower cholesterol levels and improved lung function
C) postmenopausal hormone levels and increased body water
D) better osmoregulation and lower trans fat

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Maria is 80 years old. She is considered ________.

A) youngest-old
B) young-old
C) oldest-old
D) middle aged

Answer 2

B

Question 3

According to current projections, what is the expected number of U.S. centenarians by the year 2050?

A) 19,000
B) 77,000
C) 212,000
D) 600,000

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Calvin has just turned 90 years old. He would be considered among the

A) young-old.
B) middle-old.
C) old-old.
D) oldest-old.

Question 5

Nathan just celebrated his 100th birthday. It can be said that Nathan is a(n) ________.

A) supercentenarian
B) adolescent
C) centenarian
D) millennial

Question 6

One factor that has contributed to the survival of centenarians is

A) their ability to cope effectively with stress.
B) the lack of stressful events in their lives.
C) their years of marriage.
D) their socioeconomic status.

Question 7

The young-old are people who are between ________ years of age.

A) 40 to 50
B) 50 to 65
C) 65 to 84
D) 75 to 84

Question 8

The oldest-old today are mostly

A) male.
B) institutionalized.
C) married.
D) female.

Question 9

In 2015, which of the following countries had the highest estimated life expectancy at birth?

A) the United States
B) Swaziland
C) Monaco
D) Afghanistan

Question 10

According to recent studies, which of the following is true of centenarians?

A) In developed countries, the number of centenarians is decreasing at a rate of approximately 7 percent each year.
B) Chronic high-mortality diseases are markedly delayed for many years in centenarians.
C) China has the most centenarians, followed by Brazil, Canada, and Australia.
D) The level of education is unrelated to the life span of centenarians.

Question 11

Which of the following countries has the highest number of centenarians?

A) England
B) the United States
C) China
D) Japan

Question 12

Uncle Roger tells you that he is a member of the "oldest-old" club when asked about age. Without knowing his exact age, you would know that Uncle Roger is at least ________ years old.

A) 70
B) 75
C) 80
D) 85

Question 13

Which of the following countries had one of the lowest estimated life expectancies in 2015?

A) Swaziland
B) Singapore
C) Japan
D) Macau

Question 14

Which of the following is a reason for the longevity of persons living in Okinawa?

A) following a diet that is heavy on meat and eggs
B) retiring early from jobs
C) avoiding physically vigorous activities
D) leading a low-stress lifestyle

Question 15

Allen can be described as an average American. He is currently 65 years old. He is likely to live 18.4 more years. Hence, it can be said that Allen has a ________ of 83.4 years.

A) mortality rate
B) circadian rhythm
C) cellular clock
D) life expectancy

Question 16

The oldest-old are individuals who are ________ years and older.

A) 85
B) 80
C) 75
D) 70

Question 17

If born today in the United States, which of the following persons would have the highest life expectancy?

A) Jerome who is an African American male
B) Larry who is a non-Latino White male
C) Miranda who is an African American female
D) Susanna who is a Latino female

Question 18

Life ________ is the number of years that the average person born in a particular year will probably live.

A) expectancy
B) span
C) achievement
D) extension

Question 19

Haruto is a 103-year-old centenarian living in Okinawa, Japan. He leads a healthy life. Which of the following factors has most likely contributed to his longevity?

A) Haruto has retired from his job.
B) Haruto follows a diet heavy on meat, eggs, and dairy products.
C) Haruto avoids physically vigorous activities.
D) Haruto engages in spiritual practice.

Question 20

Which of the following places has the highest ratio of centenarians in the world?

A) New York, U.S.
B) Okinawa, Japan
C) London, England
D) Beijing, China

Question 21

According to cellular clock theory, after about 70 or 80 replications, the cell can no longer reproduce and the ________ are dramatically reduced.

A) mitochondria
B) telomeres
C) chromosomes
D) sperm cells

Question 22

________ theory states that cells can divide a maximum of about 75 to 80 times, and that as we age our cells become less capable of dividing.

A) Evolutionary
B) Cellular clock
C) Free-radical
D) Hormonal stress

Question 23

Researchers have extended the life of a human cell by

A) removing the cap of the DNA molecule.
B) injecting it with telomerase.
C) rearranging the DNA sequences.
D) splicing the 18th and 19th chromosomes.

Question 24

________ are DNA sequences that cap chromosomes.

A) Free radicals
B) Polymers
C) Telomeres
D) Mitochondria

Question 25

Which of the following is a similarity between cellular clock, free-radical, and mitochondrial theories?

