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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 normal configuration of double - stranded DNA in which the 5' end of oen strand is paired with the 3' end of the other






2. Paired glands near the posterior side of the vaginal that secrete an alkaline mucus upon sexual arousal. The mucus helps to reduce the acidity of the vagina (which could be harmful to sperm) and lubricates the vagina to facilitate penetration.






3. An abdominal organ that is considered part of the immune system. THe spleen has four functions: (1) it filters antigen from the blood (2) it is the site of B cell maturation - (3) it stors blood - and (4) it destroys old red blood cells.






4. An organs in the abdominal cavity with two roles. The first is an exocrine role: to produce digestive enzymes and bicarbonate - which are delivered to the small intestine via the pancreatic duct. The second is an endocrine role: to secrete insulin an






5. Formerly called the cardiac sphincter - this sphincter marks the entrance to the stomach. Its function is to prevent reflux of acid stomach contents into the esophagus; note that it does **not regulate entry into the stomach.






6. 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






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






8. A set of vessels in the body that runs alongside the vessels of the circulatory system. It is a one - way system - with lymphatic capillaries beginning at the tissues and ultimately emptying into the large veins near the heart. It serves to return ex






9. The membranes that line the surface of the lungs (visceral pleura) and the inside wall of the chest cavity (parietal pleura).






10. A thin - watery fluid found in teh anterior segment of the eye (between the lens and the cornea). THe aqueous humor is constantly produced and drained - adn helps to bring nutrients to the lesn and corena - as well as to remove metabolic wastes






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






12. The non - specific uptake of solid material by a cell accomplished by englufing the particle with plasma membrane and drawing it into the cell.






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






14. The portion of the cardiac conduction system between the SA node and the AV node.






15. A point mutation in which a pyrimidine is susbstituted for a pyrimidine - or a purine is substituted for a purine.






16. An energy storage molecule used by muscle tissue. The phosphate from creatine phosphate can be removed and attached to an ADP to generate ATP quickly.






17. Muscles that help focus light on teh retin by controlling the curvature of the lens of the eye.






18. The membrane that separate the outer ear from the middle ear. The tympanic membrane is also known as the eardrum.






19. All the genetic information in an organism; all of an organism's chromosomes.






20. A cytoplasmic protein that recognizes the signal sequences of proteins destined to be translated at the rough ER. It binds first to the ribosome translating the protein with the signal sequence then to an SRP receptor on the rough ER>






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






22. The liquid portion of blood; plasma contains water - ions - buffers - sugars - proteins - etc. Anything that dissolves in blood dissolves in the plasma portion.






23. The main protease secreted by the pancreas; trypsin is activated (from trypsinogen) by enterokinase - and subsequently activates other pancreatic enzymes.






24. The 'blind spot' of the eye - this is where the axons of the ganglion cells exist the retinal to form the optic nerve. There are no photoreceptors in the optic disk.






25. A cell that produces bone.






26. 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.






27. A skeletal muscle cell - also known as a muscle fiber. Skeletal muscle cells are formed from the fusion of many smaller cells (during development) consequently they are very long and are multinucleate.






28. A strong band of connective tissue that connets bones to one another.






29. The sphincter that separates the final part of the small intestine (the ileum) from the fron part of the large intestine (the cecum). It is typically kept contracted (closed) so that chyme can remain in the small intestine as long as possible. The il






30. 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.






31. An **organic molecuel taht associates non - covalently with an enzyme - and that is required for the proper functioning of the enzyme.






32. The first phase of the ovarian cycle - during which a follicle (an oocyte and its surroudning cells) enlarges and matures. This phase is under the control of FSH from the anterior pituitary - and typically lasts from day 1 to day 14 of the menstrual






33. An organism that requires oxygen to survive (aerobic metabolism only).






34. A eukaryotic organelle filled with digestive enzymes (acid hydrolases) that is involved in digestion of macromolecules such as worng organelles or material ingested by phagocytosis.






35. A protein embedded in the lipid bilayer of a cell. These are typicallly cell surface receptors - channels - or pumps.






36. 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






37. The 3' end of a tRNA molecule that binds an amino acid. The nucleotide sequence at this end is CCA






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






39. The collection of fluid in the alveoli - particularly dangerous because it impedes gas exchange. Common causes of pulmonary edema are increased pulmonary blood pressure or infection of the respiratory system.






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






41. A hormone produced and secreted by teh adrenal medulla that prolongs and increases teh effects of the sympathetic nervous system.






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






43. The bond formed between the carboxyl group of one amino acid and the amino group of another.






44. Movement across the membrane of a cell that does not require energy input from the cell. Passive transport relies on concentration gradients to provie the driving force for movement - and includes both simple and facilitated diffusion.






45. Muscle tissue found in the walls of hollow organs - e.g. - blood vessels - the digestive tract - the uterus - etc. Smooth muscle is non - striated - uninucleate - and under involuntary control (controlled by the autonomic nervous system).






46. A helical protein that winds around actin helices in skeletal and cardiac muscle cells to form the thin filament of the sarcomere. In the absence of Ca2+ - tropomyosin covers the myosin - binding sites on actin and prevents muscle contraction. When c






47. A four - subunit protein found in red blood cells that binds oxygen. Each subunit contains a heme group - a large multi - ring molecule with an iron atom at its center. One hemoglobin molecule can bind four oxygen molecules in a cooperative manner.






48. A protein complex foudn in the inner membrane of the mitochondira. It is essentially a channel that llows H+ ions to flow from teh intermembrane space to the matrix (down teh gradeint produced by the enyzmes complexes of the electron transport chain)






49. The primary male sex organ. The testes are suspended outside the body cavity in the scrotum and have two functions (1) produce sperm - and (2) secrete testosterone.






50. Also called thryoid hormone - thyroxine is produced and secreted by follicle cells in the thyroid gland. it targets all cells in the body and increases overall body metabolism.