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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 largest organ in the abdominal cavity. The liver has many roles - including procesing of carbohydrates and fats - synthesis of urea - production of blood proteins - production of bile - recycling heme - and storage of vitamins.






2. A life cycle of animal viruses in which the mature viral particles bud from the host cell - acquiring an envelope (a coating of lipid bilayer) in the process.






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






4. 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.






5. A thick - transpartent coating rich in glycoproteins that surrounds an oocyte.






6. An enzyme secreted by the juxtaglomerular cells when blood pressure decreases. Renin onverts angiotensinogen to angiotensin I.






7. A type of mutation in DNa where a single base is substituted for another.






8. The three glands in the male reproductive system that reproduce semen: the seminal vesicles - the prostate - and the






9. A nucleotide sequence on DNA that contians three elemtns: a coding sequence for one or more enzymes - *a coding sequence for a regulatory protein - and upstream regulatory sequences where the regulatory proteins can bind. An example is the lac operon






10. Zygot - derived projections that extend into the endometrium of the uterus during pregnancy. Fetal capillaries grow into the placental villi - which are surrounded by a pool of maternal blood. THis facilitates nutrient and gas exchange between the mo






11. 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.






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






13. The flow of blood from the heart - through the body (not including the lungs) - and back to the heart.






14. The primary membrane lipid. Phospholipids consist of a glycerol molecule esterified to two fatty acid chains and a phosphate molecule. Additional - highly hyrohpilic groups are attached to the phosphate - making this molecule extremely amphipathic.






15. The inner layer of smooth muscle in the wall of the digestive tract. When the circular muscle contracts - the tube diameter is reduced. Certain areas of the circular muscle are thickened to act as valves (sphincters).






16. The first (approximately 5%) of the small intestinte.






17. A generic connective tissue cell that produces fibers; the progenitor of all other connective tissue cell types.






18. The first portion of the nephron tubuel after the glomerulus. THe PCT is the site of most reabsorption; all filtered nutrients are reabsorbed here as well as most of the filtered water.






19. Photoreceptors in the retina of the eye that respond to dim light and provide us with black and white vision.






20. A law of population genetics that states that the frequencies of alleles in a given gene pool do not change over time. There are five assumptions required for this law to hold true: there must be no mutation - there must be no migration - there must






21. 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.






22. An insulating layer of membranes wrapped around the axons of almost all neurons in the body. Myelin is essentially the plasma membranes of specialized cells; Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system - and oligodendrocytes in the central nervous






23. A hormone secreted by the small intestine (duodenum) in response to low pH (e.g. - from stomach acid). It promotes the release of bicarbonate from the pancreas to act as a buffer.






24. The law of conservation of energy; the energy of the universe is constant - thus if the energy of a system increases - the energy of its surroundings must decrease - and vice versa.






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






26. The 28 days of the menstrual cycle as they apply to events in the ovary. The ovarian cycle has three subphases: the follicular phase - ovulation - and the luteal phase.






27. The portion of the digestive tract that stores and grinds food. Limited digestion occurs in the somach - and it has the lowest pH in the body (1-2).






28. A hormone derived from cholesterol. Steroids are generally hydrophobic and can easily cross the plasma membrane of cells - thus receptors for steroids are found intracellularly. Once this steroid binds to its receptor - the receptor - steroid complex






29. Complementary DNA. DNA produced synthetically by reverse trascribing mRNA. Because of eukaryotic mRNA splicing - cDNA contains no inrons.






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






31. The primary female sex hormone. Estrogen stimulates the development of female secondary sex characteristics during puberty - maintains those characteristics during adulthood - stimulates the development of a new uterine lining after menstruation - an






32. 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






33. The first phase of meiosis I. During prophase I the replicated chromosomes condense - homologous chromsomes pair up - crossing over occurs between homologous chromosomes - the spindle is formed - and the nuclear envelope breaks apart into vesicles. P






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






35. The most common class of bone in the body - long bones have a well - defined shaft (the diaphysis) and two well - defined ends (the epiphyses).






36. Muscle tissue that is attached to the bones. SKeletal muscle is striated multinucleate - and under voluntary control.






37. A chemical secreted by a T cell (usually the helper Ts) that stimulates activation and proliferation of other immune system cells.






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






39. A protein that is associated with the plasma membrane of a cell - but that is not embedded in the lipid bilayer. Peripheral proteins typically associate with embedded proteins through hydrogen bonding or electrostatic interactions.






40. A regulatory protein that binds DNA at a specific nucleotide sequence (sometimes known as the operator) to prevent transcription of downstream genes.






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






42. The majority of the cells surrouding an oocyte in a follicle. Granulosa cells secrete estrogen during the follicular phase of the ovarian cycle (before ovulation).






43. A gene that has effects on several different characteristics.






44. A structure near the middle of eukaryotic chromosomes to which the fibers of the mitotic spindle attach during cell division.






45. One of two large vessels (superior and inferior) that return deoxygenated blood to the right atrium of the heart.






46. Movement of a hydrophilic molecuel across the plasma membrane of a cell - down its concentration gradient - through a channel - pore - or carrier molecule in the membrane. Because the hydrophilic nature of the molecule - it requires a special path th






47. The tubes that carry urine from the kindeys to the bladder.






48. 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.






49. The newly forming daughter strand of DNA that is replicated in a discontinuous fashion - via Okazaki fragments that will ultimately be ligated together; the daugther strand that is replicated in the opposite direction that parallel DNA is unwinding






50. The inner epithelial lining of the uterus that thickens and develops during the menstrual cycle - into which a fertilized ovum can implant - and which sloughs off during menstration if a pregnancy does not occur.






Can you answer 50 questions in 15 minutes?



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