ProCon’s Animal Testing Quiz

Question: What is “speciesism”?

Answer: In Animal Liberation: A New Ethics for Our Treatment of Animals (1975), Australian philosopher Peter Singer galvanized the animal rights and anti-testing movements by popularizing the notion of “speciesism” as something akin to racism, sexism, and other forms of prejudice.

Question: What was the first living creature to orbit Earth?

Answer: The first living creature to orbit Earth was Laika, a stray dog sent into space by the Soviet Union on November 3, 1957. Laika died of overheating and panic early in the mission.

Question: What do the “Three Rs” of humane experimentation represent?

Answer: In The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique (1959), zoologist William Russell and microbiologist Rex Burch established the “Three Rs” of humane experimentation. The “Three Rs” were incorporated into the U.S. Animal Welfare Act of 1966 and formed the basis of many international animal welfare laws.

Question: “The Queen has been dreadfully shocked at the details of some of these [animal research] practices, and is most anxious to put a stop to them.” Which queen is being referred to?

Answer: Queen Victoria, ruler of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 to 1901, was an early opponent of animal testing. Her opinion helped spur the world’s first law regulating the use of live animals in scientific research: Great Britain’s Cruelty to Animals Act of 1876.

Question: Which scientist famously proved the “conditioned reflex” by causing dogs to salivate?

Answer: Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849–1936) demonstrated the “conditioned reflex” by training dogs to salivate upon hearing the sound of a bell or an electric buzzer.

Question: Animal testing is used for which of the following?

Answer: Animal testing is used to develop medical treatments, determine the toxicity of medicine, check the safety of products destined for human use, and for other biomedical, commercial, and healthcare reasons.

Question: What does vivisection mean?

Answer: Vivisection, the dissection of a living organism, was practiced on people who were considered criminals in Alexandria (ancient Egypt) and ancient Rome, but prohibitions in ancient Greece against the mutilation of the human body led to a reliance on animal subjects.

Question: Which of the following is not an argument for banning animal testing?

Answer: The belief that animal testing contributes to lifesaving cures and treatments for humans and animals alike is a frequent argument in favor of animal testing.