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Information and IdeasHardInference about sleep and memory

Information and Ideas practice question

In a study, volunteers learned a list of word pairs in the evening. Half then slept for eight hours; the other half stayed awake through the night and slept the following day. When tested a week later, the group that slept immediately recalled many more pairs, even though both groups had eventually had the same total amount of sleep. The researchers concluded that what matters for memory is ____

Which choice most logically completes the text?

  1. A. not just how much one sleeps but whether sleep follows soon after learning.Correct
  2. B. the total amount of sleep over a week.
  3. C. learning in the evening rather than the morning.
  4. D. the number of word pairs studied.

Answer: A. not just how much one sleeps but whether sleep follows soon after learning.

Same total sleep, different timing, different recall.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. the total amount of sleep over a week.
Total sleep was equal for both groups.
C. learning in the evening rather than the morning.
Both groups learned in the evening.
D. the number of word pairs studied.
Both groups studied the same list.

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