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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. An organism that can survive in the presence of oxygen (oxygen is not toxic) - but that does not use oxygen during metabolism (anaerobic metabolism only).






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






3. A hormone produced and released by the kidney that stimulates the production of red blood cells by the bone marrow.






4. Genes that are inherited only from the mother - such as mitochondrial genes (all organelles come only from the ovum).






5. The first part of the large intestine.






6. The movement of air out of the respiratory tract. Expiration can be passive (caused by relaxation of the diaphragm and elastic recoil of the lungs) or active (caused by contraction of the abdominal muscles - which increases intraabdominal pressure an






7. The cord that connects the embryo of a developing mammal to the placenta in the uterus of the mother. The umbilical cord contains fetal arteries (carry blood toward the placenta) and veins (carry blood away from the placenta). The umbilical vessels d






8. The primary androgen (male sex steroid). Testosterone is a steroid hormone produced and secreted by the interstitial cells of the testes. It triggers the development of secondary male sex characteristics during puberty (including spermatogenesis) and






9. A region within the nucleus where rRNA is transribed and ribosomes are partially assembled.






10. An ion channel that is opened or closed based on the binding of a specific ligand to teh channel. Once opened - the channel allows the ion to cross the plasma membrane according to its concentration gradient. An examples is the acetylcholine receptor






11. The primary enzyme in peroxisomes; catalse catalyzes the hydrolysis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into water and oxygen.






12. Cells found in gastric glands that secrete hydrochloric acid (for hydrolysis of ingested food) and gastric intrinsic factor (for absorption of vitamin B-12).






13. The division between neighboring cardiac muscle cells. Intercalcated discs include gap junctions - which allow the cells to function as a unit.






14. One of several different nutrietns that must be consumed in the diet - and generally not synthesized in the body. Vitamins can be hdyrophobic (fat - solube) or hydrophilic (water - soluble).






15. A bacterial structure formed in unfavorable growth conditions. Endospores have very rough outer shells made of peptidoglycan and can survive harsh conditions. The bacterium inside the endospore is essentially dormant and can become active (called ger






16. The contribution of an individual gas to the total ppressure of a mixture of gases. Partial pressures are used to describe the amounts of the various gases carried in the bloodstream.






17. The relationship of muscle length to its ability to generate strong contractions. Maximum tension (contraction strength) is achieved at sarcomere lengths between 2.0 and 2.2 microns. Tension decreases outside of this range <-- remember.






18. A hormone produced and secreted by the parathyroid glands that increases serum calcium levels. It targets the bones (stimulates osteoclasts) - the kidneys (increases calcium reabsorption) - and the small intestine (increases calcium absorption).






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






20. Also called DNA pol - this is the enzyme that replicates DNA. Eukaryotes have a single version of the enzyme - simply called DNA pol (not need to know much detail); prokaryotes have three versions - called DNA pol I - DNA pol II - and DNA pol III.






21. Very small air tubes int eh respiratory system (diameter 0.5 - 1.0 mm). The walls of the bronchioles are made of smooth muscle (thus involunatry) to help regulate air flow.






22. The reduction of pyruvate to either ethanol or lactate in order to regenerate NAD+ from NADH. Fermentation occurs in the absence of oxygen - and allow glycolysis to continue under those conditions.






23. The enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine in the synaptic cleft.






24. 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.






25. The division of the autonomic nervous system known as the 'resting and digesting' system. It causes a general decrease in body activities such as heart rate - respiratory rate - and blood pressure - and an increase in blood flow to the GI tract and d






26. An enzyme that unwinds the double helix of DNA and separates the DNA strands in preparation for DNA replication.






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






28. The synapse between a motor neuron and a muscle cell. At the NMJ - the muscle cel lmembrane is invaginated and the axon terminus is elongated so that a greater area of membrane can be depolarized at one time.






29. The oxidation of high - energy electron carriers (NADH and FADH2) coupled to the phosphorylation of ADP - producing ATP. In eukaryotes - oxidative phosphorylation occurs in the mitochondira.






30. The portion of the hindbrain that controls respiratory and blood pressure - and specialized digestive and respiratory functions such as vomiting - sneezing - and coughing.






31. A passageway leading from behind the nasal cavity to the trachea. The pharynx is divided into three regions - named for their location. The nasopharynx is behind the nasal cavity - the oropharynx is behind the oral cavity - and the laryngopharynx is






32. The neurotransmitter used throughout the parasympathetic nervous system as well as the neuromuscular junction.






33. Movement across the membrane of a cell that does not require energy input from the cell. Passive transport relies on concentration gradients to provie the driving force for movement - and includes both simple and facilitated diffusion.






34. The capillaries that surround the tubules of the nephron. The vasa recta reclaims reabsorbed substances - such as water and sodium ions.






35. The first substrate in teh Krebs cycle - produced primarily from the oxidation of pyruvate by the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex - however acetyl - CoA is also produced during fatty acid oxidation and protein catabolism.






36. A virus that infects a bacterium.






37. A viral life cycle in which the viral genome is incorporated into the host genome where it can remain dormant for an unspecified period of time. Upon activation - the viral genome is excised from the host genome and typically enters the lytic cycle.






38. Also known as the Bundle of His - this is the first portion of the cardiac conduction system - after the AV node.






39. Three loop - like structures in the inner ear that contain sensory receptors to monitor balance.






40. An organism that requires the aid of a host organism to survive - and that harms the host in the process.






41. The interior of a mitochondrion (the region bounded by the inner membrane). - The matrix is the site of action of pyruvate dehydroganse complex and the Krebs cycle.






42. The female primary sex organ. The ovary produces female gametes (ova) and secretes estrogen and progesterone.






43. A viral life cycle in which the host is turned into a 'virus factory' and ultimately lysed to release the new viral particles.






44. 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'.






45. A contractile protein connecting microtubules in the '9+2- arrangement of cilia and eukaryotic flagella. The contraction of dynein produces the characteristic movement of these structures.






46. High frequency of recombination bacterium An F+ bacterium that has the fertility factor integrated into its chromosome. When conjugation takes place - it is able to transfer not only the F factor - but also its genomic DNA.






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






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






49. A hormone secreted by the samll intestine (duodenum) in response to the presence of fats. It promotes release of bile from the gallbladder and pancreatic juice from the pancreas - and reduces stomach motility.






50. Also known as the cortical reaction - the slow block invovles an increase in intracellular [Ca2+] in the egg - which causes the release of cortical granules near the egg plasma membrane. This results in the hardening of the zona pellucida and its sep






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