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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 point mutation in which a condon that specifies an amino acid is mutated into a stop (nonsense) codon.






2. The energy in a system that can be used to drive chemical reactions. If the change in free energy of a reaction (Delta G - the free energy of the products minus the free energy of the energy of the reactants) is negative - the reaction will occur spo






3. A blood pressure cuff






4. The regino of the sarcomere made up only of thin filaments. The I band is bisected by a Z line. I bands alternate with A bands to give skeletal and cardiac muscle a striated appearance. I bands get shorter (and may disappear completely) during muscle






5. Cytoskeletal filaments with a diameter in between that of the microtubule and the microfilament. Intermediate filaments are composed of many different proteins and tend to play structural roles in cells.






6. 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.






7. Specialized tissue with a lot of space that can fill with blood upon proper stimulation - causing teh tissue to become firm. Erectile tissue is found in the penis - the clitoris - the labia - and the nipples.






8. Mendel's seond law. States that genes found on different chromosomes - or genes found very far apart on the same chromosome (i.e. - unlinked genes) sort independently of one another during gamete formation (meiosis).






9. The final phase of the digestive tract - also called the colon. The primary funcion of the large intestine is to reabsorb water and to store the feces.






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






11. The portion of the brain responsible for visual and auditory startle reflexes.






12. A pathway through a plasma membrane that restrics passage based only on the size of the molecules. Pore are made from porin proteins.






13. The osmotic pressure in the blood vessels due only to plasma proteins (primarily albumin) --> causes water to rush back into capillaries at end.






14. The outer layer of an organ - e.g. the renal cortex - the ovarian cortex - the adrenal cortex - etc.






15. A statistical rule stating that the probability of two independent events occuring together is the product of their individual probabilities.






16. The second step in viral infection - the injection of the viral genome into the host cell.






17. 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






18. (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.






19. A type of cell division (in diploid cells) that reduces the number of chromosomes by half. Meiosis usualy produces haploid gametes in organisms that undergo sexual reproduction. It consists of a single interphase (G1 - S - and G2) followed by two set






20. Globular protein that assist in DNA packaging in eukaryotes. Histones form octamers around which DNA is wound to form a nucleosome.






21. A large - mature - ovarian follicel with a well - developed antrum and a secondary oocyte. Ovulation of the oocyte occurs from this type of follicle.






22. A subsequent immune response to previously encountered antigen that results in antibody production and T cell activation. The secondary immune response is mediated by memory cells (produced during the primary immune respone) and is much faster and st






23. A string of several hundred adenine nucletodies added to the 3' end of the eukaryotic mRNA.






24. The set of adult characteristics that develop during puberty under the control of the sex steroids. In males the secondary sex characteristics include enlargement and maturation of the genitalia - growth of facial - body - and pubic hair - increased






25. 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).






26. A hormone released by the anterior pituitary that targets all cells in the body. Growth hormone stimulates whole body growth in children and adolescents - adn increases cell turnover rate in adults.






27. A lubricating - nourishing fluid found in joint capsules.






28. The pressure in the (theoretical) space between the lung surface and the inner wall of the chest cavity.






29. Small convoluted tubules in the testes where spermatogenesis takes place.






30. A portion of DNA that codes for some product - usually a protein - including all regulatory sequences. Some genes code for rRNA and tRNA - which are not translated.






31. The product of glycolysis; 2 pyruvic acid (pyruvate) molecules are produced from a single glucose molecule. In the absence of oxygen - pyruvic acid undergoes fermentation and is reduced to either lactic acid or ethanol; in the presence of oxygen - py






32. The ball of capillaries at the beginning of the nephron where blood filtration takes place.






33. A viral life cycle in which the host is turned into a 'virus factory' and ultimately lysed to release the new viral particles.






34. A group of sensory neuron cell bodies found just posterior to the spinal cord on either side. A pair of root ganglia exists for each spinal nerve that expands from the spinal cord. The ganglia are part of the peripheral nervous system (PNS).






35. A diploid cell formed by the fusion of two gametes during sexual reproduction.






36. 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.






37. A hormone tha tcontrols the release of another hormone.






38. 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.






39. A prokaryotic enzyme used to twist teh single circular chromosome of prokaryotes upon itself to form supercois. Supercoiling helps to compact prokaryotic DNa and make it sturdier.






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






41. A hormone produced and released by the kidney that stimulates the production of red blood cells by the bone marrow.






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






43. Also called simply - 'islet cells' these are the endocrine cells of the pancreas. Different cell types wihtin the inslets secrete insulin - glucagon - and somatostatin






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. The fertilization of an oocyte by more than one sperm. This occurs in some animals - but in humans - blocks to polyspermy exist (the fast block and the slow block) so that only a single sperm can penetrate the oocyte.






46. Specialized lymphatic capillaries in the intestines that take up lipids as well as lymph.






47. 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






48. Gaps in the myelin sheath of the axons of peripheral neruons. Action potentials can 'hump' from node to node - thus increasing the speed of conduction (saltatory conduction).






49. A flexible piece of cartilage in the larynx that flips downward to seal teh trachea during swallowing.






50. The percentage of wholeblood made up of erythrocytes The typical hematocrit value is between 40-45%.






Can you answer 50 questions in 15 minutes?



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