AP Psychology MCQs - Unit 1

03.08.25 10:42 PM - By Claire Baumgartner

Are you having trouble finding multiple-choice questions for the new AP Psychology exam?  Look no further for questions from Unit 1!  Unit 1 covers the biological basis of behavior.


My name is Claire.  I'm a licensed teacher and professional tutor with over ten years of experience in education.  I've helped dozens of students improve their performance in AP Psychology.  I've created MCQ questions to use when working with my private clients.  I'm posting them here so they can help more students!

Table of Contents

A Note on this Resource

Unit 1: Biological Basis of Behavior MCQs

The Answer Key  ​

A Note On This Resource

This post is part of a series of posts containing practice questions for the AP Psychology exam.  They reflect the content and style of the 2024-2025 revision of the AP Psychology exam.


I want to be transparent about the limitations of my own questions.  Because the curriculum is relatively new, I have not been able to test these questions as thoroughly as I would like.  Like Washington, I am unconscious of intentional error. I am too conscious of my faults to think that these questions are error-free.  I hope that you will view them with indulgence. 


I welcome feedback, corrections, and questions.


I would also like to make it clear that I fabricated all all names, research studies, data, and statistics.  I would like to use real science like the exam!  Yet, real science is often paywalled and copyrighted.  This creates significant barriers to creating questions with authentic research.  I have written each example to reflect with currently accepted principles in psychology.  I hope that this is will avoid causing confusion and misinformation.


Okay, without further ado:  ​

Unit 1: Biological Basis of Behavior MCQs

1. Jessica is planning a birthday party.  She creates a list of supplies and decides that calling a caterer would be easier than cooking all of the food by herself.  Which of the following brain structures is most responsible for Jessica's actions?
a. Frontal lobe
b. Medulla oblongata
c. Hypothalamus
d. Occipital lobe

2. While at work, Sue is listening to Harrison talk about his recent vacation.  Which part of Sue's brain is most responsible for helping her understand Harrison's speech?
a. Occipital lobe
b. Cerebellum
c. Wernicke's area
d. Pituitary gland

3. Yush suddenly realizes that he is hungry.  He has forgotten to eat because he was busy with a work project.  Which part of Yush's brain is most responsible for his suddenly feelings of hunger?
a. Somatosensory cortex
b. Cerebellum
c. Broca's area
d. Hypothalamus

4. Henry trips on a chair leg.  He takes a step and swings his arms to steady himself.  He regains his balance without falling down.  Which party of Henry's brain most directly helped him regain his balance?
a. Cerebellum
b. Pituitary gland
c. Temporal lobe
d. Medulla oblongata

5. Sandy has severe seizures.  After exhausting other options, Sandy's doctor suggests Sandy has a "split-brain" surgery to relieve her seizure symptoms.  Which of the following describes a side effect of this procedure?
a. Sandy's frontal lobe will begin directing her heart rate and breathing patterns.
b. Sandy's personality will change because of damage to her limbic system.
c. Sandy will be unable to understand spoken language.
d. Sandy will be unable to name objects she sees with her left eye.

6. Horace visits a psychiatrist.  The psychiatrist prescribes a psychoactive drug to help Horace manage his Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.  Initially, Horace finds that the medication helps him focus.  Overtime, the psychiatrist must prescribe a higher dosage to get the same effect.  Which of the following phenomena is Horace experiencing?
a. Withdrawl symptoms
b. Tolerance
c. Addiction
d. Tardive dyskinesia

7. Anthony has three cups of caffeinated coffee each day.  One day, he decides to stop drinking coffee.  For the next week, he has painful headaches.  He also feels irritable and sluggish.  Which of the following phenomena best describes Anthony's experiences?
a. Withdrawl symptoms
b. Tardive dyskinesia
c. Pychosis
d. Accomodation

8. Annika is stung by a bee.  The sting itches and is painful.  Annika wraps an ice cube in a paper towel and puts it over the sting.  Now, the area around the sting feels cool and less painful.  Which of the following phenomena best describes Annika's experience?
a. Gate-control theory
b. Opponent process theory
c. Retinal disparity
d. Phantom limb sensation

9. Dr. Rubenstein asks one of his study participants to close her eyes and touch her nose.  Which of the following senses is the doctor most likely evaluating?
a. Kinethesis
b. Olfaction
c. Gustation
d. Vision

10. Dr. Tracy asks one of his patients to look at a circle filled with colored dots.  Inside of the circle, some of the dots are a different color than the majority of the dots.  The alternate colored dots from a number.  Dr. Tracy asks the patient to identify what number is inside the circle.  Which of the following is the doctor most likely evaluating?
a. Depth perception
b. Hot/cold receptors
c. Color vision
d. Sensorineural deafness

11. Jennifer stares at a green circle.  Then she quickly looks at a piece of white paper.  She sees an afterimage of a red circle.  Which of the following concepts is demonstrated by Jennifer's experience?
a. Trichromatic theory
b. Opponent-process theory
c. Place theory
d. Accommodation

12. Larry is at a jazz concert.  The musicians are loud.  What characteristic best describes the sound waves Larry senses?
a. High amplitude
b. Low amplitude
c. High frequency
d. Low frequency

13. Aisha is at a parade.  The piccolo emits a series of high-pitched notes.  What characteristic best describes the sound waves Aisha perceives?
a. High amplitude
b. Low amplitude
c. High frequency
d. Low frequency

14. Frederick has difficulty distinguishing between green and red.  He is able to perceive depth.  He does not need to wear glasses or contacts to see clearly.  Which of the following conditions best describes the symptoms Frederick experiences?
a. Phantom limb sensation
b. Sensorineural deafness
c. Nearsightedness
d. Dichromatism

15. Anthony drinks a cup of coffee every morning.  If he misses his cup of coffee, he experiences headaches and becomes irritable.  Which of the following concepts applies most directly to Anthony's experience?

a. Withdrawl symptoms

b. Myasthenia gravis

c. Reflex arc

d. Depressants


16. Sandy visits a psychiatrist and is prescribed a stimulant to treat her ADHD.  Initially, Sandy finds the medication helps her focus.  As time passes, the drug becomes less effective.  Sandy's psychiatrist prescribes a higher dose.  Sandy finds the higher dose improves her focus.  Which of the following concepts most directly applies to Sandy's experience?

a. Withdrawl symptoms

b. Tolerance

c. Distorted perception

d. Resting potential


17. Terrance travels from New York City to Shanghai, China in an airplane.  Which of the following biological processes is most likely to be disrupted by his trip?

A. Accommodation

B. Balance

C. Circadian rhythms

D. Object permanence


18. Henri is in an accident that causes damage to his brain.  After his accident, he is constantly hungry and thirsty.  Which part of his brain was most likely damaged in the accident?

a. Cerebellum

b. Hypothalamus

c. Medulla oblongata

d. Broca's area


19. Which of the following psychological perspectives would help researchers investigate the relationship between damage to the brain and the onset of prosopagnosia?

a. Biological

b. Humanistic

c. Psychoanalytic

d. Evolutionary


20. Jessica hits her head during a snowboarding accident.  Afterwards, she goes to a doctor.  He tells her that she has damaged Wernicke's area in her brain.  Which symptoms would most likely result from damage to this area?

a. Inability to see in color.

b. Inability to form words and speak.

c. Persistent feelings of thirst and hunger.

d. Difficulty interpreting the speech of other people.  ​

The Answer Key

1. A
2. C
3. D
4. A
5. D
6. B
7. A
8. A
9. A
10. C
11. B
12. A
13. C
14. D

15. A

16. B

17. C

18. B

19. A

20. D

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