Lesson 8.5.2

8.5.2 Animal models and ethics of animal research Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Biology A (Salters-Nuffield), Unit 8

20 questions

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Lesson 8.5.2, Animal models and ethics of animal research: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Biology A (Salters-Nuffield) (9BI0), Unit 8: Grey Matter, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Why are animal models used in research into human brain development?

    • Because animals never suffer from brain disease, which makes them safe to study in every experiment
    • Because some invasive experiments cannot ethically be done on humans, and animals share many neural features
    • Because animal brains are identical to human brains in every way, so results transfer directly
    • Because human brain development cannot be studied at all, so animals are the only option available

  2. Which pair of animals was used by Hubel and Wiesel in their experiments on visual development?

    • Frogs and snakes, which were used to study how the optic nerve responds to light in simple vertebrates
    • Kittens and monkeys, which were used to study the development of the visual cortex and the effects of deprivation
    • Fish and birds only, which were used to study the colour vision of non-mammal species in the wild
    • Mice and rats only, which were used because they are cheap and easy to keep in a laboratory

  3. Which of the following best describes what Hubel and Wiesel found in their studies?

    • Visual neurones respond only to sound, which showed that the visual cortex is actually an auditory region
    • The eye does not have any cells that respond to light, which means the brain detects light another way
    • Visual cortex neurones respond to specific features of the visual field, such as edges with particular orientations
    • Visual cortex neurones fire constantly and never respond to stimuli, which is why the visual system is so slow

  4. Which ethical principle aims to reduce the number of animals used in research?

    • Replacement, which means using non-animal methods such as computer models in place of live animals
    • Revalidation, which means checking that a licence is still valid before the research can continue
    • Reduction, which means using the fewest animals needed to obtain valid and reliable results
    • Refinement, which improves procedures and housing to reduce pain, distress and suffering in animals

  5. Which ethical principle aims to replace animals with alternatives such as computer models or cell cultures where possible?

    • Repetition, which means repeating each experiment several times to confirm the result
    • Refinement, which means improving procedures so that animals suffer less during the research
    • Replacement, which means using non-animal methods such as cell cultures or computer simulations where possible
    • Reduction, which means using the fewest possible animals in each experiment and study design

  6. Which ethical principle aims to minimise pain, distress and suffering in animals used in research?

    • Refinement, which means improving procedures, housing and care to minimise pain and distress in animals
    • Replacement, which means using alternatives so that no live animals are needed in the study
    • Reduction, which means using fewer animals so that fewer of them experience any harm at all
    • Randomisation, which means assigning animals to groups by chance to reduce bias in the results

  7. A utilitarian argues that animal research is justified. Which statement best reflects this standpoint?

    • Animal research is acceptable only if the animals volunteer to take part in each individual experiment
    • Only human research can ever be justified, since animals are not capable of being harmed by experiments
    • Animal research is always wrong because animals have rights that cannot be overridden by any benefit to humans
    • Research is justified if the benefits to humans and animals overall outweigh the harm caused to the animals

  8. A rights-based ethical standpoint opposes animal research. Which statement best reflects this position?

    • Research is good only if it is profitable, so animals should be used only in projects with commercial value
    • Animals have no moral status, so research can be done freely without any ethical consideration at all
    • Animals have intrinsic rights not to be used as a means to human ends, so experiments that harm them are wrong
    • Animals should be used more often to benefit society, since the greater good always outweighs individual animal interests

  9. Which evaluation is most balanced for the use of kittens in deprivation experiments?

    • The research gave valuable understanding of visual development but raised ethical concerns, which must be weighed against benefits
    • The experiments proved that human brains never develop after birth, which shows that the research was of no value
    • The experiments were unethical in every way and should not be considered at all, since no benefit can justify them
    • The experiments have no ethical concerns because kittens do not feel pain, so the research is entirely acceptable

  10. Why is it important that an animal model shows similar biology to the human system being studied?

    • So that the animal can be used in human surgery, which requires the animal to have a human body plan
    • So that results can be generalised to humans with more confidence, since the mechanisms are more likely to be shared
    • So that the animal does not need any care, since similar biology means it can survive without support
    • So that the experiment becomes unnecessary, since the animal model can replace the need for any research at all

  11. A researcher uses a mouse model to study a neural pathway. Which limitation should be considered when applying results to humans?

