What this section covers: General terminology, Anatomical structures and systems.
10 free practice questions
Click an answer: you see at once whether it is right, with the explanation.
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Question 1Which plane divides the body into right and left parts?
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Answer: B — Sagittal plane.
A sagittal plane runs vertically from front to back and separates right from left. A frontal (coronal) plane separates anterior from posterior, and a transverse (horizontal) plane separates superior from inferior.
Checked against: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 1.6 Anatomical Terminology
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Question 2When body temperature rises, sweat glands increase their output until temperature returns toward normal. This is an example of:
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Answer: A — Negative feedback.
In negative feedback the response reverses the original change, bringing the variable back toward its set point. Sweating cools the body and so counteracts the rise in temperature.
Checked against: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 1.5 Homeostasis
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Question 3Which layer of the epidermis is the deepest and contains actively dividing cells?
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Answer: A — Stratum basale.
The stratum basale is the deepest epidermal layer, attached to the basement membrane; its stem cells divide to replace keratinocytes that move up toward the surface. The stratum corneum is the outermost layer of dead, keratinized cells.
Checked against: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 5.1 Layers of the Skin
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Question 4Which bone cells break down bone matrix and release calcium into the blood?
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Answer: D — Osteoclasts.
Osteoclasts resorb (break down) bone. Osteoblasts build new bone matrix, osteocytes are mature bone cells that maintain the matrix, and chondrocytes are cartilage cells.
Checked against: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 6.3 Bone Structure
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Question 5In skeletal muscle contraction, calcium ions released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum bind to which protein?
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Answer: C — Troponin.
Calcium binds to troponin, which shifts tropomyosin off the binding sites on actin. Myosin heads can then attach to actin and pull the thin filaments.
Checked against: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 10.3 Muscle Fiber Contraction and Relaxation
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Question 6Which cells form the myelin sheath around axons in the peripheral nervous system?
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Answer: B — Schwann cells.
In the peripheral nervous system, Schwann cells wrap axons in myelin. Oligodendrocytes myelinate axons in the central nervous system; astrocytes and microglia have support and defense roles.
Checked against: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 12.2 Nervous Tissue
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Question 7Which hormone, secreted by beta cells of the pancreatic islets, lowers blood glucose?
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Answer: A — Insulin.
Insulin from beta cells promotes glucose uptake by body cells and so lowers blood glucose. Glucagon (from alpha cells), cortisol and epinephrine all tend to raise blood glucose.
Checked against: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 17.9 The Endocrine Pancreas
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Question 8Where does gas exchange between air and blood take place in the lungs?
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Answer: B — Alveoli.
Alveoli are tiny air sacs with very thin walls surrounded by capillaries, where oxygen diffuses into the blood and carbon dioxide diffuses out. The trachea and bronchi only conduct air.
Checked against: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 22.1 Organs and Structures of the Respiratory System
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Question 9Bile, which emulsifies fats in the small intestine, is produced by which organ?
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Answer: C — Liver.
Bile is made by the liver and stored and concentrated in the gallbladder, which releases it into the duodenum. The pancreas produces digestive enzymes, not bile.
Checked against: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 23.6 Accessory Organs in Digestion: The Liver, Pancreas, and Gallbladder
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Question 10What is the functional unit of the kidney that filters blood and forms urine?
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Answer: D — Nephron.
The nephron, made of a renal corpuscle and a renal tubule, filters blood and modifies the filtrate into urine. The renal pelvis only collects urine and funnels it into the ureter; neurons and alveoli belong to the nervous and respiratory systems.
Checked against: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 25.4 Microscopic Anatomy of the Kidney
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