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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. A structure composed of two coils of DNA wrapped around an octet of histone proteins. The nucleosome is the primary form of packagin of eukaryotic DNA.






2. A fibrous - connective - tissue protein taht has the ability to recoil to its original shape after being stretche.d Elastin is found in great amounts in lung tissue - arterial tissue - skin - and the epiglottis.






3. One of the contractie proteins in muscle tissue. In skeletal and cardiac muscles - myosin forms the thick filaments. Myosin has intrinsic ATPase activity and can exist in two conformation - either high energy or low energy.






4. The pressure measured in the arteries during contraction of the ventricles (during systole).






5. The division of the peripheral nervous system that innervates and controls the skeletal muscles; also known as the voluntary nervous system.






6. 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.






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






8. Aromatic bases found in DNa and RNA that have a single - ring structure. They include cytosine - thymine - and uracil.






9. 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.






10. 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.






11. The second phase of meiosis II. Metaphase II is identical to mitotic metaphase - except that the number of chromosomes was reduced by half during meiosis I.






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






13. The folds of the inner membrane of a mitochondrion






14. The female primary sex organ. The ovary produces female gametes (ova) and secretes estrogen and progesterone.






15. A chemical released by the axon of a neuron in response to an action potential that binds to receptors on a postsynaptic cell and causes that cell to either depolarize slightlly (EPSP) or hyperpolarize slightly (IPSP). Examples are acetylcholine - no






16. A long projection on a bacterial surface involved in an attachment - e.g. - the sex pilus attaches F+ and F- bacteria during conjugation.






17. A molecule formed by joining many monosaccharides together. POlysaccharides are typically energy- storage molecules (glycogen in animals - starch in plants) or structural molecules (cellulose in plants - chitin in exoskeletons).






18. The muscle tissue of the heart Cardiac muscle is striated - uninucleate - and under involuntary control (controlled by teh autonomic nervous system). Note also that cardiac muscle is self - stimulatory - and autonomic control serves only to modify th






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






20. 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.






21. 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.






22. The largest of the cytoplasmic filaments. Microtubules are composed of two types of protein - alpha tubulin and beta tubulin. They are dynamic fibers - constantly being built up and broken down - according to cellular needs. Microtubules form the mit






23. (singular alveolus.) Tiny sacs - with walls only a single cell layer thick found at the end of the respiratory bronchiole tree. Alveoli are the site of gas exchange in the respiratory system.






24. The layer of epithelial tissue that lines body cavities in contact with the outside environment (respiratory - digestive - urinary - and reproductive tracts).






25. The mechanism that ensures tehat skeletal muscle contraction does not occur without neural stimulation (excitation). A trest - cytosolic [Calcium] is low - and the troponin - tropomyosin complex covers the myosin - binding sites on actin. When the mu






26. A band of carilage (hyaline) found between the diaphysis and epiphyses of long bones during childhood and adolescence. Cell proliferation in the middle of the eiphyseal plate essentially forces teh diaphysis and epiphyses further apart - while the ol






27. 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.






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






29. A tissue in which the cytoplasms of the cells are connected by gap junctions - allowing the cells to function as a unit. Cardiac and smooth muscle tissues are examples of functional synctiums.






30. A fluid - filled sphere formed about 5 days after fertilization of an ovum that is made up of an outer ring of cells and inner cell mass. THis is the structure that implants in the endometrium of the uterus.






31. 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.






32. An irritation of a tissue caused by infection or injury. Inflammation is characterized by four cardinal symptoms; redness (rubor) - swelling (tumor) - heat (calor) - and pain (dolor).






33. 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.






34. The third phase of mitosis. During anaphase - replicated chromosmes are split apart at their centromeres (the sister chromatids are separated from each other) and moved to opposite sides of the cell.






35. A viral enzyme that makes a strand of RNA by reading a strand of RNa . All prokaryotic and eukaryotic RNa polymerases are DNa dependent; they make a strand of RNa by reading a strand of DNA.






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






37. The process by which neighboring cells can influence the determination (and subsequent differentiation) of a cell.






38. 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).






39. Small paired gland found inferior to the prostate in males and at the posterior end of the penile urethra. They secrete an alkaline mucus on sexual arousal that helps toneutralize any traces of acidic urine the urethra that might be harmful to sperm.






40. Also called falopian tubes - these tubes extend laterally from their side of the uterus and serve as a passageway for the ocyte to travel from the ovary to the uterus. This is also the normal site of fertilization. Severing of the uterine tubes (tuba






41. The duct that carries bile from the gallbladder and liver to the small intestine (duodenum).






42. 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






43. A thin (4 mm) layer of gray matter on the surface of the cerebral hemispheres. The cerebral cortex is the conscious mind - and is functionally divided into four pairs of lobes: the frontal lobes - the parietal lobes - the temporal lobes - and the occ






44. A wave of contraction that sweeps along a muscular tube - pushing substances along the tube (e.g. - food through the digestive tract - urine through the ureters - etc.)






45. A sac filled with fluid (aminotic fluid) that surroudns and protects a developing embryo.






46. Large conglomerations of proteins - fats - and cholesterol that transport lipids in the bloodstream. (chylomicrons are a type of lipoprotein).






47. A contractile protein. In skeletal and cardiac muscle - actin polymerizes (along with other proteins) to form the thin filaments. Actin is involved in many contractile activities - such as cyotkinesis - pseudopod formation - and muscle contraction.






48. Sensory receptors found in the inner ear. Cochlear hair cells respond to vibration in the cochlea caused by sound waves and vestibular hair cells respond to changes in position and acceleration (used for balance).






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






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







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