QUESTIONS FROM SPRING SEMESTER FINAL EXAMS

Psychology 369: "The Development of Giftedness and Creativity" — Professor Ellen Winner
You have received a phone call from the desperate parents of a highly gifted child in a regular first grade classroom. They say their daughter is four years ahead of the other kids in math and reading, and that she is bored and unhappy in school and has no friends. The parents know that you have just spent a semester studying gifted children, and wonder what you can advise them in terms of schooling for their child. Write a reply to them in which you describe all of the possible options for the education of gifted children (including keeping the child in the regular classroom). Tell them what the research shows about the effectiveness (or non-effectiveness) of each option. Then offer your advice, based on the research evidence.

Fine arts 293: "The Museum of Art" — Professor Nancy Netzer, director of Boston College's McMullen Museum of Art
You have been asked by the British Parliament to organize an exhibition at the British Museum. The goal of the exhibition is (1) to explain to Britons and foreign visitors the origins of museums from the classical period to the present and (2) to speculate about new developments in museum display in this century. Your essay should elaborate on your overall concept for the exhibition and describe each of the sections of your exhibition.

Biology 163: "Understanding Urban Ecosystems: Environmental Law and Policy" — environmental lawyer Charles Lord; environmental lawyer Aaron Toffler; and research associate professor of biology Eric Strauss
• There are several market-based approaches to environmental protection. Using examples, discuss several of these approaches, and explain how they could be used to improve the current command and control method.

• Discuss how the geology of the Boston area has shaped its ecology. Be sure to include issues of watershed function, human settlement and expansion, proximity to the coast, and water recharge.

Economics 310: "Economic Psychology" — Professor Donald Cox
For each of the phenomena listed below, discuss a theory covered in class that is most useful for analyzing it.

• Vampire bats share food with one another, and the only thing that seems to matter in the donor's decision to share with a needy bat is whether the potential recipient has shared with the donor in the past.

• Campus unrest in the 1960s was often characterized by the following paradoxical pattern. University administrations, seeking to quell the unrest, would make concessions to protesters, only to find that the protests would then escalate, both in size and in militancy, after concessions were granted.



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