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CHAPTER 07: Memory
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The information processing model of memory is based on computer functioning and consists of all
of the following stages EXCEPT:
a. retrieval. c. encoding.
b. storage. d. processing.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 7.1 Memory Is the Processing of Information
OBJ: 7.1A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
4. The working of memory is frequently compared to the actions of a computer. However, human
memory differs from that of a computer because human memories:
a. are entered by sensory input. c. become stronger over time.
b. can degrade over time. d. “live” in one place in the brain.
ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: 7.1 Memory Is the Processing of Information
OBJ: 7.1A
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Analyzing
6. Yesterday you taught your dog to crawl across the floor while barking. If the dog is to perform this
fabulous trick tomorrow, then he will need to _____ the trick, then _____ the trick, then _____ the
trick.
a. encode; store; retrieve c. rehearse; store; retrieve
b. store; encode; retrieve d. store; rehearse; retrieve
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: 7.1 Memory Is the Processing of Information
OBJ: 7.1B NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
7. Even though Manuel has watched his psychology professor lecture three times a week for 10
weeks, he does not know what color her hair is. This lack of knowledge most likely represents a
failure of:
a. sensation. c. retrieval.
b. encoding. d. rehearsal.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 7.1 Memory Is the Processing of Information
OBJ: 7.1B
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Understanding
8. The phase of information processing that is most similar to a Google search is:
a. encoding. c. retrieval.
b. storage. d. rehearsal.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 7.1 Memory Is the Processing of Information
OBJ: 7.1B
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Analyzing
10. You witness an accident and see one of the cars driving away from the scene. Even though you
have just seen the license plate, you cannot remember the number. The license plate was probably
NOT initially:
a. encoded. c. rehearsed.
b. ignored. d. processed.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: 7.1 Memory Is the Processing of Information
OBJ: 7.1B
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Applying
11. The idea that memory is distributed throughout the brain is called:
a. concurrent storage. c. connectivity.
b. equity of distribution. d. equipotentiality.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 7.1 Memory Is the Result of Brain Activity
OBJ: 7.1C NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
13. When you recall a memory of your best friend’s car, you are activating the cortical circuits in the
_____ cortex involved in _____ her car.
a. visual; storing c. spatial; storing
b. visual; perceiving d. spatial; perceiving
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: 7.1 Memory Is the Result of Brain Activity
OBJ: 7.1C NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Applying
14. Changes in the strength of neural connections and construction of new synapses is the process of:
a. retrieval. c. consolidation.
b. encoding. d. rehearsal.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 7.1 Memory Is the Result of Brain Activity
OBJ: 7.1C NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
15. When you are studying for an exam, the part of the brain that is responsible for coordinating and
strengthening the connections among neurons is the:
a. medial temporal lobe. c. left frontal lobe.
b. posterior parietal lobe. d. right temporal lobe.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: 7.1 Memory Is the Result of Brain Activity
OBJ: 7.1C NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
17. Uchenna has been studying for his philosophy midterm all day. It is now 3:00 AM, and the exam is
at 8:00 AM the same morning. The best thing that Uchenna can do now to increase his chances of
doing well on the exam is to:
a. keep reviewing the material.
b. relate the material he has learned to his own life.
c. get some sleep.
d. write some sample essays.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 7.1 Memory Is the Result of Brain Activity
OBJ: 7.1D
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Applying
18. Recent research suggests that negative memories may be erased through:
a. blocking of reconsolidation. c. schemas.
b. lack of sleep. d. fMRI studies.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: 7.1 Memory Is the Result of Brain Activity
OBJ: 7.1D NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
20. Memory requires attention. If you want to remember something well, it is best to attend to only
one thing at a time because:
a. attention is limited. c. attention is relatively permanent.
b. attention is unlimited. d. attention waxes and wanes.
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: 7.2 Working Memory Is Active
OBJ: 7.2A
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Understanding
21. Why is memory not a perfect record of everything we see and experience?
a. We need to remember details of events.
b. It would take up too much of our limited long-term memory storage.
c. Attention is limited.
d. Neural networks are too limited.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 7.2 Working Memory Is Active
OBJ: 7.2A
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Analyzing
22. Storage in this memory system is brief and represents a sensory experience.
a. short-term memory c. sensory memory
b. long-term memory d. working memory
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 7.2 Sensory Memory Is Brief
OBJ: 7.2A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
24. To remember more information, _____ can be used to organize information into meaningful units.
a. cognitive maps c. networks of association
b. chunking d. mnemonics
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 7.2 Working Memory Is Active
OBJ: 7.2B NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
25. You see all of a written word simultaneously, but you hear a spoken word over time. The memory
that accumulates the sound of a word until it is formed as a unit is:
a. iconic memory. c. working memory.
b. sensory memory. d. short-term memory.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 7.2 Sensory Memory Is Brief
OBJ: 7.2A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
26. Animation works by presenting still pictures rapidly enough that they merge in iconic memory.
How much time can elapse between each successive picture if animation is to work?
a. several minutes c. of a second
b. of a second d. variable amounts of time
27. When you read, your eyes fixate for a fraction of a second, and then jump to a new point in the
text. Your reading experience is continuous because during the jump, the information from the last
eye fixation is held in:
a. short-term memory. c. sensory memory.
b. working memory. d. echoic memory.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 7.2 Sensory Memory Is Brief
OBJ: 7.2A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
28. In order for us to experience the world as a continuous stream of information, one experience is
kept in the brain while we move to the next experience. This overlap is a function of:
a. short-term memory. c. working memory.
b. long-term memory. d. sensory memory.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 7.2 Sensory Memory Is Brief
OBJ: 7.2A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Applying
29. A children’s flipbook consists of a series of pictures of Mickey Mouse with his feet in slightly
different positions. If you look at the pages one at a time, slowly, all you see are the individual
pictures of Mickey. However, if you flip the pages quickly, you see Mickey running. This illusion
is due to storage of the successive pictures in:
a. sensory memory. c. working memory.
b. echoic memory. d. short-term memory.
ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: 7.2 Sensory Memory Is Brief
OBJ: 7.2A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Applying
30. You are reading a book, and your friend John asks you a question. By the time you ask, “What did
you say?” you hear his question. This effect is due to storage of information in the _____ for
audition.
a. short-term memory c. working memory
b. long-term memory d. sensory memory
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 7.2 Sensory Memory Is Brief
OBJ: 7.2A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
31. As a friend gives you her new address over the phone, you realize that you do not have a pen to
write it down. Approximately how long do you have to find a pen before her address will vanish
from your short-term memory?
a. about half a minute c. less than half a second
b. several minutes d. less than 1 second
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: 7.2 Working Memory Is Active
OBJ: 7.2B NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
32. Students frequently learn the Big Five personality model by using the acronym OCEAN, where
each letter of the word corresponds to the first letter of one of the factors (openness,
conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism). These students are using:
a. hierarchies. c. chunking.
b. linkage. d. primitive features.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 7.2 Working Memory Is Active
OBJ: 7.2B NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
33. Colt is an excellent quarterback. One skill that contributes to his ability is that he sees the players
not just as individuals but as units that can be called on to make different plays. This skill enables
him to process the game more efficiently and to hold more information about the game in his
short-term memory. Colt is using the memory strategy of:
a. visualization. c. chunking.
b. imaging. d. linking.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 7.2 Working Memory Is Active
OBJ: 7.2B NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Applying
34. The brain is selective about the information that gets stored in long-term memory. This selectivity
may be evolutionarily advantageous because:
a. only a limited amount of space is available in long-term memory.
b. information that aids in reproduction and survival is emphasized.
c. increased selectivity is associated with greater intelligence.
d. selectivity improves the organization of information in long-term memory.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: 7.2 Long-Term Memory Is Relatively
Permanent
OBJ: 7.2C
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Remembering
35. Even though he has already memorized his notes, Hao reviews them every night for the two weeks
before the exam. This strategy is likely to _____ his performance due to _____.
a. hurt; cramming c. help; cramming
b. hurt; spreading out his practice d. help; spreading out his practice
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 7.2 Long-Term Memory Is Relatively
Permanent
OBJ: 7.2C
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Applying
37. Shannon has a biology exam next week. To be sure that she really knows the material, she should:
a. cram the night before the test.
b. test herself on the material.
c. make up multiple-choice questions.
d. use maintenance rehearsal.
ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: 7.2 Long-Term Memory Is Relatively
Permanent
OBJ: 7.2C
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Applying
38. Even though they probably look at quarters on a daily basis, most people are unlikely to be able to
correctly identify which coin is a real quarter from an array of possible quarters because:
a. people do not pay attention to money that isn’t theirs.
b. people do not pay attention to quarters.
c. memories are transient.
d. other things interfere with the memory of the quarter.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 7.2 Long-Term Memory Is Relatively
Permanent
OBJ: 7.2C
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Understanding
39. If you spend the same amount of time reviewing material as testing yourself on the material, you
will learn more from _____ because of the increased _____ time.
a. reviewing; rehearsal c. testing; retrieval
b. reviewing; retrieval d. testing; rehearsal
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 7.2 Long-Term Memory Is Relatively
Permanent
OBJ: 7.2C
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Remembering
40. Kumar is trying to remember who ran against John F. Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election.
Kumar’s search for information to answer this question is being carried out in his:
a. working memory. c. short-term memory.
b. sensory memory. d. long-term memory.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 7.2 Long-Term Memory Is Relatively
Permanent
OBJ: 7.2C NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Applying
41. Professor Smith is doing research on fish. He refuses to learn his students’ names because he
believes that the names take up space in his long-term memory, which could be better used for fish
information. He is incorrect because:
a. different types of information, such as facts about fish and names of people, are stored in
different parts of memory.
b. the students’ names would have been stored in short-term memory.
c. long-term memory can hold essentially unlimited amounts of information.
d. the students’ names that are preserved in long-term memory could be replaced later with
different information.
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: 7.2 Long-Term Memory Is Relatively
Permanent
OBJ: 7.2C
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Analyzing
42. When remembering words on a list, people tend to remember words at the beginning of the list and
words at the end of the list better than words in the middle of the list. This phenomenon is known
as:
a. the serial position effect. c. motivated forgetting.
b. retroactive interference. d. spreading activation effect.
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: 7.2 Long-Term Memory Is Relatively
Permanent
OBJ: 7.2C NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
43. As a research participant, you study this list of words: curtain, book, anger, dirt, plant, hunger,
paper, sadness, sunshine, music, disease, surprise, fired, love, test, pizza, electricity. When you are
later asked to recall the list, the _______ effect would suggest that you are most likely to have
trouble remembering _______.
a. chunking; book c. serial position; music
b. chunking; pizza d. serial position; curtain
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: 7.2 Long-Term Memory Is Relatively
Permanent
OBJ: 7.2C NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
44. In a serial position curve, words that are NOT part of either the primacy effect or the recency effect
are more easily:
a. forgotten. c. stored but not consolidated.
b. only partially learned. d. unprocessed.
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: 7.2 Long-Term Memory Is Relatively
Permanent
OBJ: 7.2C NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
45. The best argument that long-term memory and short-term memory are separate entities is that:
a. brain damage can leave one but not the other memory intact.
b. recent events are remembered better than most past events.
c. recalling past events requires retrieval cues but recalling recent events does not.
d. the recency effect can be disrupted but the primacy effect cannot.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: 7.2 Long-Term Memory Is Relatively
Permanent
OBJ: 7.2C
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Analyzing
46. Memory for items presented at the beginning of a list and at the end of the list is referred to as:
a. serial position effect. c. chunking.
b. networks of association. d. episodic memory.
