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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. One of the two ends of long bone (pl: eiphyses). The epiphyses have an outer shell made of compact bone and inner core of spongy bone. The spongy bone is filled with red bone marrow - the stie of blood cell formation.






2. The region of teh brain that coordinates and smooth skeletal muscle activity.






3. 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.






4. Chemoreceptors on the tongue that respond to chemicals in a food.






5. Haploid cells resulting from the first meiotic division of spermatogenesis. Secondary spermatocytes are ready to enter meiosis II.






6. 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.






7. A group of nucleotides that does not specify a particular amino acid - but instead serves to notify the ribosome that the protein being translated is complete. The stop codons are UAA - UGA - and UAG. They are also known as nonsense codons.






8. A mature - dormant osteoblast.






9. The process of reading a strand of mRNA to synthesize protein. Protein translation takes place on a ribosome.






10. The fraction of teh end - diastolic volume ejected from the ventricles in a single contraction of teh heart. THe ejection fraction is normally around 60% of the end diastolic volume.






11. 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.






12. Arise in blood pH due to hyperventilation (excessive breathing) and a resulting decrease in CO2.






13. The newly forming daughter strand of DNA that is replicated in a continuous fasion; the daughter strand that is replicated in thes aem direction that parental DNA is unwinding.






14. An organism that makes its own - typically using CO2 as a carbon source.






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






16. The amount of energy required to produce the transition state of a chemical reaction. If the activation energy for a reaction is very high - the reaction occurs very slowly. Enzymes (and other catalysts) increase reaction rates by reducing activation






17. The function unit of the kidney. Each kidney has about a million nehprons; this is where blood filtration and subsequent modification of the filtrate occurs. The nephron empties into collecting ducts - which empty into the ureter.






18. A nucleotide sequence in RNA that contains protein - coding information. Exons are typically separated by introns (intervening sequences) that are spliced out prior to translation.






19. A general cell junction - used primarily for adhesion.






20. An integral membrane protein that undergoes a conformational change to move a molecule from one side of the membrane to another. See also 'uniporter' - 'antiporter' - and 'symporter'.






21. The entropy (disorder) of the universe (or system) tends to increase.






22. Peptidyl - tRNA site; the stie on a ribosome where the growing peptide (attached to a tRNA) is found during translation.






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






24. Active transport that relies directly on the hydrolysis of ATP.






25. The smooth ER of a muscle cell - enlarged and specialized to act as a Ca2+ reservoir. The SR winds around each myofibril in the muscle cell.






26. Also called vasopressin - this hormone is produced in the hypothalamus and secreted by teh posterior pituitary gland. It tartes teh kidney tubules - increasing their permeability to water - adn thus increasing water retention by the body. Also raises






27. 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.






28. 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.






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






30. 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






31. Active transport that releies on an established concentration gradient - typically set up by a primary active transporter. Secondary active transport relies on ATP indirectly.






32. Small fragments of DNa produced on the lagging strand during DNa replication - joined later by DNA ligase to form a complete strand.






33. An enzyme whose transcription can be stimulated by an abundance of its substrate (as opposed to repressible enzyme). Usually in catabolism.






34. A thick - gelatinous fluid found in the posterior segment of the eye (between the lens and the retina). The vireous humor is only produced during fetal development and helps maintain intraocular pressure (the pressure inside the eyeball).






35. A peptide hormone produced and secreted by the Beta cells of the pancreas. Insulin targets cells in the body - especially the liver and muscle - and allows them to take glucose out of gthe blood (thus lowering blood glucose levels).






36. The movement of a particle (the solute) in a solution from its region of high concentration to its region of low concentration ( or down it concentration gradient).






37. A globular protein found in muscle tissue that has the ability to bind oxygen. Myoglobin helps to store oxygen in the muscle for use in aerobic respiration (it does not move - just stays there). Muscles that participate in endurance activities (inclu






38. A specific DNA nucleotide sequence where transcriptional regulatory proteins can bind.






39. A hydrophobic molecule - usually fomred from long hydrocarbon chains. The most common forms in which lipids are found in the body are as triglycerides (energy storage) - phospholipids (cell membranes) - and cholestero (cell membranes and steroid synt






40. Something that increases the rate of a chemical reaction by reducing the activation energy for that reaction. The free energy of reaction remains unchanged.






41. The fourth of meiosis I. Telophase I is identical to mitotic telophase - except that the number of chromosoms is now reduced by half. After this phase the cell is considered to be haploid. Note however - that the chromosomes are still replicated - an






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






43. A blood clot that forms in an unbrokened blood vessel. Thrombi are dangerous they can break free and begin travelin in the bloodstream (become an embolus). Emboli ultimately become stuck in a small vessel and prevent adequate blood delivery to tissue






44. A passageway leading from behind the nasal cavity to the trachea. The pharynx is divided into three regions - named for their location. The nasopharynx is behind the nasal cavity - the oropharynx is behind the oral cavity - and the laryngopharynx is






45. The deliberate exposure of a person to an antigen in order to provoke the primary immune response and memory cell production. Typically the antigens are those normally associated with pathogens - thus if the live pathogen is encountered in the future






46. An enzyme that connects two fragments of DNA to make a single fragment; also called DNA ligase. This enzyme is usedd during DNA replication and is also used in recombinant DNA research.






47. A highly specific cellular uptake mechanism. The molecule to be taken up must bind to cell surface receptor found in a clathrin - coated pit.






48. One of the two peripheral nervous system supporting (glial) cells. Schwann cells from he myelin sheath on axons of peripheral neurons.






49. A red blood cell; they are filled with hemoglobin - and teh function of the erythrocytes is to carry oxygen in the blood.






50. A dense - hard type of bone constructed from osteons (at the microscopic level). Compact bone forms the diaphysis of the the long bones - and the outer shell of the epiphyses and all other bones.