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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 long - coiled duct on the outside of the testis in which sperm mature.






2. An enzyme that cuts one or both strands of DNa to relieve the excess tension caused by the unwinding of the helix by helicase during replication.






3. A set of veins that connect a capillary bed in the hypothalamus (the primary capillary plexus) with a capillary bed in the anterior pituitary gland (the secondary capillary bed). Releasing and inhibiting factors from the hypothalamus travel along the






4. A projection of the cell body of a neuron that recieves a nerve impulse form a different neuron and send the impulse to the cell body. Neurons can have one or several dendrites!






5. 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






6. An integral protein that selectively allows molecules across the plasma membrane. See also entries under 'ion channel' - 'voltage - gated channel' - and 'ligand - gated channel'.






7. Inhibitory postsynaptic potential; a slight hyperpolarization of the postysynaptic cell - moving the membrane potential of that cell further from threshold.






8. 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.






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






10. A long projection off the cell body of a neruon down which an action potential can be propagated.






11. (1) The integration of input (EPSPs and IPSPs) from many presynaptic neruons by a single postsynaptic neuron - either temporaly or spatially. Summation of al input can either stimulate the postsynaptic neuron and possibly lead to an action potential






12. The maximal volume of air that the lungs can contain. Total lung capacity is the sum of the vital capacity and the residual volume - and is typically about 6000 mL (6L).






13. The volume of blood pumped out of the heart in one minute (vol/min); the product of the stroke volume (vol/beat) and the heart rate (beat/min). Cardiac output is directly proportional to blood pressure**.






14. The enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine in the synaptic cleft.






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






16. Earlier embryonic ducts that can develop into femal internal genitalia in the absence of testosteron.






17. 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.






18. A large multinucleate cell - typically formed by the fusion of many smaller cells during development (e.g. a skeletal muscle cell) - or formed by nuclear division in the absence of cellular division.






19. A group of three enzymes that decarboxylates pyruvate - creating an acetyl group and carbon dioxide. The acetyl group is then attached to coenzyme A to produce acetyl - CoA - a substrate in the Krebs cycle. In the process - NAD+ is reduced to NADH. T






20. A contact point between the afferent arteriole of the glomerulus and the distal convoluted tubule of the nephron. It is involved in regulating blood pressure.






21. The non - specific uptake of liquid particles into a cell by invagination of the plasma membrane and subsequent 'pinching off' a small bit of the extracellular fluid.






22. A situation in which a heterozygot displays a blended version of the pheotypes associated with each allele - e.g. pure - breeding white - flowered plants crossed with pure - breeding red - flowered plants produces heterozygous offspring plants with p






23. A bacteria having a round shape (plural = cocci)






24. The physical characterisitcs resulting from the genotype. Phenotypes are usually described as dominant or recessive.






25. A triat determined by a gen on either the X or Y chromosomes (the sex chromosomes).






26. An organ that develops during pregnacy - derived in part from the mother and in part from the zygote. The placenta is the site of exchange of nutrients and gases between the mother's blood and the fetus' blood. The placenta is formed during the first






27. The valve that regulates the passage of chyme from the stomach into the small intestine.






28. A hormone produced and secreted by the parathyroid glands that increases serum calcium levels. It targets the bones (stimulates osteoclasts) - the kidneys (increases calcium reabsorption) - and the small intestine (increases calcium absorption).






29. 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.






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






31. An incrase in the fragility of the membranes of sperm cells when exposed to the female reproductive tract. Capacitation is required sot aht the acrosomal enzymes can be relased to faciliate fertilization.






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






33. Lacking a blood supply; cartialge is an example of this






34. Microscopic outward folds of the cells lining the small intestine; microvilli serve to increase the surface area of the small intestine for absorption.






35. A pair of similar chromosomes that have the same genes in the same order - but may have different versions (alleles) of those genes. One of the pair of chromosomes came from Mom in an ovum - and the other came from Dad in a sperm. Humans have 23 pair






36. The muscuar layer of the uterus. The myometrium is made of smooth muscles that retains its ability to divide in order to accomodate the massive size increases that occur during pregnancy. The myometrium is stimulated to contract during labor by the h






37. The inner region of the adrenal gland. The adrenal medulla is part of the sympathetic nervous systme - and releases epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine into the blood when stimuated. These hormones augment and prolon the effects of sympatheti






38. The valve that controls the release of urine from the bladder. It has an internal part made of smooth muscle (thus involuntary) and an external part made of skeletal muscle (thus voluntary).






39. A sweat gland located in the dermis of the skin. Sweat consists of water and ions (including Na+ and urea) and is secreted with temperatures rise.






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






41. An organism that cannot make its own food - and thus must ingest other organisms.






42. The largest artery in teh body; the aorta carries oxygenated blood away from the left ventricle of the heart.






43. 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.






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






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






46. The final section (approximately 55%) of the small intestine.






47. 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.






48. 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






49. An intracellular chemical signal (such as cAMP ) that relays instructions from the cell surface to enzymes in the cytosol.






50. An ion channel that is constitutively open - allowing the movement of teh ion across the plasma membrane according to its concentration gradient.







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