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: 7.2 Long-Term Memory Is Relatively
Permanent
OBJ: 7.2C NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
47. Harry was reading the textbook for his potions class and was trying to relate the material to his
own experiences. According to the _______ model of memory, this would be considered _______.
a. levels of processing; deep processing
b. levels of processing; consolidation
c. spreading activation; shallow processing
d. spreading activation; transfiguration
ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: 7.3 Long-Term Storage Is Based on Meaning
OBJ: 7.3A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
48. People have better memories for events that involve negative emotions. According to an
evolutionary perspective, this phenomenon suggests that negative emotions:
a. make information easier to rehearse.
b. emphasize information important to survival.
c. increase consolidation of information.
d. act as mnemonics for information.
ANS: B DIF: Difficult
REF: 7.3 Retrieval Cues Provide Access to Long-Term Storage
OBJ: 7.3D
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Analyzing
49. When you hear a story about a person you know, you will _____, which may lead to _____.
a. activate a script; recall of additional information you know about the person when you are
asked to retell the story
b. activate a schema; recall of additional information you know about the person when you
are asked to retell the story
c. activate a script; poorer understanding of the story
d. activate a schema; perfect memory of the story
ANS: B DIF: Difficult
REF: 7.3 Schemas Provide an Organizational Framework OBJ: 7.3B
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Applying
50. Consider the many ways in which you could organize the books in your library. You could sort
them into groups with the same color cover. You could alphabetize them by the authors’ last
names or by the titles of the books. You could also sort them into groups with common themes.
Which of these ways of organizing your library would be most like the way in which memories are
organized in long-term memory?
a. alphabetize by title c. alphabetize by authors’ names
b. group by common theme d. group by common color
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: 7.3 Long-Term Storage Is Based on Meaning
OBJ: 7.3A
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Applying
51. Fayd is studying for his English literature exam. For each novel he has read for the course, he tries
to spend a lot of time thinking of how the novel relates to his own life. This activity requires that
he really thinks about the themes and characters in the book, making him recognize more about
how different characters in the story relate to each other. Fayd is using the memory strategy of:
a. maintenance rehearsal. c. chunking.
b. practice. d. elaborative rehearsal.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 7.3 Long-Term Storage Is Based on Meaning
OBJ: 7.3A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Applying
52. According to levels of processing theory, information that is encoded more deeply is remembered
better than information that is encoded less deeply, because information encoded more deeply:
a. has greater rehearsal.
b. is stored longer in short-term memory storage.
c. is more meaningful.
d. is entered into long-term memory more logically.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 7.3 Long-Term Storage Is Based on Meaning
OBJ: 7.3A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
53. In a memory experiment, participants in Group A are asked to just listen to a list of words. Group
B is asked to count the number of words that begin with the letter e. Group C is asked to repeat
each word as they hear it. Group D is asked to use each word in a sentence. According to the
________ model of memory, ________ would later remember the most words from the list.
a. level of processing; Group A c. spreading activation; Group C
b. spreading activation; Group B d. level of processing; Group D
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: 7.3 Long-Term Storage Is Based on Meaning
OBJ: 7.3A
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Understanding
54. Yu-sheng, Jocelyn, and Juan are in three different introductory anthropology classes. Yu-sheng’s
class takes a multiple-choice midterm. Jocelyn’s class takes a short-answer midterm. Juan’s class
takes an essay midterm. Which student(s) take(s) the midterm that requires the greatest depth of
processing?
a. Yu-sheng c. Juan
b. Jocelyn d. Jocelyn and Juan
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 7.3 Long-Term Storage Is Based on Meaning
OBJ: 7.3A
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Applying
55. Shushant makes up a rhyme to remember what she needs to buy at the grocery store, “Garrett said
to buy milk and bread.” Shushant is trying to ________ her memory for her list by using _______.
a. consolidate; maintenance rehearsal c. maintain; elaborative rehearsal
b. retrieve; acoustic rehearsal d. elaborate; linkage rehearsal
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: 7.3 Long-Term Storage Is Based on Meaning
OBJ: 7.3A
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Understanding
56. Suppose you need to learn the following list: pen, ship, log, cup, paper, radio, rose, sun, chair,
glass, fork, wave. Which of the following types of study would lead you to the best recall?
a. count the number of vowels in each word
b. relate each word to a fond childhood memory
c. think about whether each word rhymes with den
d. passively listen to the list while counting backward from 100 by 3s
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: 7.3 Long-Term Storage Is Based on Meaning
OBJ: 7.3A
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Analyzing
57. Geoff is trying to remember his shopping list by repeating the items over and over again to
himself. He is using:
a. maintenance rehearsal. c. elaborative rehearsal.
b. acoustic rehearsal. d. linkage rehearsal.
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: 7.3 Long-Term Storage Is Based on Meaning
OBJ: 7.3A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Applying
58. Research has shown that memories can be distorted because of beliefs that people already hold
when the memory is formed. These earlier beliefs are part of cognitive:
a. nodes. c. biases.
b. schemas. d. frames.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate
REF: 7.3 Schemas Provide an Organizational Framework OBJ: 7.3B
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology MSC: Remembering
59. Students taking an introductory class in a subject that is completely new to them often find that the
material seems very disorganized and confusing at the beginning. As the class progresses, the
information seems to become better structured, and the students find it easier to integrate and
interpret new material. One important reason for this happy change is that the students are
developing _____ that allow them to make sense of, organize, and utilize information in memory.
a. prototypes c. frames
b. schemas d. feature lists
ANS: B DIF: Moderate
REF: 7.3 Schemas Provide an Organizational Framework OBJ: 7.3B
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology MSC: Applying
60. Cognitive structures that help us perceive, organize, process, and use information are referred to
as:
a. sensory memory. c. working memory.
b. schemas. d. none of the above.
