Biology Review Practice Test

Biology Review Practice Test

Directions: A good score is at least 18 (out of 25 questions) correct. It’s best to have a friend check your score the first time, so you won’t memorize the answers if you want to take the test again.

1. The skin and skeleton can be legitimately studied together because:

(a) They both arise from two neighboring germ layers in the embryo

(b) Each is composed of hard bony tissue

(c) Neither is the exact opposite of the other

(d) Organ systems never die

(e) Oftentimes both types of systems are missing in late embryos

2. Substance mainly responsible for waterproofing human skin:

(a) Keratin

(b) Melanin

(c) Glycogen

(d) Albumen

(e) Chlorophyll

3. Possess an endoskeleton comprised of bone and joint connective tissue:

(a) Most arthropods

(b) Some crabs

(c) A few types of fish, only

(d) Most spiders

(e) Humans and most other vertebrates

4. Maintenance of blood calcium homeostasis is important because:

(a) Ca ⁺⁺ is essential for all enzyme function

(b) Bone matrix cannot store many calcium ions

(c) Contractions of all body muscles depend upon an adequate supply of blood Ca ⁺⁺

(d) Homeostasis can never be violated

(e) People’s bones are easily fractured when there is too much body calcium

5. Within a bone–muscle lever system, the ______ usually serves as the fulcrum:

(a) Tendon

(b) Joint

(c) Synovial membrane

(d) Ligament

(e) Bursa

6. Perimysium is located where within a skeletal muscle organ?

(a) Around each fascicle of muscle fibers

(b) Lying upon the entire muscle organ

(c) Within each bundle or fascicle of fibers

(d) Between fascicles, but within the muscle organ

(e) Neither within nor outside of muscle fiber fascicles

7. According to the sliding filament theory, muscle fibers contract because:

(a) Thin actin myofilaments slide inward over tilted myosin crossbridges

(b) Thick myosin myofilaments become longer, causing the actin to shorten

(c) Myofibrils pile upon one another, somewhat like an accordion

(d) Thick myosin myofilaments slide outward over vertical actin crossbridges

(e) Muscle proteins are progressively destroyed and digested

8. Spinal nerves and individual peripheral nerves are considered parts of the:

(a) CNS

(b) Spinal cord

(c) Cerebrum

(d) PNS

(e) Neuromuscular junction

9. Sensory receptors are specialized nerve endings that are sensitive to a particular kind of:

(a) Thought impulse

(b) Stimulus

(c) ACh molecule

(d) Motor impulse

(e) Higher motor neuron

10. Exocrine glands:

(a) Are without ducts

(b) Secrete major hormone products

(c) Depend upon ducts to carry their secretions

(d) Release messengers into the bloodstream

(e) Include the thyroid and anterior pituitary

11. Releasing hormones are:

(a) Secreted into the bloodstream by special neurons in the hypothalamus

(b) Sent into a system of ducts

(c) Produced by epithelial cells within the posterior pituitary gland

(d) Modified by the adrenal cortex before they are actually secreted

(e) Named for their direct influence upon the thyroid gland

12. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) primarily acts to:

(a) Release insulin into the bloodstream

(b) Enhance the development of ovarian follicles and their secretion of estrogen and progesterone

(c) Rupture the mature ovarian follicles, resulting in ovulation

(d) Decrease the rate of secretion of growth hormone (GH)

(e) Reduce the symptoms of tissue inflammation

13. Helps the adrenal medulla carry out the “Fight-or-Flight” stress response:

(a) Corpus luteum

(b) Secondary sex characteristic

(c) Sympathetic portion of the nervous system

(d) The structure of the progesterone molecule

(e) A calm, serene, mental attitude

14. An alternate name for the cardiovascular system:

(a) Respiratory network

(b) Pituitary stalk

(c) Circulatory system

(d) Endocrine system

(e) Integumentary system

15. The tiniest blood vessels:

(a) Capillaries

(b) Veins

(c) Arterioles

(d) Arteries

(e) Venules

16. Have a two-chambered heart with only a single circulation:

(a) Fish

(b) Amphibians

(c) Reptiles

(d) Humans

(e) All other mammals besides humans

17. The contraction and emptying phase of each heart chamber:

(a) Systole

(b) “Dupp”

(c) Diastole

(d) Cardiac cycle

(e) “Lubb”

18. A below normal or “deficient” blood pressure:

(a) Normotension

(b) Arteriosclerotic heart disease

(c) Hypotension

(d) Atherosclerosis

(e) Hypertension

19. Closely associated with immunity:

(a) Human exoskeleton

(b) Digestive tract

(c) Lymphatic and reticuloendothelial system

(d) Nodal tissue

(e) Myocardium

20. External respiration occurs between the blood in the _____ and the air in the _____:

(a) Systemic arterioles; pulmonary capillaries

(b) Pulmonary capillaries; alveoli

(c) Pulmonary arteries; alveoli

(d) Bronchi; trachea

(e) Systemic capillaries; bronchioles

21. Fish respiration differs from that in land-dwelling animals in that they:

(a) Extract much more oxygen from the surrounding air

(b) Have a better defense mechanism to protect wet breathing surfaces from dehydration

(c) Utilize H ₂ O as a source for both obtaining O ₂ and excreting CO ₂

(d) Take advantage of the lungs as a mechanism for ventilation

(e) Possess five lungs, instead of just two

22. A flexible flap of cartilage forming the lid over the voice box:

(a) Epiglottis

(b) Primary bronchus

(c) Glottis

(d) Thyroid cartilage

(e) Laryngeal prominence

23. Digestion:

(a) The movement of food from the pharynx into the esophagus

(b) A type of peristalsis found in the human stomach

(c) Essentially the same thing as caloric balance

(d) The chemical and physical breakdown of food

(e) Passage of nutrients across the wall of the digestive tube, into the blood

24. Consists of the duodenum plus the jejunum plus the ileum:

(a) Small intestine

(b) Colon

(c) Cecum

(d) Vermiform appendix

(e) Rectum

25. In humans, the stage of development from the third month after fertilization:

(a) Blastula

(b) Embryo

(c) Yolk sac

(d) Fetus

(e) Zygote

Answers:

1. A

2. A

3. E

4. C

5. B

6. A

7. A

8. D

9. B

10. C

11. A

12. B

13. C

14. C

15. A

16. A

17. A

18. C

19. C

20. B

21. C

22. A

23. D

24. A

25. D