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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 site(s) where the parental DNA double helix unwinds during replication.






2. A clear area in a lawn of bacteria. Plaques represent an area where bacteria are lysing (dying) and usually caused by a lytic virus.






3. 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






4. A carrier protein that transports a single molecule across the plasma membrane.






5. The outermost layer of teh skin. The epidermis is made of epithelial tissue that is constantly dividing at the bottom; teh cells migrate to teh surface (dying along the way) to be sloughed off at the suface.






6. The band of the sarcomere that extends the full length of the thick filament. The A band includes regions of thick and thin filament overlap - as well as a region of thick filament only. A bands alternate with I bands to give skeletal and cardiac mus






7. 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






8. The oxidation of high - energy electron carriers (NADH and FADH2) coupled to the phosphorylation of ADP - producing ATP. In eukaryotes - oxidative phosphorylation occurs in the mitochondira.






9. 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






10. The flow of blood from the heart - through the lungs - and back to the heart.






11. An inactive precursor of an enzyme - activated by various methods (acid hydrolysis - cleavage by another enzyme - etc.)






12. Fingerlike projection of the uterin (fallopian) tubes that drape over the ovary.






13. A layer of cells surroudning the granulosa cells of the follicles in an ovary. Thecal cells help produce the estrogen secreted from the follicle during the first phase of the ovarian cycle.






14. The volume of air inhaled and exhaled in a normla - resting breath - typically about 500 mL.






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






16. Mendels' first law. The Law of Segregation states that the two alleles of a given gene will be separate from one another during gamete formation (meiosis).






17. The movement of water (the solvent) from its region of high concentration to its region of low concentration. NOte that the water concnetration gradient is opposite to the solute concentration gradient - since where solutes are concentrated - water i






18. A systme of ductless glands taht secrete chemical messengers (into) the blood - has to be into the blood.






19. The portion of the nephron tubule after the loop of Henle - but before teh collecting duct. Selective reabsorption and secretion occur here - most notably regulated reabsorption of water and sodium.






20. The second phase of the uterine (endometrial) cycle - during which the endometrium (shed off during menstration is rebuilt). This phase of the cycle is under the control of estrogen - secreted from the follicle developing in the ovary during this tim






21. A protein - digesting enzyme secreted by the chief cells of the gastric glands. Pepsin is secreted in its inactive form (pepsinogen) and is activated by gastric acid. It is unusual in that its pH optimum is around 1-2; most of these enzymes in the bo






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






23. 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






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






25. The law of conservation of energy; the energy of the universe is constant - thus if the energy of a system increases - the energy of its surroundings must decrease - and vice versa.






26. 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.






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. Molecules made from monosaccharides that serve as the primary source of cellular energy -. Carbohydrates can also act as cell surface markers (good thing to remember).






29. The outer ring of cells of a blastocyst. The trophoblast takes part in the formation of the placenta.






30. The protective - connective tissue wrapping of the central nervous system (the dura mater - arachnoid mater - and pia mater).






31. The portion of the hindbrain that controls respiratory and blood pressure - and specialized digestive and respiratory functions such as vomiting - sneezing - and coughing.






32. A cyclic version of adenosine monophosphate - where the phosphate is esterified to both the 5' and 3' carbons - forming a ring. Cyclic AMP is an important intracellular signaling moelcule - often called the 'second messenger.' It serves to activate c






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






34. The nervous system of the gastrointestinal tract. It controls secretion and motility within teh Gi tract - and is linked to the central nervous system.






35. The capillaries that surround the tubules of the nephron. The vasa recta reclaims reabsorbed substances - such as water and sodium ions.






36. DNA replication in prokaryotes - so named because as replication proceeds around the single - circular chromosome - it takes on the appearnce of the Greek letter theta.






37. The fusion of a sperm with an ovum during sexual reproduction. Fertilization typically occurs in the uterine tubes and requires capacitation of the sperm and relase of the acrosomal enzymes. Fertilization is a species - specific process - requiring b






38. A blood pressure cuff






39. Amino - acyl tRNA site; the site on a ribosome where a new amino acid is added to a growing peptide.






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






41. 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.






42. An organism that can survive in the presence of oxygen (oxygen is not toxic) - but that does not use oxygen during metabolism (anaerobic metabolism only).






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






44. The inner epithelial lining of the uterus that thickens and develops during the menstrual cycle - into which a fertilized ovum can implant - and which sloughs off during menstration if a pregnancy does not occur.






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






46. The reduction of pyruvate to either ethanol or lactate in order to regenerate NAD+ from NADH. Fermentation occurs in the absence of oxygen - and allow glycolysis to continue under those conditions.






47. The relationship of muscle length to its ability to generate strong contractions. Maximum tension (contraction strength) is achieved at sarcomere lengths between 2.0 and 2.2 microns. Tension decreases outside of this range <-- remember.






48. 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






49. A method of DNA protection utilized by prokaryotes in which their large circular chromosome is coiled upon itself.






50. A receptor that responds to changes in body position - such as stretch on a tendon - or contraction of a muscle. These receptor allow us to be consciously aware of the position of our body parts.