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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 blood vessels taht carry blood to and from cardiac muscle. The coronary arteries branch off teh aorta and carry oxygenated blood to the cardiac tissue. The coronary veins collect deoxygenated blood from teh cardiac tissue - merge to form teh coro






2. 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






3. A motor neuron and all the all the skeletal muscle cells it innervates. Large motor units are typically found in large muscles (e.g. - the thighs and buttocks) and produce fross movements. Small motor untis are found in smaller muscles (e.g. the rect






4. Messenger RNA; the type of RNa that is read by a ribosome to synthesize protein.






5. The first generation of offspring from a given genetic cross.






6. The portion of the diencephalon involved in maintaining body homeostasis. the hypothalamus also controls the release of hormones from the pituitary gland.






7. A vein connecting the capillary bed of the intestines with the capillary bed of the liver. This allows amino acids and gluocse absorbed from the intestines to be delivered first to the liver for processing before being transported throughout the circ






8. Physical structures in two different organisms that have structural similarity due to a common ancestor - but may have different functions. Homologous structures arise from divergent evolution.






9. A sequence of three nucleotides (found int he anticodon loop of tRNA) that is complementary to a specific codon in mRNA. The codon to which the anticodon is complementary specifies the amino acid that is carried by that tRNA.






10. A non - bony material that fills the hollow spaces inside bones. Red bone marrow is found in regiosn of spongy bone and is the site of blood cell (red and white) production. Yellow bone marrow is found in the diaphysis (shaft) of long bones - is most






11. Oil - forming glands found all over the body - especially on the face and neck. The product (sebum) is released to the skin surface through hair follicles.






12. A large system of folded membranes within a eukaryotic cell that has ribosomes bound to it - giving a rough appearnce. These ribosomes synthesize proteins that will ultimately be secreted from the cell - incorporated into the plasma membrane - or tra






13. A carrier protein that transports a single molecule across the plasma membrane.






14. One of the four aromatic bases found in DNA and RNA; also a component of ATP - NADH - and FADH2. Adenine is apurine; it pairs with thymine (in DNA) and with uracil (in RNA)






15. A mechanism by which the stroke volume of the heart is increased by increasing the venous return of the heart (thus stretching the ventricular muscle).






16. A blood pressure cuff






17. 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.






18. The allele in a heterozygou genotype that is not expressed; the phenotype resulting from possession of two recessive alleles (homozygous recessive).






19. The site(s) where the parental DNA double helix unwinds during replication.






20. The innermost layer of the eyeball. The retina is made up of a layer of photoreceptors - a layer of bipolar cells - and a layer of ganglion cells.






21. One of several different nutrietns that must be consumed in the diet - and generally not synthesized in the body. Vitamins can be hdyrophobic (fat - solube) or hydrophilic (water - soluble).






22. DNA that is loosely packed around histones. This DNA is more accessible to enzymes and the genes in euchromatin can be activated if needed.






23. 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).






24. The attachment of an amino acid to a tRNA (not that this a specific interaction). tRNa loading requires two high - energy phosphate bonds.






25. A tropic hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland that targets the gonads. In females LH triggers ovulation and the development of a corpus luteum during the menstrual cycle; in males - LH stimulates the production and release of testosteron.






26. Unmyelinated neuron cell bodies and short unmyelinated axons.






27. A receptor that responds to light






28. Strong contractions of the uterus (stimulated by oxytoncin) that force a baby out of the mother's baby during childbirth. Labor contractions are part of a positive feedback cycle - during which the baby's head stretches the cervix - which stimulates






29. A subphase of male orgasm. Emission is the movement of sperm (via the vas deferens) and semen into the urtehra in prepartion for ejaculation.






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






31. The primary enzyme in peroxisomes; catalse catalyzes the hydrolysis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into water and oxygen.






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






33. A self - initiating action potential that occurs in the conduction system of the heart and triggers action potentials (and thus contraction) in the cardiac muscle cells Tee pacemaker potential is triggered by the regular - spontaneous depolarization






34. Molecules made from monosaccharides that serve as the primary source of cellular energy -. Carbohydrates can also act as cell surface markers (good thing to remember).






35. The shaft of a long bone. The diaphysis is hollow and is made entirely from compact bone.






36. The first branches of the trachea. There are two primary bronchi - one for each lung.






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






38. Enzymes secreted by the mucosal cells lining the intestine. The brush border enzymes are disaccharides adn dipeptidases taht digest the smallest peptides and carbohydrates into their respective monomers.






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






40. The inner region of an organ - e.g. - the renal medulla - the ovarian medulla - and the adrenal medulla - etc.






41. A region within the nucleus where rRNA is transribed and ribosomes are partially assembled.






42. The location on a chromosome where transcription begins.






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






44. An organelle surrounded by a double=membrane (two lipid bilayers) where ATP production takes place. The interior (matrix) is where PDC and the Krebs cycle occur - and the inner membrane contains the enzymes of the electron trasport chain and ATP synt






45. A type of syanpse in which the cells are connected by gap junctions - allowing ions (and therefore an action potential) to spread easily from cell to cell - usually in smooth and cardiac muscle. - compared to chemical synapse.






46. A bacterial extrachromosal elent that allows the bacterium to initati conjugation. Bacteria that possess teh F factor are known as F+ 'males'.






47. A membrane lipid consisting of a glycerol molecule esteried to two fatty acid chains and a sugar molecule.






48. Connective tissue with large amounts of either collagen fibers (making them strong) or elastic fibers - or both. Dense tissues are typically strong (e.g. bone - cartilage - tendons - etc.)






49. Toward the 5' end of an Rna transcript (the 5' end of the DNA coding strand). The promoter and start sites are upstream.






50. A gland that secretes its product into a duct - which ultimately carries the product to the surface of the body or into a body cavity. Some examples of exocrine gland and their products are sweat glands (sweat) - gastric glands (acid - mucus - protea