Test your basic knowledge |

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 attachment of an amino acid to a tRNA (not that this a specific interaction). tRNa loading requires two high - energy phosphate bonds.






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






3. One of two large chambers in the heart. The ventricles receive blood from the atria and pump it out of the lungs of the heart. The right ventricle has thing walls and pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs through the pulmonary artery. The left ventri






4. 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.






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






6. The ability of tissues to regulate their own blood flow in the absence of neural stiulation. THis is generally accomplished via metabolic wastes (such as CO2) that act as vasodilators.






7. Major Histocompatability complex - a set of proteins found on the plasma membranes of cells that help display antigen to T cells. MHC I is found on all cells and displays bits of proteins from within the cell; this allows T cells to monitor cell cont






8. Cells that form the walls of the seminiferous tubules and help in spermatogenesis Sertoli cells are also called susenacular cells.






9. 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






10. 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.






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






12. The small artery that carries blood away from the capillaries of the glomerulus.






13. The 'blind spot' of the eye - this is where the axons of the ganglion cells exist the retinal to form the optic nerve. There are no photoreceptors in the optic disk.






14. 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






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






16. Messenger RNA; the type of RNa that is read by a ribosome to synthesize protein.






17. Diploid cells resultinf rom the activation of a spermatogoium; primary spermatocytes are ready to enter meiosis I. remember: cyte means ready to undergo meiosis.






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






19. The movement of air out of the respiratory tract. Expiration can be passive (caused by relaxation of the diaphragm and elastic recoil of the lungs) or active (caused by contraction of the abdominal muscles - which increases intraabdominal pressure an






20. A pigment produced by melanocytes in teh bottom cell layer of the epidermis. Melanin production is increased on sun exposure and helps prevent cllular damage due to UV radiation.






21. Physical structures in two different organism that have funcitonal similarity due to their evoluntion in a common environment - but have different underlying structure. Analogous structures arise from convergent evolution.






22. 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.






23. A blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart chambers. Arteries have muscular walls to regulate blood flow and are typically high - pressure vessles.






24. Small cavities in the bone or cartilage that hold individual bones or cartilage cells.






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






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






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






28. A cell that produces bone.






29. The first phase of meiosis I. During prophase I the replicated chromosomes condense - homologous chromsomes pair up - crossing over occurs between homologous chromosomes - the spindle is formed - and the nuclear envelope breaks apart into vesicles. P






30. The hollow center of an osteon - also known as a Haversian canal. The central canal contains blood vessels - lymphatic vessels - lymphatic vessels - and nerves. Bone is laid down around the central canal in concentric rings called lamellae.






31. The newly forming daughter strand of DNA that is replicated in a discontinuous fashion - via Okazaki fragments that will ultimately be ligated together; the daugther strand that is replicated in the opposite direction that parallel DNA is unwinding






32. A receptor that responds to light






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






34. A fibrous protein found on the intracellular side of the plasma membrane (also associated with the Golgi complex) that helps invaginate the membrane. Typically cel surface receptors are associated with clathrin - coated pits at the plasma membrane bi






35. The blood vessel that carries deoxygenated from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs.






36. A physiological catalyst. Enzymes are usually proteins - although some RNAs have catalytic activity.






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






38. The inside of the a hollow organ (e.g. - the somach - intestines - bladder - etc.) or a tube (e.g. - blood vessels - ureters - etc.)






39. The intracellular process triggered by the binding of a ligand to its receptor on the cell surface. Typically this activates seond messenger pathways.






40. Hardy crystals consisting of calcium and phosphate that form the bone matrix.






41. 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






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






43. The basic functional and structural unit of the nervous system. The neuron is a highly specialized cell - designed to transmit action potentials.






44. Paired glands found on the posterior external wall of the bladder in males. Their secretions contain an alkaline mucus and fructose - among other things - and make up approximately 60% of the ejaculate volume.






45. A protein found in the plasma membrane of all cells in the body that uses the energy of an ATP (hydrolyzes ATP) to move three Na+ ions out of the cell and two K+ ions into the cell - thus establishing concentrations gradients for these ions across th






46. Also called immunoblobins - the antibodies are protiens secreted by B- cells upon activation that bind in a highly specific manner to foreign proteins (such as those found of the surface of pathogens or transplanted tissues). The foreign proteins are






47. The transfre by a lysogenic virus of a portion of a host cell genome to a new host.






48. An organism that lacks a nucleus or any other memrane - bound organelles. All prokaytes belong to the Kingdom Monera (not protista!)






49. Pain receptors. Nociceptors are found everywhere in the body except for the brain.






50. The principal mineralocorticoid secreted by teh adrenal cortex. This steroid hormone targets the kidney tubules and increases renal reabsorption of sodium [and excretion of potassium]. (this causes ADH to be secreted & increased water comes out - inc