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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. A systme of ductless glands taht secrete chemical messengers (into) the blood - has to be into the blood.






2. An ion channel specific for potassium found in the plasma membrane of all cells in the body. Leak channels are constitutively open and allow their specifi ion to move across the membrane according to its gadient. Potassium leak channels allow potassi






3. The portion of the brain responsible for visual and auditory startle reflexes.






4. The plasma membrane of a muscle cell.






5. An immune reaction directed against normal (necessary ) cells.Fo example - diabets melitus (typeI) is an autoimmun reaction directed against teh beta cells of the pancrease (destorying them and preventing insulin secretion) and aginst insulin itself.






6. 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.






7. A hormone produced from vitamin D that acts in essentially the same manner as parathyroid hormone.






8. The maintenance of relatively constant internal conditions (such as temperature - pressure - ion balance - pH - etc.) regardless of external conditions.






9. The connection of a mosin head group to an actin filament during muscle contraction (the sliding filament theory).






10. The layer of epithelial tissue that lines body cavities in contact with the outside environment (respiratory - digestive - urinary - and reproductive tracts).






11. Salivary amylase






12. 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.






13. Also called immunoblobins - the antibodies are protiens secreted by B- cells upon activation that bind in a highly specific manner to foreign proteins (such as those found of the surface of pathogens or transplanted tissues). The foreign proteins are






14. The regino of the sarcomere made up only of thin filaments. The I band is bisected by a Z line. I bands alternate with A bands to give skeletal and cardiac muscle a striated appearance. I bands get shorter (and may disappear completely) during muscle






15. A contact point between the afferent arteriole of the glomerulus and the distal convoluted tubule of the nephron. It is involved in regulating blood pressure.






16. A sensory receptor that responds to mechanical disturbances - such as shape changes (being squashed - bent - pulled - etc.). Mechanoreceptors include touch receptors in the skin - hair cells - in the ear - muscle spindles - and others.






17. 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).






18. The third stage of cellular respiration - in which acetyl - CoA is combined with oxaloacetate to form citric acid. The citric acid is then decarboxylated twice and isomerized to recreate oxaloacetate. In the process - 3 molecules of NADH - 1 molecule






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






20. Mendel's seond law. States that genes found on different chromosomes - or genes found very far apart on the same chromosome (i.e. - unlinked genes) sort independently of one another during gamete formation (meiosis).






21. (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.






22. A genotype in which two identical alleles are possessed for a given gene. The allelles can both be dominant (homozygous dominant) or both be recessive (homozygous recessive)






23. An enzyme present in erythrocytes (as well as in other places) that catalyzes the conversion of CO2 and H2O into carbonic acid (H2CO3).






24. The basic functional and structural unit of the nervous system. The neuron is a highly specialized cell - designed to transmit action potentials.






25. A long - whip - like filament that helps in cell motility. Many bacteria are flagellated - and sperm are flagellated.






26. Identical copies of a chromosome - produced during DNA replication and held together at the centromere Sister chromatids are separated during anaphase of mitosis.






27. A string of sarcomeres with a skeletal muscle cell (hence smaller than myofiber). Each muscle cell contains hundreds of myofibirils.






28. 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






29. The fourth of meiosis I. Telophase I is identical to mitotic telophase - except that the number of chromosoms is now reduced by half. After this phase the cell is considered to be haploid. Note however - that the chromosomes are still replicated - an






30. One of several vessels that carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart.






31. A single piece of double - stranded DNA; part of the genome of an organism. Prokaryotes have circular chromosomes and eukaryotes have linear chromosomes.






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






33. 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






34. A thick - gelatinous fluid found in the posterior segment of the eye (between the lens and the retina). The vireous humor is only produced during fetal development and helps maintain intraocular pressure (the pressure inside the eyeball).






35. Something that works together with another thing to augment the the second thing's activity. For example - a uscle that assists another muslce is said to be a syngergist. An enzyme that helps another enzyme is a synergist.






36. 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






37. The pressure in the (theoretical) space between the lung surface and the inner wall of the chest cavity.






38. (1) The integration of input (EPSPs and IPSPs) from many presynaptic neruons by a single postsynaptic neuron - either temporaly or spatially. Summation of al input can either stimulate the postsynaptic neuron and possibly lead to an action potential






39. The 3D site of an enzyme where substrates (reactants) bind and a chemical reaction is facilitated.






40. A structure composed of two coils of DNA wrapped around an octet of histone proteins. The nucleosome is the primary form of packagin of eukaryotic DNA.






41. An inactive precursor of an enzyme - activated by various methods (acid hydrolysis - cleavage by another enzyme - etc.)






42. Specif ic defense of the body by antibodies - secreted into the blood by B- cells.






43. The second major node of the cardiac conduction system (after the SA node). The cardiac impulse is delayed slightly at teh AV node - allowing the ventricles to contract just after the atria contract.






44. 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






45. The blood vessel that carries deoxygenated from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs.






46. Small paired gland found inferior to the prostate in males and at the posterior end of the penile urethra. They secrete an alkaline mucus on sexual arousal that helps toneutralize any traces of acidic urine the urethra that might be harmful to sperm.






47. 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






48. The uptake of material into a cell - usually by invagination. See also 'phagocytosis' - pinocytosis - and receptor - mediated endocytosis..






49. Anterior pituitary topic hormones FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and LH (luteinizing homeon) that stimulates the gonads (testes and ovaries) to produce gametes and to secrete sex steroids.






50. Excitatory postsynaptic potential; a slight depolarization of a postsynaptic cell - bringing the membrane potential of that cell closer to the threshold for an action potential.







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