A) They attribute the process of aging to hormonal changes.
B) They attempt to explain aging at the cellular level.
C) They discount the role of genetics in aging.
D) They emphasize the effects of ecological factors on aging.

Question 26

Which of the following is a characteristic of centenarians in the New England Centenarian Study (NECS)?

A) Most U.S. centenarians are likely to describe historical events, death/grief, and work/retirement events.
B) Only a small percentage of centenarians have had significant changes in their thinking skills.
C) Habitual smoking is common among centenarians.
D) Most of the centenarians are obese.

Question 27

According to the cellular clock theory of aging, cells can divide a maximum of

A) 50 to 60 times.
B) 65 to 70 times.
C) 75 to 80 times.
D) 80 to 100 times.

Question 28

According to evolutionary theory, which of the following is the reason Alzheimer disease has not been eliminated by evolution?

A) It appears only in adolescence or early adulthood.
B) It is a genetic disorder.
C) It is caused by improper diet and inadequate physical activity.
D) It does not appear until late middle adulthood or late adulthood.

Question 29

Defects in mitochondria are linked with

A) Parkinson disease.
B) arthritis.
C) roseola
D) cerebral palsy.

Question 30

Which of the following biological theories of aging states that people age because their cells' normal metabolism produces unstable oxygen molecules?

A) cellular clock theory
B) free-radical theory
C) telomerase-injection theory
D) hormonal stress theory

Question 31

Which of the following statements is true of mTOR pathway theory?

A) Some scientists argue that the mTOR pathway is linked to longevity, the successful outcomes of calorie restriction, and reducing cognitive decline.
B) Proponents of mTOR pathway theory argue that sirtuins have no serious side effects on the human body.
C) mTOR pathway theory argues that aging in the body's hormonal system can lower resistance to stress and increase the likelihood of disease.
D) mTOR pathway theory states that the maximum number of times that human cells can divide is about 75 to 80.

Question 32

Which of the following best describes sirtuins?

A) They are DNA sequences that cap chromosomes and are proposed as being the key components of the stem cell regeneration process, providing a possible avenue to restrain cancer and delay aging.
B) They are unstable oxygen molecules that ricochet around the cells, damaging DNA and other cellular structures.
C) They are a family of proteins that have been proposed as having important influences on longevity, mitochondria functioning in energy, calorie restriction benefits, stress resistance, and cardiovascular functioning.
D) They are tiny bodies within cells that supply essential energy for function, growth, and repair.

Question 33

The majority of older adults aged 80 and over

A) continue to live in the community.
B) live in some sort of assisted living situation.
C) report that their health is excellent or good.
D) have major health problems that limit their activity.

Question 34

________ theory states that aging is due to the decay of ________.

A) Free-radical; oxygen molecules
B) Mitochondrial; mitochondria
C) Stress; nutrients
D) Free-radical; mitochondria

Question 35

Researchers have found that ________ reduces the oxidative damage created by free radicals.

A) hormone replacement therapy
B) moderate intake of red wine
C) a diet restricted in calories
D) a macrobiotic diet

Question 36

Based on the ways cells divide, Hayflick places the upper limit of the human life-span potential at about ________ years of age.

A) 90 to 100
B) 100 to 110
C) 120 to 125
D) 110 to 119

Question 37

Telomeres and telomerase are increasingly thought to be key components of the ________ process, providing a possible avenue to restrain cancer and delay aging.

A) hormone production
B) antibody proliferation
C) free radical regeneration
D) stem cell regeneration

Question 38

According to evolutionary theory, natural selection is linked to ________, which is present in the earlier part of adulthood.

A) reproductive fitness
B) neurogenesis
C) cognitive and perceptual fitness
D) muscular and skeletal strength

Question 39

The tiny bodies within cells that supply essential energy for function, growth, and repair are known as

A) Lewy bodies.
B) ribosomes.
C) chromosomes.
D) mitochondria.

Question 40

Which of the following is a biological theory explaining aging?

A) two-factor theory
B) attachment theory
C) mitochondrial theory
D) reverse neurogenesis theory

Question 41

What is the main difference between the way younger people and older people respond to stress?

A) Younger people have a slower restorative process after a stressful episode than older people.
B) Younger people have better coping strategies for dealing with stress than older people.
C) The process of aging increases the pituitary gland's response to stress, making it work harder.
D) Older people keep stress hormones in their system at elevated levels for longer periods than younger people do.

Question 42

Continuous accommodation of physiological systems in response to stressors may result in ________, a wearing down of body systems due to constant activity.