ANS: B DIF: Easy
REF: 7.3 Schemas Provide an Organizational Framework OBJ: 7.3B
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology MSC: Remembering
61. A psychologist who agreed with network of association theories would suggest that the best way to
set up a computer hard drive to mimic human memory would be to organize the information into:
a. alphabetically tagged files. c. temporally flagged files.
b. nested files. d. hierarchical files.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 7.3 Information Is Stored in Association
Networks
OBJ: 7.3C
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Analyzing
62. According to network of association theories, concepts in memory are localized in:
a. nodes. c. feature lists.
b. associations. d. feature hierarchies.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: 7.3 Information Is Stored in Association
Networks
OBJ: 7.3C NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
63. According to the networks of association theory, what words would come to mind when you hear
the trigger word red?
a. rose; fire engine c. cherry; police car
b. flower; vehicle d. pansy; toy wagon
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: 7.3 Information Is Stored in Association
Networks
OBJ: 7.3C
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Understanding
64. On his way to get an afternoon snack, Jed walks by a billboard advertising hamburgers. He had
intended to order an ice cream cone but instead orders french fries. According to the spreading
activation model, the hamburger made Jed want french fries because:
a. hamburgers and french fries are part of the prospective memory.
b. hamburgers activated the nodes for french fries.
c. hamburgers were encoded with french fries.
d. hamburgers and french fries are part of the same procedural memory.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: 7.3 Information Is Stored in Association
Networks
OBJ: 7.3C
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Applying
65. Consider a psychology experiment where someone is asked to say, as rapidly as possible, whether
a sentence appearing on a computer screen is true or false. Research has shown that people will be
faster to say that it is true that a sandal is a shoe than to say that it is true that a sandal is a piece of
clothing. Which model of human memory could easily account for this finding?
a. levels of processing model c. prototype model
b. modal memory model d. spreading activation model
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: 7.3 Information Is Stored in Association
Networks
OBJ: 7.3C NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Analyzing
66. When Jon visits his grandmother’s house, he always thinks about his childhood. Something about
the way her house smells triggers the memory. This phenomenon is referred to as:
a. context-dependent memory. c. memory nodes.
b. a network of association. d. none of the above.
ANS: A DIF: Easy
REF: 7.3 Retrieval Cues Provide Access to Long-Term Storage
OBJ: 7.3D NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
67. Karl’s grandmother, who came from Poland, died when he was three. He can remember very little
about her. In fact, he has no conscious memories of the wonderful Polish food she used to cook.
One day, Karl walks by a Polish restaurant and is flooded with memories of his grandmother. The
food served as a _____ for Karl’s memories of his grandmother.
a. mnemonic c. frame
b. mental image d. retrieval cue
ANS: D DIF: Easy
REF: 7.3 Retrieval Cues Provide Access to Long-Term Storage
OBJ: 7.3D NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Applying
69. The memory enhancement that occurs when the situations during encoding and recall match is
called _____ memory; the memory enhancement that occurs when the internal states during
encoding and recall match is called _____ memory.
a. context-dependent; state-dependent
b. semantic; episodic
c. episodic; semantic
d. state-dependent; context-dependent
ANS: A DIF: Moderate
REF: 7.3 Retrieval Cues Provide Access to Long-Term Storage
OBJ: 7.3D NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
70. If you study in the same room in which you take an exam, you will probably do better on the exam
than if you had studied somewhere else. This outcome occurs because of _____ memory, which is
a form of _____.
a. context-dependent; hierarchical storage
b. state-dependent; hierarchical storage
c. context-dependent; encoding specificity
d. state-dependent; encoding specificity
ANS: C DIF: Moderate
REF: 7.3 Retrieval Cues Provide Access to Long-Term Storage
OBJ: 7.3D NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
71. Samantha has just broken up with her boyfriend and is feeling very sad. She resolves to change her
mood by thinking about happy things but finds that she just keeps remembering other sad things.
Samantha’s experience can best be explained in terms of:
a. context-dependent memory. c. depth of processing.
b. cognitive schemas. d. state-dependent memory.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate
REF: 7.3 Retrieval Cues Provide Access to Long-Term Storage
OBJ: 7.3D NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Applying
72. People usually remember how many days there are in the months of September, October, and May
by using:
a. verbal mnemonics. c. semantic memory.
b. episodic memory. d. elaborative retrieval.
ANS: A DIF: Easy
REF: 7.3 Retrieval Cues Provide Access to Long-Term Storage
OBJ: 7.3E NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
73. An older view of human memory argued that all memories were essentially of the same type.
Newer views like those of Schachter and Tulving disagree, arguing that memories involve several
different:
a. strengths. c. interacting systems.
b. types of neurons. d. independent processes.
ANS: C DIF: Easy
REF: 7.4 What Are the Different Long-Term Memory Systems?
OBJ: 7.4A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
75. If someone asks you who is running for president, you will answer from your _____ memory. If
someone asks who you voted for in the last election, you could answer from your _____ memory.
a. episodic; semantic c. procedural; explicit
b. semantic; episodic d. explicit; procedural
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 7.4 Explicit Memory Involves Conscious
Effort
OBJ: 7.4A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
76. Akila’s brother asks her if she knows the names of the capitals of Texas and Montana. She
instantly knows that the capital of Texas is Austin, but she does not know the capital of Montana.
Akila is using her _____ memory to retrieve _____ memories.
a. explicit; declarative c. episodic; autobiographical
b. implicit; tacit d. procedural; semantic
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: 7.4 Explicit Memory Involves Conscious
Effort
OBJ: 7.4A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Applying
77. If you can remember exactly what you did yesterday but have trouble remembering the names of
the 50 states, then you have excellent episodic memory but somewhat poor _____ memory.
a. semantic c. explicit
b. implicit d. procedural
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: 7.4 Explicit Memory Involves Conscious
Effort
OBJ: 7.4B NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
78. One of the best ways to remember factual information is to relate it to something personal that
happened to you. In this way, you are taking advantage of your _____ memory to aid retrieval
from your _____ memory.
a. implicit; explicit c. episodic; semantic
b. semantic; episodic d. explicit; implicit
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: 7.4 Explicit Memory Involves Conscious
Effort
OBJ: 7.4A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
79. Patient H.M. suffered from seizures and had part of his medial temporal lobes removed. As a
result, he could no longer:
a. remember his past. c. form new explicit memories.
