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MCAT Prep Biology

Subjects : mcat, science
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Zygot - derived projections that extend into the endometrium of the uterus during pregnancy. Fetal capillaries grow into the placental villi - which are surrounded by a pool of maternal blood. THis facilitates nutrient and gas exchange between the mo






2. The volume of air inhaled and exhaled in a normla - resting breath - typically about 500 mL.






3. Something that acts to oppose the action of something else. For example - muscles that move a join in oppoiste direction are said to be antagonists.






4. An abdominal organ that is considered part of the immune system. THe spleen has four functions: (1) it filters antigen from the blood (2) it is the site of B cell maturation - (3) it stors blood - and (4) it destroys old red blood cells.






5. A long - coiled duct on the outside of the testis in which sperm mature.






6. One of the contractie proteins in muscle tissue. In skeletal and cardiac muscles - myosin forms the thick filaments. Myosin has intrinsic ATPase activity and can exist in two conformation - either high energy or low energy.






7. The movement of teh membrane potential of a cell away from rest potential in a more positive direction.






8. Small organelles that contain the hydrogen peroxide produced as a byproduct of lipid metabolism. Peroxisomes convert hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen by way of the enzyme catalase.






9. A small - extrachromosomal (outside the genome) - circular DNA molecule found in prokaryotes.






10. Photoreceptors in the retina of the eye that responds to bright light and provide color vision.






11. Also called thryoid hormone - thyroxine is produced and secreted by follicle cells in the thyroid gland. it targets all cells in the body and increases overall body metabolism.






12. The 28 days of the menstrual cycle as they apply to the events in the uterus. The endometrial cycle is also known as the uterine cycle - and has the three subphases: menstruation - the proliferative phase - and the secretory phase.






13. The failure of homologous chromosomes or sister chromatids to separate properly during cell division. This could ocur during anaphase I of meiosis (homologous chromosomes) [--> leaving 2 gametes w/ 2 copies and 2 gametes w/ no copies of chromosome] -






14. An embryonic structure particularly important in egg - laying animals because it contains the yolk - the only source of nutrients for the embryo developing inside the egg. In humans - the yolk sac is very small (since mammals get their nutrients via






15. The principal glucocorticoid secreted from teh adrenal cortex. This steroid hormone is released ruing stress - causing increased blood glucose levels and reducing inflammation. The latter effect has led to a clinical use of cortisol as an anti - infl






16. The portion of the diencephalon involved in maintaining body homeostasis. the hypothalamus also controls the release of hormones from the pituitary gland.






17. The final phase of the digestive tract - also called the colon. The primary funcion of the large intestine is to reabsorb water and to store the feces.






18. A tropic hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland that targets the thyroid gland - stimulating it to produce and release thyroid hormone.






19. The plasma membrane of a muscle cell.






20. A thick - transpartent coating rich in glycoproteins that surrounds an oocyte.






21. The birth canal; the stretchy - muscular passageway through which a baby exits the uterus during childbirth.






22. The first phase of meiosis I. During prophase I the replicated chromosomes condense - homologous chromsomes pair up - crossing over occurs between homologous chromosomes - the spindle is formed - and the nuclear envelope breaks apart into vesicles. P






23. An integral membrane protein that undergoes a conformational change to move a molecule from one side of the membrane to another. See also 'uniporter' - 'antiporter' - and 'symporter'.






24. The outer protein coat of a virus (the whole coat)






25. A hormone released by the anterior pituitary that targets all cells in the body. Growth hormone stimulates whole body growth in children and adolescents - adn increases cell turnover rate in adults.






26. A globular protein that ssociated with tropomyosin as part of the thin filament of the sarcomere. Troponin binds Ca2+ - which causes the conformaiton change in tropomyosin required to expose the myosin - binding sites on actin and initiate muscle con






27. The fourth and final phase of meiosis II. Telophase II is identical to mitotic telophase - except that the number of chromosomes was reduced by half during meiosis. I.






28. Multiple sites of replication found on large - linear eukaryotic linear eukaryotie chromosomes.






29. The primary male sex organ. The testes are suspended outside the body cavity in the scrotum and have two functions (1) produce sperm - and (2) secrete testosterone.






30. The environment in which or upon Which bacteria grow. It typically contains a sugar source and any other nutrients that bacteria may require. 'Minimal medium' contain nothing but glucose.






31. A nucleoside with one or more phosphate gropus attached. Nucleoside triphosphates (NTPs) are the building blocks of RNA and are also used as energy molecules - especially ATP. Deoxynucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs) are the building blocks of DNA; in t






32. The primary muscle of inspiration. The diaphragm is stimulated to contract at regular intervals by the respiratory center in the medulla oblongata (via the phrenic nerve). Although it is made of skeletal muscle (and can therefore be voluntary control






33. A bacterium having a spiral shape (plural = spirochetes)






34. The valves in the heart that separate the ventricles from the arteries. The pulmonary semilunar valve separates the right ventricle from the pulmonary artery - and the aortic semilunar valve separates left ventricle from the aorta. These valves close






35. Fingerlike projection of the uterin (fallopian) tubes that drape over the ovary.






36. Enzymes secreted by the mucosal cells lining the intestine. The brush border enzymes are disaccharides adn dipeptidases taht digest the smallest peptides and carbohydrates into their respective monomers.






37. The allele in a heterozygou genotype that is not expressed; the phenotype resulting from possession of two recessive alleles (homozygous recessive).






38. An organism that relies on a chemical source of energy (such as ATP) instead of light (which phototrophs).






39. A type of cell division (in diploid cells) that reduces the number of chromosomes by half. Meiosis usualy produces haploid gametes in organisms that undergo sexual reproduction. It consists of a single interphase (G1 - S - and G2) followed by two set






40. A hormone secreted by the small intestine (duodenum) in response to the presence of food. It decreases the rate at which chyme leaves the stomach and enters the small intestine.






41. Also called negative feedback - the inhibition of an early step in a series of events by the product of a later step in the series. This has the effect of stopping the series of events when the products are plentiful and the series is unnecesseary. F






42. A band of carilage (hyaline) found between the diaphysis and epiphyses of long bones during childhood and adolescence. Cell proliferation in the middle of the eiphyseal plate essentially forces teh diaphysis and epiphyses further apart - while the ol






43. Myelinated axons






44. The muscular femal organ - in which a baby develops during pregnancy.






45. A pathway through a plasma membrane that restrics passage based only on the size of the molecules. Pore are made from porin proteins.






46. A microscopic space between the axon of one neuron and the cell body or dendrites of a secon neruon - or between the axon of a neuron and an organ.






47. A receptor that responds to changes in body position - such as stretch on a tendon - or contraction of a muscle. These receptor allow us to be consciously aware of the position of our body parts.






48. A trop hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gand that targets the adrenal cortex - stimulating it to relase corisol and aldosterone.






49. The movement of air into the respiratory tract. Inspiration is an active process - requiring contraction of the diaphragm.






50. Muscle tissue that is attached to the bones. SKeletal muscle is striated multinucleate - and under voluntary control.