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AP Psychology Practice Quiz: Gender and Sexual Orientation

Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026

Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 7 questions to check your progress.

Question 1 of 7

A person is born with XX chromosomes and female genitalia, but has a deep, internal sense of being a man. In this context, the XX chromosomes represent the person's biological ________, while their internal sense of being a man represents their ________.

All Questions (7)

A person is born with XX chromosomes and female genitalia, but has a deep, internal sense of being a man. In this context, the XX chromosomes represent the person's biological ________, while their internal sense of being a man represents their ________.

A) gender identity; sex

B) sex; gender identity

C) gender role; gender expression

D) sex; gender role

Correct Answer: B

Sex refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define males and females, such as chromosomes (XX, XY) and genitalia. Gender identity is an individual's personal, internal sense of their own gender, which may or may not correspond to their sex assigned at birth.

Four-year-old Maya observes her mother putting on makeup and her father fixing the car. Her parents praise her when she plays with her dolls, saying, "You're such a good little mommy!" This process of learning gendered behavior through observation, imitation, and reinforcement is best explained by which of the following theories?

A) Gender Schema Theory

B) Social Learning Theory

C) Psychoanalytic Theory

D) Evolutionary Psychology

Correct Answer: B

Social Learning Theory, championed by Albert Bandura, posits that individuals learn behaviors, including gender roles, by observing and imitating others (models) and through a system of rewards and punishments for their actions. Maya is observing her parents and being directly reinforced for gender-conforming behavior.

Upon realizing he is a boy, a young child begins to actively organize his world into 'boy things' and 'girl things.' He pays more attention to male characters in stories and prefers toys he has mentally labeled as being for boys. This cognitive process of forming mental frameworks to guide gender-typed behavior is a central concept of:

A) Social Learning Theory

B) Biological Essentialism

C) Gender Schema Theory

D) Social Role Theory

Correct Answer: C

Gender Schema Theory suggests that children are active participants in their own gender socialization. They form schemas, or mental frameworks, about what it means to be male or female in their culture. These schemas then influence what they notice, remember, and how they behave, as the child actively tries to align their behavior with their schema.

The set of expected behaviors, attitudes, and traits for males and for females within a given culture are referred to as:

A) gender identities

B) gender expressions

C) sexual orientations

D) gender roles

Correct Answer: D

Gender roles are the social and cultural norms and expectations for how males and females should think, feel, and act. These roles can vary significantly across different cultures and over time.

While parents are a primary influence on gender socialization in early childhood, the influence of which agent of socialization typically increases during middle childhood and adolescence, often enforcing gender norms more rigidly through social approval or rejection?

A) Teachers

B) Media

C) Peer groups

D) Religious institutions

Correct Answer: C

During middle childhood and especially adolescence, the desire for peer acceptance becomes a powerful motivator. Peer groups often establish and enforce strict gender norms, and conformity is rewarded with inclusion while nonconformity can lead to social rejection. This makes peers a highly influential force in gender socialization during these developmental stages.

From a biological perspective, the development of primary male sex characteristics during prenatal development is most directly triggered by the secretion of:

A) estrogens

B) androgens

C) progesterone

D) oxytocin

Correct Answer: B

Androgens are the class of sex hormones, including testosterone, that are present in higher levels in males. Their presence during critical periods of prenatal development is responsible for the development of male reproductive organs and other primary sex characteristics.

A developmental psychologist explains that a child's gender development is the result of a combination of their genetic predispositions and prenatal hormone exposure, their learned behaviors from observing family members, and the cultural expectations they encounter. This explanation best exemplifies which approach to development?

A) A purely social-cognitive approach

B) A biopsychosocial approach

C) A strictly psychoanalytic approach

D) A behavioral genetics approach

Correct Answer: B

The biopsychosocial approach posits that development is a product of the complex interaction of biological influences (genes, hormones), psychological influences (learned behaviors, cognition), and social-cultural influences (family, cultural expectations). The psychologist's explanation integrates all three of these levels of analysis.