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Quiz: Stigma, Bias, and Brain Health

Test your understanding of unfair treatment, bullying, media representation, stigma reduction, and brain health with these review questions.

1. According to the chapter, what specifically distinguishes bullying from an ordinary one-time disagreement between equals?

  1. Bullying only involves physical actions, never words
  2. Bullying involves repetition and a real or perceived power imbalance
  3. Bullying happens only between strangers, not classmates
  4. Any disagreement that hurts someone's feelings counts as bullying
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. The chapter defines bullying specifically by repetition and a power imbalance, not by a single disagreement between equals. Verbal, social, physical, and cyberbullying can all cause serious harm without any physical contact at all.

Concept Tested: Bullying Effects On Mental Health

2. How does the chapter describe the relationship between dementia and Alzheimer's disease?

  1. They are two words for the exact same condition
  2. Alzheimer's disease is the broader category, and dementia is one type within it
  3. Dementia is the broader term for a pattern of symptoms, and Alzheimer's disease is its most common specific cause
  4. Dementia only refers to normal memory changes that come with healthy aging
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. Dementia describes the general pattern of memory and thinking decline severe enough to affect daily life, while Alzheimer's disease is the single most common specific disease that causes it, not a separate, unrelated condition.

Concept Tested: Dementia

3. A school dress code bans hairstyles worn mostly by one ethnic group, even though no single staff member intends harm. How does the chapter classify this?

  1. Institutional unfair treatment, since a rule or practice disadvantages one group even without anyone intending harm
  2. Not unfair treatment at all, since no one intended harm
  3. Direct unfair treatment, since it targets one group openly
  4. A form of bullying, since it involves a power imbalance between students
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. The chapter defines institutional unfair treatment as school or community rules and practices that disadvantage one group more than others, even without any single person intending harm. Intent is not required for the treatment to cause real harm.

Concept Tested: Unfair Treatment

4. Why does the chapter say social exclusion can feel so painful?

  1. Exclusion is only uncomfortable, never a genuine source of stress
  2. Exclusion mainly affects adults, not adolescents
  3. Exclusion only matters if it happens in person, not online
  4. The brain processes social exclusion using some of the same pathways it uses for physical pain
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. The chapter explains that the brain processes social exclusion using some of the same pathways as physical pain, which is part of why being left out can feel so acutely painful and is a real source of stress, especially during adolescence.

Concept Tested: Exclusion And Bias Effects On Mental Health

5. Which action does the chapter identify as part of stigma reduction?

  1. Avoiding all discussion of mental health topics in public
  2. Using clinical terms casually as jokes to make the topic feel lighter
  3. Only listening to statistics rather than personal stories
  4. Normalizing help-seeking by treating a visit to a counselor as ordinary as a visit to a doctor
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. The chapter lists normalizing help-seeking as a concrete stigma-reduction action, addressing the fear that asking for help is a sign of weakness. Casually using clinical terms as jokes is described as a harmful pattern, not a solution.

Concept Tested: Stigma Reduction

6. A teacher consistently calls on certain students during class discussion and rarely calls on others, without realizing the pattern. Using the chapter's categories, how should this be classified?

  1. Direct unfair treatment, since it is an obvious insult
  2. Subtle unfair treatment, since it is a repeated pattern rather than an open, direct act
  3. Institutional unfair treatment, since it comes from a school-wide policy
  4. Not unfair treatment, since the teacher didn't mean to do it
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. The chapter describes subtle unfair treatment as things like being consistently overlooked, which fits this pattern. It also notes that a person does not need to intend unfair treatment for it to still cause real harm.

Concept Tested: Unfair Treatment

7. Two classmates argue once about who goes first in a game and resolve it themselves. Meanwhile, a group has been repeatedly excluding and mocking the same student online for weeks. Applying the chapter's bullying-versus-conflict guide, how should these be handled?

  1. The one-time argument fits ordinary conflict-resolution skills, while the repeated online mocking is bullying and should be reported to a trusted adult
  2. Both situations should be resolved the same way, entirely between the students involved
  3. Neither situation needs any response since both are common at this age
  4. The one-time argument is more serious because it happened in person
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. The chapter's decision guide distinguishes bullying from ordinary conflict based on repetition and a power imbalance. A one-time disagreement fits conflict-resolution skills, while a repeated pattern like ongoing cyberbullying should always be reported to a trusted adult.

Concept Tested: Bullying Effects On Mental Health

8. A student has a busy week of homework and after-school activities but wants to protect their brain health. Which single choice best reflects the chapter's guidance?

  1. Keep a consistent sleep schedule and fit in short bursts of physical activity and social time rather than skipping all five habit areas
  2. Focus entirely on one habit, like exercise, and ignore the other four areas completely
  3. Sacrifice sleep first, since it matters least among the five brain-healthy habits
  4. Wait until a less busy week to think about brain-healthy habits at all
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. The chapter emphasizes that a brain-healthy week is about reasonably covering all five habit areas (sleep, nutrition, activity, social connection, mental engagement), not maxing out any single one or skipping sleep, which the chapter highlights as especially important for memory and mood.

Concept Tested: Brain-Healthy Habits

9. Comparing a student excluded once from a group chat to a student excluded from the same group repeatedly over a month, what does the chapter's discussion of bias-driven exclusion suggest about the difference?

  1. Both situations cause identical, permanent harm regardless of repetition
  2. Only the repeated exclusion counts as real exclusion; the single incident doesn't count at all
  3. The repeated exclusion is more likely to have a lasting, cumulative effect on the student's sense of belonging, while the single incident causes a more temporary dip
  4. Repetition doesn't matter, since any exclusion always resolves within a day
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. The chapter's comparison of ordinary social conflict and bias-driven exclusion notes that repeated exclusion directed at the same person tends to have a lasting, cumulative effect on belonging, while a single incident is more likely to be temporary.

Concept Tested: Exclusion And Bias Effects On Mental Health

10. A TV show portrays a character with anxiety as dangerous and unpredictable, while another show portrays a character with anxiety realistically, including their recovery and support system. Analyzing these using the chapter's framework, what is the key difference?

  1. Both portrayals are equally harmless since they are fictional
  2. The first portrayal reinforces harmful stereotypes and increases stigma, while the second offers an accurate, humanizing portrayal that supports stigma reduction
  3. The first portrayal is more accurate because dramatic stories reflect real risk
  4. Only portrayals in the news, not television, affect stigma
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. The chapter distinguishes harmful portrayals, which depict people with mental health conditions as dangerous or broken, from accurate, positive portrayals showing realistic struggles and recovery. The quality of media representation has a real, measurable effect on how people treat others and themselves.

Concept Tested: Media Representation Of Mental Health