Should “bird brain” be a compliment? New research examines how crows think fast

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

C2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the passage for its main idea, then return to the relevant sentence or paragraph for each question. Base answers on the passage.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What is the article’s central purpose?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To argue that crows are generally smarter than humans
   2. To explain why crows deserve nuanced scientific consideration
   3. To describe the evolutionary history of primate intelligence
   4. To dispute the reliability of visual perception studies
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To explain why crows deserve nuanced scientific consideration

   It qualifies a familiar insult by presenting a nuanced account of crow cognition.

   The more measured conclusion is that crows possess cognitive capacities that merit careful study rather than dismissive labels.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “That similarity” refer to in paragraph three?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The similarity between crow and human physical appearance
   2. The similarity between crow and human habitats
   3. The similarity between crow and human information processing
   4. The similarity between crow and human decision speeds
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The similarity between crow and human information processing

   It refers to the resemblance between crow and human information processing.

   The study also indicates that crows process information in ways quite similar to humans.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the author explain visual information and decision-making?

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   1. To define the processes being compared in the study
   2. To prove that crows possess human language
   3. To establish that visual information is unreliable
   4. To identify the research location
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To define the processes being compared in the study

   The explanation clarifies the mental sequence underlying apparently rapid decisions.

   These stages may appear instantaneous, but they represent a demanding sequence of mental operations.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What relationship does the article establish between speed and intelligence?

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   1. Speed completely determines intelligence
   2. Speed is unrelated to cognition
   3. Speed matters but cannot establish overall superiority
   4. Speed matters only in humans
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Speed matters but cannot establish overall superiority

   It treats speed as relevant evidence but explicitly rejects it as a complete measure.

   Speed is only one dimension of cognition, and similarity in processing does not imply identical abilities, experiences, or forms of understanding.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How is the argument organized after the study’s main findings are introduced?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It moves from definitions to implications and qualifications
   2. It moves from criticism to unrelated historical examples
   3. It presents methods before introducing the research findings
   4. It contrasts two competing studies before stating its thesis
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It moves from definitions to implications and qualifications

   The article defines terms, explains significance, then narrows the conclusion.

   The reported comparison is therefore significant for two reasons.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What can reasonably be inferred about the phrase “bird brain”?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It accurately captures all avian cognitive abilities
   2. It may reflect an unjustifiably simplistic hierarchy
   3. It originated in the reported Science study
   4. It refers specifically to visual processing speed
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It may reflect an unjustifiably simplistic hierarchy

   The phrase is portrayed as an oversimplification contradicted by the findings.

   Together, the findings complicate the casual hierarchy implied by phrases such as “bird brain.”

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “solely through a human lens” imply?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Animal intelligence should be measured only by human observers
   2. Human intelligence is impossible to study objectively
   3. Human standards should not be the only evaluative framework
   4. Crows perceive the world exactly as humans do
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Human standards should not be the only evaluative framework

   It implies that human-centered standards may obscure other forms of intelligence.

   It does suggest, nonetheless, that intelligent behavior cannot be evaluated solely through a human lens.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which detail most directly supports the article’s qualified optimism?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The research supplied no specific location
   2. The expression is usually intended as an insult
   3. Crows’ intelligence may appear through unfamiliar forms
   4. Visual information includes shapes and movement
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Crows’ intelligence may appear through unfamiliar forms

   The final sentence acknowledges sophisticated behavior without equating it with human intelligence.

   A small bird’s brain may support rapid, sophisticated responses—even if its intelligence is expressed in ways that are unfamiliar to us.

What to review next

Find the words that support each answer. For a mistake, compare the question with the evidence and identify the detail or inference you missed.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.

Before you practise: a worked example

Look for evidence in the text. Separate what the writer says from what you already know about the topic.

The library normally closes at six, but on Fridays it stays open until eight. When does it close on Friday?

The answer is eight. But introduces an exception to the normal closing time, so the first time mentioned is not the answer.

This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.