    • Differences in brain size and complexity mean the results may not fully transfer to humans
    • Mice cannot have brains, so the results cannot be used to study any brain function at all
    • Mice have no genes, so the results cannot be compared with any human gene in the study
    • Mice cannot be kept in laboratories, so the results were obtained in an unrealistic environment

  12. Which statement describes a key ethical requirement for research using animals in the UK?

    • Animals can be used only if they are unhealthy, which avoids harming healthy animals in the research
    • Animals may be used without any justification or licence, provided the researchers believe the work is useful
    • Research is exempt from ethical review, since the scientific value of the work is considered to be sufficient
    • Projects must be licensed and assessed so that the potential benefit justifies the harm, with the 3Rs applied

  13. Which feature of Hubel and Wiesel's kitten study made it possible to show a link between early experience and cortex organisation?

    • They measured only the animals' weight, which showed how the visual deprivation affected growth
    • They recorded neurone responses in the cortex after controlled periods of visual deprivation
    • They used only one animal and no comparisons, which made the findings easy to interpret clearly
    • They never tested the animals after the experiment, which kept the results free from any interference

  14. A scientist argues that using monkeys in visual research is more ethically problematic than using rats. What is the most relevant reason?

    • Monkeys are cheaper to keep than rats, so their use is less likely to be justified by the research budget
    • Monkeys have no nervous systems, so they are less able to feel pain than rats in any experiment
    • Monkeys have more complex brains and social behaviour, so they may experience greater suffering
    • Rats are always more intelligent than monkeys, which makes rats the only suitable species for research

  15. Which statement best explains why animal models must be carefully chosen?

    • Only fish can be used in neuroscience, since fish are the only animals with a brain similar to humans
    • Animals with no brain give the best models, since they are free from the complications of brain activity
    • Any animal will give valid results for any question, so the choice of species does not matter very much
    • The model must share the relevant biology with humans to give meaningful results, otherwise conclusions may be misleading

  16. Which pair correctly matches an ethical principle with its meaning?

    • Reduction: using the fewest animals necessary to obtain valid results
    • Refinement: replacing animals with living animals of another species that is considered less sensitive
    • Replacement: using more animals to increase the statistical power of the study
    • Refinement: increasing the number of animals used in each experiment to share the procedure

  17. A study of 60 kittens uses 30 as controls and 30 as deprived. Which feature of the design is most important for ethical reduction?

    • Recording no data, which reduces the number of measurements taken from each animal in the study
    • Using as few animals as possible while still producing statistically valid results
    • Using animals whose age is unknown, so that the design is not limited by a particular stage of life
    • Using as many animals as possible to be sure of the results, so that no individual result matters

  18. Which evaluation is most appropriate for the claim that animal research is always justified because it leads to medical benefits?

    • Overstated, because the benefits must be weighed against harms, and ethical standpoints differ on how to do this
    • Correct, because benefit always outweighs any harm, so no further ethical assessment is needed
    • Incorrect, because medical benefits never come from research, which is only used for academic purposes
    • Correct, because animals have no interests, so any harm to them counts for nothing in the moral assessment

  19. Which statement correctly describes refinement in animal research?

    • Replacing animals with human volunteers in all studies, which removes the need for licences
    • Using more animals so that results are statistically stronger and more widely accepted
    • Reducing the number of experiments to save money only, with no concern for animal welfare
    • Changes to procedures or housing that reduce pain, distress or suffering for the animals used

  20. A study uses post-mortem brain tissue from animals rather than live animals to answer a question. Which 3R principle is most clearly applied?

    • Repetition, because the same measurement is repeated several times for accuracy
    • Reduction, because fewer live animals are needed for the study
    • Replacement, because non-animal material is used instead of live animals
    • Refinement, because the tissue is measured more precisely with better equipment

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