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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. One of two large chambers in the heart. The ventricles receive blood from the atria and pump it out of the lungs of the heart. The right ventricle has thing walls and pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs through the pulmonary artery. The left ventri






2. A general cell junction - used primarily for adhesion.






3. Produced in muscle cells from the reduction of pyruvate (under anaerobic conditions) to regenerate NAD+ so that glycolysis can continue. A rise in lactic acid usually accompanies an increase in physical activity.






4. A constant input to the arteries that keeps them somewhat constricted to maintain a basal level of blood pressure.






5. A blood protein produced by the liver. Albumin helps to mantain blood osmotic pressure (oncotic pressure)






6. Steroid hormones secreted from the adrenal cortex. The two major classes are teh mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids. Aldosterone is the principal mineralocorticoid - and cortisol is the principal glucorcorticoid.






7. A region at the head of a sperm cell that contains digestive enzyems which - when released during the acrosome reaction - can facilitate penetration of the corona radiata of the egg - and subsequently - fertilization






8. A rapid from of action potential conduction along the axon of a neuron in which the action potential appears to jump from nodde of Ranvier to node of Ranvier.






9. A point mutation in which a condon that specifies an amino acid is mutated into a stop (nonsense) codon.






10. A large - mature - ovarian follicel with a well - developed antrum and a secondary oocyte. Ovulation of the oocyte occurs from this type of follicle.






11. The outer layer of smooth muscle in the wall of the digestive tract. When the longitudinal muscle contracts the tube shortens.






12. A type of lymphocyte. The major subtypes of T cells are the helper T cells (CD4) and the killer T cells (CD8 - or cytotoxic T cells). Helper T cells secrete chemicals that help killer Ts and B cells proliferate. Killer T cells destroy abnormal self -






13. A blood clot that forms in an unbrokened blood vessel. Thrombi are dangerous they can break free and begin travelin in the bloodstream (become an embolus). Emboli ultimately become stuck in a small vessel and prevent adequate blood delivery to tissue






14. The removal ( and usually the activation) of a viral genome from its host's genome.






15. A short period of time **prior to exponential growth of a bacterial population during which no - or very limited - cell division occurs.






16. An organism that lacks a nucleus or any other memrane - bound organelles. All prokaytes belong to the Kingdom Monera (not protista!)






17. A looser - more porous type of bone tissue found at the inner core of the epiphyses in long bones and all other bone types. Spongy gone is filed with red bone marrow - important in blood cell formation.






18. 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).






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






20. 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






21. Sperm production; occurs in human males on a daily basis from puberty until death. Spermatogenesis results in the production of four mature gametes (sperm) from a single precursor cell (spermatogonium). For maximum sperm viability - spermatogenesis r






22. Integration by a postsynaptic neuron of inputs (EPSPs and IPSPs) from multiple sources.






23. A function in the reproductive system - controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system - that includes erection (via dilation of erectile arteries) and lubrication.






24. 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.






25. A version of a gene. For example - the gene may be for eye color - and the allels include those for brown eyes - those for blu e eyes - those green eyes - etc. At most - dploid organsims can posses only two alleles for a given gene - one on each of t






26. An enzyme that polymerizes a strand of DNA by reading an RNA template (an RNA dependent DNa polymerase); used by retrovirus in order to integrate their genome with the host cell genome.






27. A gene appearing in a single copy in diploid organisms - e.g. X- linked genes in human males.






28. The portion of the nephron where water reabsorption is regulated via antidiuretic hormone (ADH). Several nephrons empty into each collecting duct - and this is the final region through which urine must passon its way to the ureter.






29. All parts of the nervous system except for the brain and spinal cord.






30. A nonliving - intracellular parasite. Viruses are typically just pieces of nucleic aid surrounded by a protein coat.






31. A duodenal enzyme that activates trypsinogen (from the pancreas) to trypsin.






32. One of the four aromatic bases found in DNA and RNA. Guanine is a purine; it pairs with cytosine.






33. A drop in blood pH due to hypoventilation (too little breathing) and a resulting accumulation of Co2.






34. An enzyme that digests starch into disaccharides. Amylase is secreted by salivary glands and by the pancreas.






35. The region of the nephron that surrounds the glomerulus. The capsule ollects the plasma that is filtered from teh capillaries in the glomerulus.

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36. Small cavities in the bone or cartilage that hold individual bones or cartilage cells.






37. The period of exponential growth of bacterial population.






38. A system of blood vessels where the blood passes from arteries to capillaries to veins - then through a second set of capillaries - and then through a final set of veins. THere are two portal systems in the body - the hepatic portal system and the hy






39. The movement of the membrane potential of a cell away from rest potential in a more negative direction.






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






41. A hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary that tarets the mammary glands stimulating them to produce breastmilk.






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






43. The clear portion of the tough outer layer of teh eye ball - found over the iris and pupil






44. A type of white blood cell; leukocytes are either B or T cells and are involved in disease defense.






45. 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






46. A methylated guanine nucleotide added to the 5' end of eukaryotic mRNA. The cap is necessary to initiate translation of mRNA

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47. Also called transverse tubules - these are deep invaginations of the plasma membrane found in skeletal and cardiac muscle cells. These invaginations allow depolarization of the membrane to quickly penetrate to the interior of the cell.






48. 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






49. An enzyme that transcribes RNa. Prokaryotes have a single RNA pol - while eukaryotes have three; in eukaryotes - RNA pol I transcribes rRNA - RNA pol II transcribes mRNA - and RNA pol III transcribes tRNA.






50. The formatino of the nervous system during weeks 5-8 of gestation. Neuralation begins when a section of the ectoderm invaginates and pinches off to form the neural groove - which ultimately forms the neural tube - From which the brain and spinal cord