b. form new implicit memories. d. remember anything at all.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 7.4 Explicit Memory Involves Conscious
Effort
OBJ: 7.4A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
80. Understanding how to serve a ball in tennis involves _____ memory; the act of serving the ball
involves _____ memory; and your first memory of serving a tennis ball involves ________
memory.
a. declarative; procedural; episodic c. procedural; declarative; episodic
b. episodic; procedural; declarative d. procedural; episodic; declarative
ANS: A DIF: Difficult
REF: 7.4 Implicit Memory Occurs Without Deliberate Effort OBJ: 7.4A
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology MSC: Understanding
81. People find it very easy to put on a button-down shirt but much harder to list the steps involved in
putting on that shirt. This difference suggests that _____ memory is more useful in getting dressed
than _____ memory.
a. declarative; procedural c. episodic; semantic
b. procedural; declarative d. semantic; episodic
ANS: B DIF: Moderate
REF: 7.4 Implicit Memory Occurs Without Deliberate Effort OBJ: 7.4A
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Understanding
82. As a research participant, you read a list of names of unknown individuals. On another day, you
read a list that includes some of those names, and you are asked if anyone on the list is famous.
According to the _____, you will remember the individuals from the first list as famous.
a. procedural memory schema c. shadowing effect
b. prospective memory effect d. false-fame effect
ANS: D DIF: Easy
REF: 7.4 Implicit Memory Occurs Without Deliberate Effort OBJ: 7.4B
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology MSC: Applying
84. On the bus last week, Kyohei heard two women talking about someone named Enisa for the entire
30 minutes of the trip. Today, the woman sitting next to Kyohei in class told her friend that Enisa
was coming. Kyohei assumed that Enisa was someone famous and wondered why she did not
know her. Kyohei is experiencing the:
a. misinformation effect. c. false-fame effect.
b. repetition priming effect. d. source attribution effect.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate
REF: 7.4 Implicit Memory Occurs Without Deliberate Effort OBJ: 7.4B
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology MSC: Applying
85. Many movies involve product placement. For example, the main character in a movie may drink
only Dr. Pepper. Companies pay for product placement because they assume that it increases the
likelihood that audience members will later buy the product. If a person’s shopping is
unconsciously influenced by the appearance of a product in a movie, this effect is likely due to
existence of the item in:
a. explicit memory. c. implicit memory.
b. semantic memory. d. procedural memory.
ANS: C DIF: Difficult
REF: 7.4 Implicit Memory Occurs Without Deliberate Effort OBJ: 7.4A
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology MSC: Applying
87. Ivaylo goes skiing after many years away from the sport. What kind of memory makes it possible
for him to get back on the slopes without taking new skiing lessons?
a. declarative memory c. explicit memory
b. episodic memory d. procedural memory
ANS: D DIF: Easy
REF: 7.4 Implicit Memory Occurs Without Deliberate Effort OBJ: 7.4A
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology MSC: Applying
88. Your father has not ridden a bicycle since he was in college, about 20 years ago. Your father’s
remembering how to ride the bike without falling will call upon _____ memory.
a. episodic c. procedural
b. semantic d. declarative
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 7.4 Explicit Memory Involves Conscious
Effort
OBJ: 7.4B NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
89. Remembering that he needed to pick up milk on the way home from work, Jon is using his _____
memory system.
a. implicit c. prospective
b. procedural d. explicit
ANS: C DIF: Easy
REF: 7.4 Prospective Memory Is Remembering to Do Something
OBJ: 7.4A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
90. How does prospective memory limit the cognitive resources available for other tasks?
a. It reduces the available capacity of working memory.
b. It interferes with retrieval from long-term memory.
c. It causes confusion in encoding items in short-term memory.
d. It disrupts information in sensory memory.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate
REF: 7.4 Prospective Memory Is Remembering to Do Something
OBJ: 7.4A
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Analyzing
91. If a retrieval cue is present in the environment, then a(n) _____ process is used to recall a
prospective memory. If a retrieval cue is not present, then a(n) _____ process is used to recall the
prospective memory.
a. automatic; automatic c. controlled; automatic
b. controlled; controlled d. automatic; controlled
ANS: D DIF: Moderate
REF: 7.4 Prospective Memory Is Remembering to Do Something
OBJ: 7.4A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
93. When Rhuju walks past the chemistry building, she remembers that she has a lab report due the
next day. The chemistry building served as a _____ that automatically triggered her _________
memory.
a. priming stimulus; prospective c. retrieval cue; prospective
b. priming stimulus; implicit d. retrieval cue; implicit
ANS: C DIF: Difficult
REF: 7.4 Prospective Memory Is Remembering to Do Something
OBJ: 7.4A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
94. Sue is trying to remember how to complete a motor task, Joe is trying to remember an event that
occurred in the past, and Mark is trying to remember the capital of Oklahoma. Joe is using _____
memory, Sue is using _____ memory, and Mark is using _____ memory.
a. procedural; semantic; episodic c. episodic; procedural; semantic
b. episodic; semantic; procedural d. episodic; declarative; procedural
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 7.5 Explicit Memory Involves Conscious
Effort
OBJ: 7.4B NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
96. Aaron took calculus as a freshman in high school, but he is now taking it again as a college senior
to fulfill requirements for his major. Based on your knowledge of memory, you could predict that
the material would take _____ in his college class as it did in his high school class.
a. as much effort and as much time to learn
b. less effort but as much time to learn
c. as much effort but less time to learn
d. less effort and less time to learn
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 7.5 When Does Memory Fail?
OBJ: 7.5A
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Applying
97. Which of the following is NOT one of the seven sins of memory?
a. blocking c. absentmindedness
b. bias d. boredom
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 7.5 When Does Memory Fail?
OBJ: 7.5A NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Remembering
98. According to Schachter, blocking is a type of _____, whereas misattribution is a type of_____.
a. forgetting; distortion c. forgetting; forgetting
b. distortion; forgetting d. distortion; distortion
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: 7.5 When Does Memory Fail?
