Test your basic knowledge |

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. The folds of skin that enclose the vaginal and urethral openings of females.






2. General - non - specific protection to the body - including the skin (barrier) - gastric acid - phagocytes - lysozyme - and complement.






3. 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).






4. The RF value - the percentage of recombinant offspring resulting from a given genetic cross. The recombination frequency is proportional to the physical distance between genes on a chromosome. If a recombination frequency is low - the genes under con






5. A function of the reproductive system controlled by the sympathetic nervous system. In males - organs includes emission and ejaculation; in females it is mainly a series of rhythmic contraction of the pelvic floor muscles and the uterus.






6. A specialized region at the ends of eukaryotic chromosmes that contains several repeats of a particular DNA sequence. These ends are maintained (in some cells) with the help of a special DNA poymerase called telomerase. In cells that lack telomerase






7. The specific location on a DNa strand where replication begins.. Prokaryotes typically have a single origin of replication - while eukaryotes have several per chromosome.






8. Also called vasopressin - this hormone is produced in the hypothalamus and secreted by teh posterior pituitary gland. It tartes teh kidney tubules - increasing their permeability to water - adn thus increasing water retention by the body. Also raises






9. Specialized tissue with a lot of space that can fill with blood upon proper stimulation - causing teh tissue to become firm. Erectile tissue is found in the penis - the clitoris - the labia - and the nipples.






10. The first phase of mitosis. During prophase the replicated chromosomes condense - the spindle is formed - and the nuclear envelope breaks apart into vessicles.






11. A projection of the cell body of a neuron that recieves a nerve impulse form a different neuron and send the impulse to the cell body. Neurons can have one or several dendrites!






12. The movement of water (the solvent) from its region of high concentration to its region of low concentration. NOte that the water concnetration gradient is opposite to the solute concentration gradient - since where solutes are concentrated - water i






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






14. (Singular:villus). Folds of the intestinal mucosa that project into the lumen of the intestine; vili serve to increase the surface area of the intestine for absorption.






15. 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.






16. A fluid - filled sphere formed about 5 days after fertilization of an ovum that is made up of an outer ring of cells and inner cell mass. THis is the structure that implants in the endometrium of the uterus.






17. The smalles of all blodo vessles - typically having a diamtere just large neough for blood cells to pass through in single file. Capillaries have extremelyu thin walls to faciliate the exchange of material between the blood and the tissues.






18. A mechanism for increasing tension (contractile length) in a muscle by activating more motor units.






19. Pepsinogen - secreting cells foudn at teh bottom of the gastric glands






20. The neurotransmitter used by the sympathetic division of the ANS at the postganglionic (organ - level ) synapse.






21. The largest of the cytoplasmic filaments. Microtubules are composed of two types of protein - alpha tubulin and beta tubulin. They are dynamic fibers - constantly being built up and broken down - according to cellular needs. Microtubules form the mit






22. The intracellular process triggered by the binding of a ligand to its receptor on the cell surface. Typically this activates seond messenger pathways.






23. A group of blood proteins that bind non - specifically to the surface proteins of foreign cells (such as bacteria) - ultimately leading to the destruction of the foreign cell - part of the innate immunity.






24. A neuron found completely within the central nervous system. Interneous typically connect sensory and motor neurons - especially in reflex arcs.






25. An organism that has only a single copy of its genome in each of its cells. Haploid organisms possess no homolous chromosomes.






26. A pigmented membrane found just in from the lens of the eye. In the center of iris is the pupil - a hole through which light enters the eyeball. The iris regulates the diameter of the pupil in response to the brightness of light.






27. The entropy (disorder) of the universe (or system) tends to increase.






28. The point during development at which a cell becomes committed to a particular fate (sensory - other - etc.). Note that the cell is not differentiated at this point; determination comes before differentiation. Determination can be due to cytoplasmic






29. The allele in a heterozygous genotype that is expressed; the phenotype resulting from either a heterozygous genotype or a homozygous dominant genotype.






30. 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






31. 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.






32. The amount of energy required to produce the transition state of a chemical reaction. If the activation energy for a reaction is very high - the reaction occurs very slowly. Enzymes (and other catalysts) increase reaction rates by reducing activation






33. 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






34. The space between the inner and outer cell membranes in Gram - negative bactera. The peptidoglycan cell wall is found in the periplasmic space - and this space sometimes contains enzymes to degrade antibiotics.






35. The burrowing of a blastocyst (a developing embryo) into the endometrium of the uterus - typically occuring about a week after fertilizaiton.






36. The depolarzation of the motor end plate on a muscle cell.






37. The second most common of the five classes of leukocytes. Lymphocytes are involved in specific immunity and include two cell types - B- cells and T cells. B- cells produce and secrete antibodies and T- cells are invovled in cellular immunity.






38. A bundle of skeletal muscle cells. Fascicles group together to form skeletal muscles.






39. A blood vessel that carries blood toward the heart chambers. Veins do not have muscular walls - have valves to ensure that blood flows in one direction only - and are typically low - pressure vessels.






40. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin - a hormone secreted by the trophoblast cells of a blasocyst (i.e. developing embryo) that prolongs the life of the corpus luteum - and thus increases the duration and amount of secreted progesterone. This helps to mainta






41. A thin - watery fluid found in teh anterior segment of the eye (between the lens and the cornea). THe aqueous humor is constantly produced and drained - adn helps to bring nutrients to the lesn and corena - as well as to remove metabolic wastes






42. The characteristics of amolecule that has both polar (hydrophilic) and non - polar hydrophobic) regions - e.g. phospholipids - bile - etc.






43. The layer of ciliated - mucus - covered cells in the respiratory tract.The cilia continually beat - sweeping contaminated mucus upward toward the pharynx.






44. Bacteria that have a thin peptidoglycan cell wall covered by an outer plasma membrane. They stain very lightly (pink) in Gram stain. Gram - negative bacteria are typically more resistant to antibiotics than Gram - positive bacteria.






45. The flexible membrane in teh chochlea that supports the organ of Corti (structure which contains the hearing receptors). The fibers of the basilar membrane are short and stiff near the oval windown and long and fleaxible near the apex of the cochlea.






46. Small convoluted tubules in the testes where spermatogenesis takes place.






47. A situation in which a heterozygot displays a blended version of the pheotypes associated with each allele - e.g. pure - breeding white - flowered plants crossed with pure - breeding red - flowered plants produces heterozygous offspring plants with p






48. A cell characterized by the presence of a nucleus and other membrane - bound organelles. Eukaryotes can be unicellular (protists) or multicellular (fungi - plants and animals).






49. The normal configuration of double - stranded DNA in which the 5' end of oen strand is paired with the 3' end of the other






50. Extremely small pseudo - cells in the blood - important for clotting. They are not true cells - but are broken - off bits of a larger cell (a megakaryocyte).







Sorry!:) No result found.

Can you answer 50 questions in 15 minutes?


Let me suggest you:

Browse all subjects

Browse all tests

Most popular tests



Major Subjects

Tests & Exams


AP
CLEP
DSST
GRE
SAT
GMAT

Browse all subjects

Browse all tests

Most popular tests