1. An elephant's tusks and trunk or a snake's venom are two examples of evolutionary adaptations for which two basic aspects of life?

a) feeding and defense
b) detection and mating
c) defense and offense
d) mating and feeding

2. The main difference between venom and poison is that venoms are found in snakes while poisons exist in other species.

True
False

3. Which definition best compares poisons and venoms?

a) Poison kills you slowly through incremental weakening of the body, whereas venom works very quickly to shut down basic body functions.
b) Poison attacks the nervous system and paralyzes the victim, whereas venom attacks blood-clotting elements that cause the victim essentially to bleed to death.
c) Poison is distributed throughout, or in large areas of, an animal's body, whereas venom is produced, stored and delivered in a specific set of organs and not distributed in other tissues.
d) There is essentially no difference between poison and venom, as both are found throughout the animal kingdom.

4. Venomous creatures have to be very careful not to accidentally poison themselves if they bite themselves.

True
False

5. A snake, but not a poisonous frog, would use a toxin for the following reason.

a) defense
b) camouflage
c) disorienting predators by smell
d) digestion

6. Immobilizing prey is one of the chief functions of neurotoxins found in snake venom. Which of the following is NOT an example of how snake venom neurotoxin immobilize its victims?

a) Inhibiting acetylcholine release from the nerve terminal so electric signals between nerve and muscle cannot be transmitted.
b) Creating abnormally high releases of acetylcholine at the nerve terminal causing a neuromuscular blockage.
c) Directly breaking muscle cell walls (membranes) by small molecules called alkaloids that in turn make it harder for the muscles to work.
d) Blocking potassium or calcium ion channels, which interferes with the way nerve cells communicate with other cells.

7. With most neurotoxic snake venoms (e.g. cobra, sea snake), death usually occurs because

a) fluid fills the lungs, causing asphyxiation.
b) ion channels get blocked, causing respiratory paralysis.
c) muscular paralysis allows the snakes to eat the immobilized victim.
d) blood coagulates in the veins and arteries.

8. Venoms components can also act as enzymes. An example of this would be:

a) crotalase attaching itself to a nerve cell receptor.
b) glucose binding to a fibrinogen polymer.
c) crotalase splitting fibrin peptide A.
d) fibrinogen cleaving acetylcholine.