OBJ: 7.5B NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Applying
99. You memorize your four-digit PIN number for your bank card, but you also store this number on
your phone. You keep your bank card and your phone in your backpack, and a thief steals your
backpack. When you get your new bank card, you have to make up a new PIN, but every time you
try to withdraw money, you can only remember the old PIN. What best explains this combination
of remembering and forgetting?
a. schemas c. amnesia
b. decay d. interference
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 7.5 Transience Is Caused by Interference
OBJ: 7.5B NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Applying
103. Your school requires you to change your email password every 3 months. Now, when you try to
remember the new password, you can only remember the old one. This effect is most likely due to:
a. retrograde amnesia. c. interference.
b. transience. d. anterograde amnesia.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 7.5 Transience Is Caused by Interference
OBJ: 7.5B NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Understanding
104. You study Spanish during your freshman and sophomore years of college but then take a
Portuguese class your senior year. You are likely to _________ learning Portuguese because of all
the Spanish you learned due to__________.
a. have trouble; proactive interference c. have no trouble; chunking
b. have trouble; retroactive interference d. have no trouble; persistence
ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: 7.5 Transience Is Caused by Interference
OBJ: 7.5B
NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology | APA Goal 2, Scientific Inquiry and Critical
Thinking MSC: Analyzing
105. Jacob learned French in high school and is now learning Spanish in college. He finds that
sometimes when he intends to write a Spanish word he instead writes a French word. Jacob’s
problem is due to:
a. blocking. c. proactive interference.
b. persistence. d. retroactive interference.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 7.5 Transience Is Caused by Interference
OBJ: 7.5B NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Applying
106. Jon is trying to remember his class schedule from last semester, but he keeps thinking of his
current classes instead. This phenomenon is an example of which type of interference?
a. retroactive c. blocking
b. proactive d. absentmindedness
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: 7.5 Transience Is Caused by Interference
OBJ: 7.5B NAT: APA Goal 1, Knowledge Base in Psychology
MSC: Applying
107. Sally used to live in a small town in Iowa, but she moved to New York City about 10 years ago.
When she sends holiday cards to her friends in Iowa, she has trouble remembering their zip codes
and can think of only ones in New York. This phenomenon is most likely due to:
a. retroactive interference. c. proactive interference.
b. misattribution. d. absentmindedness.
ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: 7.5 Transience Is Caused by Interference
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Don Raffaele si fece innanzi, senza però abbandonare il fucile.
— Noi, — disse, — siamo qui venuti per vedere la Città dell’Oro.
— La Città dell’Oro appartiene ai figli del sole e nessun straniero,
pena la morte, può vederla, — rispose l’indiano.
— Noi abbiamo intrapreso un lungo viaggio per vederla.
— Chi ti ha chiamato?
— Nessuno, ma noi vogliamo accertarci dell’esistenza di Manoa.
— Per condurre qui, più tardi, altri uomini bianchi e distruggerla?
— No, perchè noi quando l’avremo veduta ripartiremo senza fare
alcun male ai suoi abitanti, nè più mai ritorneremo, — disse don
Raffaele.
— E credi tu che gli Eperomerii possano prestar fede alle parole
degli uomini bianchi? — rispose l’indiano con amarezza. — I nostri
avi hanno conservata una tradizione: un tempo, lontano da questi
luoghi, al di là delle grandi montagne del sud, al di là d’un grande
fiume venti volte più largo del Venituari, prosperava un potente
impero, quello dei figli del Sole, quello degli Inchi. Un giorno, dai
mari ove il sole tramonta, sbarcarono degli uomini che avevano la
pelle bianca come te e la barba come te, e misero, coi tradimenti, a
ferro ed a fuoco quel vasto impero. I nostri avi solo poterono sfuggire
alla strage, abbandonando la patria e qui celandosi. Come vuoi ora
che io creda alle tue promesse?... Uomini bianchi, tornate alla
savana tremante, imbarcatevi e ritornate alle vostre terre o noi vi
daremo battaglia e vi distruggeremo tutti!...
In quell’istante si udirono le prime note del flauto di Yaruri. Era una
marcia precipitosa, energica, che scuoteva le fibre. L’esercito dei
serpenti si svegliò di colpo e si mise in moto come spinto innanzi da
una forza misteriosa, strisciando e balzando. Moveva dritto verso la
barricata dinanzi alla quale stavano gli Eperomerii.
L’indiano che fino allora aveva parlato, udendo quei suoni trasalì e
gettò all’intorno uno sguardo smarrito. Solo allora s’accorse della
marcia dei serpenti. Emise un grido di furore e senza attendere la
risposta di don Raffaele fuggì a precipizio verso i compagni, i quali
già stavano ritirandosi rapidamente sotto la foresta.
Yaruri si era messo in marcia a fianco dei formidabili battaglioni,
precipitando la sua misteriosa marcia. Don Raffaele ed i suoi
compagni gli si erano messi dietro stringendo le armi, pronti a
servirsene alla prima resistenza degli indiani.
Questi però pareva che non avessero più voglia di contrastare il
passo agli stranieri. Spaventati da quel numero immenso di serpenti
velenosi, continuavano a ritirarsi, lanciando di tratto in tratto qualche
freccia inoffensiva.
Un colpo di fucile sparato da Alonzo, li decise ad affrettare la fuga.
Oramai pareva che più nulla dovesse arrestare il cammino degli
uomini bianchi e dell’incantatore; l’entrata nella famosa Città dell’Oro
sembrava facile e certa. A poco a poco però la foresta si diradava e
ben presto i viaggiatori si trovarono dinanzi ad una prateria coperta
di erbe alte più di quattro piedi e perfettamente secche. All’estremità
di quella pianura, a meno di due miglia, si rizzava la grande
montagna e sui fianchi di quella si vedevano bande d’indiani armati,
che parevano pronte a opporsi alla marcia degli invasori.
