Why Is It That Social Interactions Between 11- and 12-Year-Old

question 129

Multiple Choice

Why is it that social interactions between 11- and 12-year-old boys and girls are frequently so awkward?

• A) Because girls tend to do much better than boys in school at this age, and this becomes a source of endless teasing and torment.
• B) Because girls form cliques and boys form crowds, and thus they really have nothing to talk about
• C) Because they are not yet at the age where they have anything in common, and thus there is no real value in these social interactions.
• D) Because the girls may be taller and look more mature than the boys, since their pubertal growth spurt begins earlier.

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Definitions:

Catabolism

The aspect of metabolism in which complex substances are broken down to form simpler substances; catabolic reactions are particularly important in releasing chemical energy stored by the cell. Compare with anabolism.

Anabolism

The aspect of metabolism in which simpler substances are combined to form more complex substances, resulting in the storage of energy, the production of new cell materials, and growth. Compare with catabolism.

Parabronchi

The small, air-filled tubes in the lungs of birds through which air flows for highly efficient gas exchange.

Countercurrent Exchange

A mechanism occurring in nature and designed systems wherein two flowing bodies of water, air, or other substances move in opposite directions of each other to maximize the transfer rate of heat or matter.