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






2. The mass of cells in the blastocyst that ultimately give rise to the embryo and other embryonic structues (the amion - the umbilical vessels - etc.)






3. Paired masses of lymphatic tissue near the back of the throat that help trap inhaled or swallowed pathogens.






4. A mature - cartilage cell.






5. A clear fluid the circulates around through the brain and spinal cord that helps to physially support teh brain and act as a shock absorber - and taht also exchanges nutrients and wastes with teh brain and spinal cord.






6. A thick muscular tube that connects the epididymis of the testes to the urethra. Muscular contractions of the vas deferns during ejaculation ehp propel the sperm outward. Severing of the vas deferens (vasectomy) results in sterility of the male.






7. A pair of similar chromosomes that have the same genes in the same order - but may have different versions (alleles) of those genes. One of the pair of chromosomes came from Mom in an ovum - and the other came from Dad in a sperm. Humans have 23 pair






8. An organelle bounded by a double membrane (double lipid bilayer) called the nuclear envelope. The nucleus contains the genome and is the site of replication and transcription.






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






10. 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






11. The tube that carries urine from the bladder to the to outside of the body. In males it also carries semen and sperm during ejaculation.






12. A hormone released by the posterior pituitary that stimulates uterine contractions during childbirth and milk ejection during breastfeeding.






13. A region of specialized cardiac muscle cells in the right atrium of the heart that initiate the impules of heart contraction; for this reason the SA node is knownas the 'pacemaker' of the heart.






14. A relatively direct connection between a sensory neuron and a motor neuron that allows an extremely rapid response to a stimulus - often without conscious brain involvement.






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






16. 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






17. A clump of gray matter (unmyelinated neuron cell bodies) found in the peripheral nervous system.






18. Chemoreceptors in the upper nasal cavity that respond to odo chemicals.






19. The folds of the inner membrane of a mitochondrion






20. The specific site on an antigenic molecule that binds to a T cell receptor or to an antibody.






21. MRNA that codes forsingle type of protein - such as is found in eukaryotic cells.






22. An alkaline - fructose - rich fluid produced by three different glands in the male reproductive tract and released during ejaculation. Semen is very nourishing for sperm.






23. The secretion of a cellular product to the extracellular medium through a secretory vesicle.






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






25. An enzyme that phosphorylates something else. Kinases are frequently used in regulatory pathways - phosphorylating other enzymes.






26. The second phase of the uterine (endometrial) cycle - during which the endometrium (shed off during menstration is rebuilt). This phase of the cycle is under the control of estrogen - secreted from the follicle developing in the ovary during this tim






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






28. The elimination of wastes from the body.






29. Paired glands found on the posterior external wall of the bladder in males. Their secretions contain an alkaline mucus and fructose - among other things - and make up approximately 60% of the ejaculate volume.






30. A blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart chambers. Arteries have muscular walls to regulate blood flow and are typically high - pressure vessles.






31. A protein hormone secreted by sustenacular cells of the testes that acts to inhibit the release of FSH and LH from the anterior pituitary.






32. The sum of all genetic material in a population.






33. 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






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






35. Also called occluding junctions - tight junctions form a seal between cells that prevents the movement of substances across the cell layer - except by diffusion through the cell membranes themselves. Tight junctions are found between the epithelial c






36. A red blood cell; they are filled with hemoglobin - and teh function of the erythrocytes is to carry oxygen in the blood.






37. Heterogeneous nuclear RNA; the primary transcript made in eukaryotes before splicing.






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






40. 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






41. The membrane that separates the middle ear from the inner ear.






42. Transfer RNA; the type of RNA that carries an amino acid from the cytoplasm to the ribosome for incorporation into a growing protein.






43. 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.






44. A sequence of amino acids (usually basic) that directs a protein to the nuclear envelope - where it is imported by a specific transport mechanism.






45. The step in the sliding filament theory during which yosin undergoes a conformaitonal change to its low energy state - in the process dragging the thin filaments (and the attached Z lines) toward the center fo the sarcomere. NOte that power stroke re






46. A bacterium that cannon survive on minimal medium (glucose alone) because it lacks the ability to syntheisze a molecule it needs to live (typically an amino acid). Auxotrphs must ave the needed substance (the auxiliary trophic substance) added to the






47. A protein fiber with a unique triple - helix that gives it great strength. Tissues with a lot of collagen fibers are typically very strong - e.g. bone - tendons - ligaments - etc.






48. In the autonomic divison of the PNS - a neuron that has its cell body located in the CNS - and whose axon extends into the PNS to synapse with a second neuron at an autonoic ganglion. (The second neuron's axon synapses with the target axon)






49. 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.






50. The unit of combact bone - also called a Haversian system. Osteons are essentially long cylinders of bone; the hollow center is called the central canal - and is where blood vessels - nervs - and lymphatic vessels are found. Compact bone is laid down







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