— Il nemico! — gridò Alonzo, arrestandosi.
Yaruri, sempre suonando, fece cenno di tirare innanzi. I serpenti,
attirati, affascinati da quella marcia che non s’arrestava un solo
istante, avevano già abbandonata la foresta e s’avanzavano
attraverso le erbe della pianura.
Gl’indiani, vedendo gli uomini bianchi continuare la marcia,
emettevano spaventevoli vociferazioni e si udivano a scagliare
maledizioni contro Yaruri chiamandolo traditore, ma questi non se ne
preoccupava e continuava a suonare con maggior lena.
D’improvviso però s’arrestò e parve che fiutasse l’aria con viva
apprensione.
Un grido di furore gli irruppe dalle labbra e scagliò lungi da sè il
flauto, incrociando rabbiosamente le braccia.
— Cosa fai, Yaruri? — chiesero don Raffaele ed i suoi compagni.
— Siamo vinti, — rispose l’indiano con voce rauca.
— Vinti!... Ed i tuoi serpenti?...
— Fra pochi minuti saranno tutti estinti.
— Ma perchè?....
— Guardate!....
Delle colonne di fumo s’alzavano vorticosamente alle estremità della
prateria e un acuto odore di bruciaticcio invadeva rapidamente la
pianura. Ben presto si videro scintillare delle gigantesche cortine di
fuoco le quali si dilatavano con incredibile celerità.
— Hanno dato fuoco alle erbe! — esclamò Alonzo.
— E fra pochi minuti i miei serpenti si arrostiranno tutti, — disse
Yaruri. — Fuggiamo, o siamo perduti!...
— Ma non possiamo tentare nulla? — chiese don Raffaele, con
rabbia.
— Nulla, padrone: cerchiamo di riguadagnare la savana tremante.
Le fiamme s’avanzavano con grande celerità trovando dovunque
combustibile. Si udivano le erbe a sibilare, a crepitare e si vedevano
contorcersi, mentre in aria volteggiavano immense colonne di
scintille. I serpenti, conscii del pericolo, fuggivano da tutte le parti
emettendo fischi di collera, cercando di raggiungere la foresta
protettrice. Già le prime falangi, raggiunte dal fuoco, s’arrostivano
spandendo all’intorno un puzzo nauseante.
Yaruri ed i tre bianchi retrocedevano correndo, facendo sforzi
sovrumani per non farsi raggiungere dai rettili più agili, i quali
balzavano come se avessero le zampe. La temperatura cominciava
a diventare ardente e sopra ai fuggiaschi cadevano miriadi di scintille
e nubi di cenere caldissima. Le loro provviste di polvere
minacciavano di saltare in aria. Come se quell’incendio non
bastasse, gl’indiani avevano abbandonata la montagna e si udivano
a vociferare al di là delle erbe ardenti.
— Presto, presto! — gridava don Raffaele. — Bisogna raggiungere
la foresta prima degli indiani.
Non avevano da percorrere che seicento metri, ma anche dinanzi a
loro le erbe cominciavano a prendere fuoco. Le scintille che
cadevano in tutte le direzioni, causavano altri incendi.
La loro ritirata si cangiò allora in una fuga disperata. Non correvano
più in gruppo serrato, ma dispersi per giungere più presto ai primi
alberi.
Finalmente, facendo un ultimo sforzo, giunsero alla foresta, ma non
si arrestarono e proseguirono la corsa in direzione della savana
tremante. Ormai non si poteva più forzare il passaggio da quel lato,
con tutti quegli indiani che avevano alle calcagna e che parevano
risoluti ad esterminarli.
Era quasi sera quando don Raffaele, sfinito, giungeva sulle rive della
savana tremante.
Si volse per vedere se i suoi compagni lo avevano seguito.
Alonzo correva sparando di quando in quando dei colpi di fucile; il
dottore, che non si reggeva quasi più sulle gambe, si trascinava
innanzi penosamente, ma Yaruri era scomparso.
— Dov’è l’indiano? — chiese don Raffaele ad Alonzo.
— Non lo so, — rispose questi.
— Ma non era dietro di te?
— Quando entrammo nel bosco l’avevo a fianco, ma poi rimase
indietro.
— Un indiano! Corrono ben più di noi quei figli dei boschi.
— Che sia stato ucciso?
— Non ho udito alcun grido, — disse Velasco.
— Mille tuoni!... Yaruri!... Yaruri!...
Gli risposero le urla degli Eperomerii, i quali ormai si erano lanciati
attraverso la foresta.
— Non pensiamo a lui, don Raffaele, — disse il dottore. — Lo
ritroveremo più tardi. Se vi preme la pelle imbarchiamoci.
— Andiamo!...
Il canotto era ancora arenato sulla sponda. Con una spinta poderosa
lo lanciarono in acqua, vi balzarono dentro e s’allontanarono
arrancando disperatamente. Già erano lontani duecento metri e
stavano fiancheggiando un isolotto roccioso di pochi metri di
estensione, coperto da alcuni cespugli di legno cannone, quando
Alonzo emise un grido di terrore.
— Ti ha ferito qualche freccia? — chiese don Raffaele, impallidendo.
— No.... affondiamo!...
Il piantatore si chinò e vide che il fondo del canotto era già coperto
d’un palmo d’acqua.
— È stato guastato! — esclamò. — Mille tuoni!... Presto, approdiamo
a quell’isolotto o le sabbie della savana tremante c’inghiottiranno!
Con pochi colpi di remo approdarono e si misero in salvo fra i
cespugli. Il canotto, già mezzo pieno d’acqua, poco dopo affondava,
scomparendo fra quei pantani senza fondo.
Gl’indiani giungevano allora sulle sponde della savana, agitando le
loro armi e mandando alte grida di gioia.
Erano tre o quattrocento, ma pareva che non avessero alcuna
intenzione di offendere gli stranieri, almeno pel momento, poichè
nessuna freccia fu lanciata.