A) reverse peristalsis
B) homeostatic load
C) allostatic load
D) neuronal proliferation

Question 43

The neurotransmitter ________, which helps control the preciseness of the signal sent from one neuron to another, decreases with aging.

A) serotonin
B) dopamine
C) gamma-aminobutyric acid
D) noradrenaline

Question 44

A study by Shan and others found that the volume of the brain was ________ in older adults than in younger adults.

A) 20 percent more
B) 15 percent less
C) 25 percent less
D) 10 percent more

Question 45

Severe reductions in the production of dopamine have been linked with

A) Parkinson disease.
B) Alzheimer disease.
C) dementia other than Alzheimer disease.
D) brain cancer.

Question 46

Which of the following is a primary reason for the lowered brain volume of older adults compared with that of younger adults?

A) increased growth of dendrites
B) increased length and complexity of axons
C) lower numbers of synapses
D) lower number of neurons

Question 47

Identify the region of the human brain in which neurogenesis has been documented in adults.

A) amygdala
B) hypothalamus
C) prefrontal cortex
D) olfactory bulb

Question 48

The ________ is involved in smell.

A) hippocampus
B) amygdala
C) olfactory bulb
D) prefrontal cortex

Question 49

The ________ is involved in memory.

A) hippocampus
B) amygdala
C) prefrontal cortex
D) olfactory bulb

Question 50

Which of the following is the region of the adult human brain where neurogenesis has been documented?

A) amygdala
B) hippocampus
C) prefrontal cortex
D) hypothalamus

Question 51

With age, ________.

A) brain weight decreases; brain volume does not decrease
B) brain volume decreases; brain weight does not decrease
C) both brain weight and brain volume decrease
D) neither brain weight nor brain volume decreases

Question 52

According to a study by Coleman that compared the brains of adults at various ages, from the 40s through the 70s, the

A) growth of dendrites increased.
B) growth of dendrites decreased.
C) number of axons increased.
D) number of neurons increased.

Question 53

On average, the adult brain loses ________ percent of its weight between the ages of 20 and 90.

A) 1 to 5
B) 5 to 10
C) 10 to 20
D) 20 to 30

Question 54

________ are the most noticeable changes in physical appearance in late adulthood.

A) Loss of hair and brittle nails
B) Osteoporosis and osteoarthritis
C) Reduction in height and weight
D) Wrinkles and age spots

Question 55

One of the conditions to which prolonged, elevated levels of stress-related hormones have been associated with is

A) seizure.
B) roseola
C) diabetes.
D) arthritis.

Question 56

The ________ is one area that shrinks more than others with aging.

A) prefrontal cortex
B) amygdala
C) hypothalamus
D) premotor cortex

Question 57

When faced with external challenges such as stressful situations, the human body adapts by altering internal physiological processes. This process of adaptation and adjustment is referred to as

A) allostasis.
B) homeostasis.
C) peristalsis.
D) transcription.

Question 58

Reductions in ________ have been linked to small declines in memory functioning and to the severe memory loss associated with Alzheimer disease.

A) gamma-aminobutyric acid
B) dopamine
C) acetylcholine
D) adrenaline

Question 59

Aaron is a healthy, 65-year-old man. Compared with his 24-year-old son Harry, Aaron has much less brain volume. Which of the following is most likely the reason for this difference?

A) Harry has a lower number of synapses than Aaron has.
B) Aaron is experiencing shrinkage of neurons.
C) Harry has reduced tree-like branching in the dendrites of his brain.
D) Aaron has a thicker corpus callosum than Harry has.

Question 60

Which of the following statements is true of the hormonal stress theory of aging?

A) It attempts to explain aging at genetic and cellular levels.
B) It argues that when faced with external challenges such as stressful situations, the human body adapts by altering internal physiological processes.
C) It states that natural selection has not eliminated many harmful conditions and nonadaptive characteristics in older adults.
D) It states that people age because normal metabolic processes within their cells produce unstable oxygen molecules known as free radicals.

Question 61

Which of the following is one of the findings from the Nun Study?

A) Positive emotions early in adulthood were linked to longevity.
B) Higher levels of idea density were linked with higher incidences of mild cognitive impairment.
C) Aerobic exercise was linked to greater telomere length in older adults.
D) Stimulating the brain with intellectual activity did not have any effect on the health of neurons.

Question 62

Why does night driving become especially difficult in late adulthood?

A) because of diminishing sensitivity to contrasts and reduced tolerance for glare
B) because of the decline in color vision
C) because of increased tolerance for glare and increased sensitivity to contrasts
D) because of the expanding area of the visual field

Question 63

In which part of the color spectrum is the loss of color vision most likely to occur?