— Siamo in un brutto impiccio, — disse il piantatore. — Comincio a
credere che per noi la Città dell’Oro sia perduta.
— Ed anche la nostra pelle, — aggiunse Alonzo. — Chi ci leverà da
quest’isolotto, ora che non possediamo più il canotto e che siamo
circondati da sabbie mobili?... Eppure io avevo sperato di giungere a
Manoa senza fastidi, con quell’esercito di rettili.
— Dovevamo aspettarci una simile sorpresa, — disse il dottore. —
So che gl’indiani di queste regioni usavano lasciar crescere le erbe
intorno ai loro villaggi, per respingere gli stranieri col fuoco. Quando
gli Spagnuoli condotti dai luogotenenti di Barreo cercarono
d’inoltrarsi attraverso queste regioni per scoprire l’Eldorado, furono
respinti cogl’incendi, e trecento di quei conquistatori morirono
soffocati ed abbruciati nella vallata di Maccureguary. So che quando
Barreo in persona tentò l’impresa fu costretto a retrocedere, poichè
le tribù degli Inarcuacari, dei Pariagotti e degli Iranaquari, alleati
degli Eperomerii, avevano lasciato crescere le erbe tre anni per
incendiarle.
— Ma Yaruri dove sarà? — chiese Alonzo. — Se fosse qua, quel
diavolo d’indiano saprebbe forse trovare un mezzo per liberarci.
— Quell’uomo, visto che la partita era perduta, si sarà nascosto per
cercar di sorprendere il suo avversario e ucciderlo a tradimento, —
rispose don Raffaele. — Un indiano affronta la morte senza esitare,
pur di vendicarsi.
— Ma noi, cosa faremo ora? Fra ventiquattro o quarant’otto ore la
fame ci costringerà alla resa, poichè abbiamo perdute tutte le nostre
provviste.
— Chissà! — disse il piantatore.
— Cosa speri, cugino?
— Penso agli indiani che ci precedevano e mi domando perchè ci
risparmiavano, mentre cercavano di uccidere Yaruri. Vedremo!...
forse gli Eperomerii non desiderano la nostra morte.
XXIII.
Il tempio del sole.
La festa di Raynù, che gli Inchi celebravano in onore del Sole, e che
gli abitanti della Città dell’Oro avevano conservata, i soli forse di
quella grande nazione ferocemente dispersa dai conquistatori
spagnuoli, era una delle più grandi, delle più pompose, delle più
magnifiche degli antichi Peruviani.
Scadeva nel solstizio boreale, quando cioè il sole, toccato già il
punto più lontano del Perù, muoveva a recargli ogni giorno crescente
luce e calore, infondendo nuova vita a tutta la natura.
Gl’Inchi la solennizzavano con un apparato sfarzoso, ma prima vi si
preparavano con un digiuno di tre giorni, durante i quali non era
permesso di accendere fuoco in nessuna casa, ma si accordava agli
abitanti di mangiare pochi grani di maiz crudo e di bere poche goccie
d’acqua.
L’imperatore, che in quel giorno faceva le funzioni di sommo
pontefice, prima dello spuntare del sole usciva dai suoi grandiosi
palazzi seguito da centinaia di curachi [11] coperti di abiti finissimi,
luccicanti di pagliuzze d’oro e di ricami d’argento e le teste adorne di
ghirlande d’oro massiccio e coperti di pelli di fiere o adorni d’ali di
condor, e da un numero infinito di soldati e di popolani
rappresentanti le diverse nazioni sottomesse all’impero.
Quell’immenso corteo si recava nella grande piazza di Cusco, —
allora questa era città capitale dell’impero, — ed attendeva, a piedi
nudi, il sorgere del sole. Appena il primo raggio appariva sulle alte
vette della Cordigliera, tutti cadevano in ginocchio con ambe le
braccia tese innanzi, per adorarlo, mandando baci e chiamandolo
dio e padre.
L’imperatore, solo fra tutti, s’alzava e tenendo in mano un vaso d’oro
pieno della bevanda ordinaria del paese, come primogenito del Sole
lo invitava a bere.
Ritenendosi accolta l’offerta e supponendo da parte dell’astro diurno
eguale invito, l’imperatore in altro vaso beveva qualche sorso,
dividendo poi il rimanente liquido fra gli altri principi del sangue, che
lo bevevano entro tazzine d’oro che poi portavano con loro a tale
scopo.
Dopo questa cerimonia l’imperatore ed i più grandi personaggi si
recavano nel tempio del sole ove vedevasi l’immagine dell’astro, di
gigantesche dimensioni, coi raggi d’oro e d’argento adorni di pietre
preziose e si deponevano dinanzi ad esso le offerte dei Curachi e
dei rappresentanti delle provincie, consistenti in piccoli animali d’oro
o d’argento od oggetti di maggior pregio.
I ministri del tempio intanto sacrificavano grande numero di agnelli e
interrogavano ansiosamente le viscere, il cuore ed i polmoni d’un
agnello nero, per conoscere se il sole era soddisfatto di tutti quegli
omaggi.
Se dopo ucciso l’animale i polmoni palpitavano ancora, se i condotti
d’aria erano ben gonfi dopo d’avervi soffiato dentro, la risposta era
affermativa. In caso contrario sacrificavano un montone, poi un’altra
pecora e se anche queste davano infausti segni, i peruviani
ritenevano che l’astro maggiore fosse malcontento di loro e si
preparasse a punirli.
In seguito si bruciava il cuore delle vittime, si accendeva il fuoco
sacro mediante un vasettino concavo d’un metallo lucidissimo, entro
il quale, riflettendosi i raggi come nel centro d’una lente,
accendevano del cotone ben asciutto, si cucinavano con quello tutti
gli animali uccisi e le carni venivano dispensate ai presenti.
La festa terminava con una distribuzione di pezzettini di pane, detto
caucu, preparati dalle sacerdotesse del tempio del Sole, in sfide a
chi più beveva ed in brindisi senza fine.....
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