A) red-orange-yellow
B) green-blue-violet
C) yellow-violet-indigo
D) green-yellow-orange

Question 64

Tara is 68 years old. In terms of percentage of total weight, which of following is most likely to increase in her late adulthood?

A) muscle
B) bone density
C) fat
D) t cells

Question 65

Jake has been diagnosed with a condition characterized by damage to the optic nerve due to a buildup of fluid in the eye. Jake is suffering from

A) glaucoma.
B) cataracts.
C) retinopathy.
D) macular degeneration.

Question 66

John is 70 years old. He has been a chain smoker throughout his adult years. Consequently, now he is unable to see clearly objects that are in close proximity even though he has a relatively normal peripheral vision. The disease that has marred John's vision is

A) glaucoma.
B) cataracts.
C) macular degeneration.
D) retinal hardening.

Question 67

Kevin is 60 years old. What should he do to delay the onset of physical disability?

A) He should avoid strength training.
B) He should walk regularly.
C) He should follow a high-fat diet.
D) He should ensure that his body mass index (BMI) is above 30.

Question 68

Which of the following is linked to more rapid onset of hearing difficulties in older adults?

A) defects in mitochondria and declining levels of testosterone
B) poor nutrition and a lifetime of smoking
C) high blood pressure and resistant hypertension
D) dietary intake of beta-carotene and obesity

Question 69

Ruth and Gerald are a married couple. Both are in their late 60s. It is likely that as they get older, ________.

A) both Ruth and Gerald will get shorter
B) Gerald will get shorter, but Ruth will not get shorter
C) Ruth will get shorter, but Gerald will not get shorter
D) only if Ruth or Gerald has osteoporosis, he or she will get shorter

Question 70

Lydia has been diagnosed with early macular degeneration. Which of the following treatments is her doctor most likely to recommend?

A) eye drops
B) removal of the lens of her eye
C) prescription for glasses
D) laser surgery

Question 71

Which of the following is a result of declining color vision in the green-blue-violet part of the color spectrum?

A) difficulty in accurately distinguishing between objects of closely related colors
B) difficulty in accurately distinguishing between objects of contrasting colors
C) difficulty in seeing colored objects that are at a distance
D) difficulty in seeing objects that are very close

Question 72

Cynthia is 91 years old. Doctors have found that Cynthia's optic nerves have been damaged because of accumulation of fluid in the eye. Cynthia is worried that she will lose her vision, but the doctor has told her that her condition can be treated with eye drops. The disease that has marred Cynthia's vision is

A) glaucoma.
B) cataracts.
C) retinopathy.
D) macular degeneration.

Question 73

Which of the following is true of changes in sensory functioning in late adulthood?

A) For adults between 65 and 74 years, there is less susceptibility to masking of what is heard by noise.
B) People in young-old age are at significant risk for visual dysfunction from cataracts and glaucoma.
C) Visual acuity loss can be prevented by corrective lenses for adults between 65 and 74 years.
D) For adults who are 75 years and older, there is a significant loss of hearing at high and middle frequencies.

Question 74

Color vision declines with age because of

A) the yellowing of the lens of the eye.
B) a decline in the effectiveness of the cones to discriminate colors.
C) cataracts preventing certain parts of the light spectrum from entering the lens of the eye.
D) a reduction in the light entering the peripheral area of the visual field.

Question 75

What is a leading cause of blindness in older adults?

A) presbyopia
B) myopia
C) macular degeneration
D) retinal hardening

Question 76

Which of the following is a major disease that can impair the vision of older adults?

A) myopia
B) otosclerosis
C) glaucoma
D) tinnitus

Question 77

Which of the following is a risk factor in the development of cataracts?

A) cardiovascular disease
B) diabetes
C) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
D) arthritis

Question 78

The vision of older adults can be affected by age-related changes. One of these changes, which can make steps or street curbs difficult to manage, is a decline in

A) eye-hand coordination.
B) depth perception.
C) ocular elasticity.
D) color vision.

Question 79

Recently, researchers have found that visual decline in late adulthood is linked to

A) cognitive decline.
B) stroke.
C) weakened diaphragm.
D) increased touch sensitivity.

Question 80

Gisela is suffering from a condition that involves thickening of the lenses of her eyes. This causes her vision to become cloudy or distorted. Identify the condition that Gisela is suffering from.

A) glaucoma
B) nearsightedness
C) macular degeneration
D) cataracts