Question 1

Once the threshold potential is reached,

Accepted Answer

A) K⁺ channels open. 
B) Na⁺ channels close. 
C) an action potential is inevitable. 
D) the interior of the cell becomes negative with respect to the outside. 
A) K⁺ channels open. 
B) Na⁺ channels close. 
C) an action potential is inevitable. 
D) the interior of the cell becomes negative with respect to the outside.

Question 2

You are practicing throwing baseballs long distances with the members of your baseball team. At the same time that your partner throws the ball to you, another player across from you throws his baseball off-target, and it heads straight toward you. You hold your baseball glove up to catch your partner's ball, and you instinctively throw up your other arm to protect your face from the other incoming ball. The protective action of throwing up your arm is an example of a(n)

Accepted Answer

A) nerve net. 
B) reflex. 
C) effector cell. 
D) blood-brain barrier. 
A) nerve net. 
B) reflex. 
C) effector cell. 
D) blood-brain barrier.

Question 3

Which of the following statements about resting potential is true?

Accepted Answer

A) A resting membrane allows much more sodium than potassium to diffuse across it. 
B) The concentration of sodium is much higher inside the cell than outside. 
C) The resting potential exists because of differences in glucose concentration inside and outside the cell. 
D) The sodium-potassium pump contributes to the resting membrane potential. 
A) A resting membrane allows much more sodium than potassium to diffuse across it. 
B) The concentration of sodium is much higher inside the cell than outside. 
C) The resting potential exists because of differences in glucose concentration inside and outside the cell. 
D) The sodium-potassium pump contributes to the resting membrane potential.

Question 4

Our emotions, learning, and memory depend upon the

Accepted Answer

A) limbic system. 
B) parietal lobes. 
C) frontal lobes. 
D) occipital lobes. 
A) limbic system. 
B) parietal lobes. 
C) frontal lobes. 
D) occipital lobes.

Question 5

Which of the following statements about Alzheimer's disease is true?

Accepted Answer

A) Alzheimer's disease is suspected if a patient cannot retain his or her balance. 
B) Alzheimer's disease is age-related, increasing in frequency as people age. 
C) Alzheimer's disease often reverses or improves with time. 
D) Alzheimer's disease frequently involves positive changes in personality. 
A) Alzheimer's disease is suspected if a patient cannot retain his or her balance. 
B) Alzheimer's disease is age-related, increasing in frequency as people age. 
C) Alzheimer's disease often reverses or improves with time. 
D) Alzheimer's disease frequently involves positive changes in personality.

Question 6

Action potentials normally travel along an axon

Accepted Answer

A) toward the cell body. 
B) away from the cell body. 
C) either toward or away from the cell body. 
D) away from the synapse. 
A) toward the cell body. 
B) away from the cell body. 
C) either toward or away from the cell body. 
D) away from the synapse.

Question 7

What part of the brain sorts incoming information, such as touch signals from your hand, into categories before relaying it to the cerebral cortex?

Accepted Answer

A) thalamus 
B) hypothalamus 
C) pons 
D) hippocampus 
A) thalamus 
B) hypothalamus 
C) pons 
D) hippocampus

Question 8

The sophisticated behavior of mammals and birds is directly related to

Accepted Answer

A) their relatively large cerebrum. 
B) the presence of a hindbrain. 
C) their relatively large midbrain. 
D) the presence of a forebrain. 
A) their relatively large cerebrum. 
B) the presence of a hindbrain. 
C) their relatively large midbrain. 
D) the presence of a forebrain.

Question 9

Suppose that you have a younger sibling who excels in mathematics and logic but has extreme difficulty remembering the faces of people she meets, even if she sees them again only a few hours after first meeting them. What other evidence would indicate that your sibling is left-brained?

Accepted Answer

A) an fMRI indicating high levels of activity in the left parietal lobe 
B) an fMRI indicating high levels of activity in the left occipital lobe 
C) an fMRI indicating high levels of activity in the left temporal lobe 
D) an fMRI indicating high levels of activity in the left cerebral hemisphere 
A) an fMRI indicating high levels of activity in the left parietal lobe 
B) an fMRI indicating high levels of activity in the left occipital lobe 
C) an fMRI indicating high levels of activity in the left temporal lobe 
D) an fMRI indicating high levels of activity in the left cerebral hemisphere

Question 10

After reading the paragraphs below, answer the questions that follow.
You recently sprayed your apartment with insecticide to remove an infestation of cockroaches. In your kitchen, you noticed some roaches lying on their backs twitching furiously before they died. This aroused your curiosity, so you decided to investigate exactly how the insecticide works on the nervous system.
In your research, you discover that the insecticide you used contains a permanent acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that stimulates skeletal muscle to contract. Acetylcholinesterase removes acetylcholine from the synapse after the signal is received. Exposure to high pesticide concentrations has a similar effect on humans, which can also be caused by exposure to the nerve gas Sarin and other chemical agents.
-Why did the insecticide cause uncontrollable twitching in the roaches?

Accepted Answer

A) Acetylcholine was released, but the insecticide prevented it from diffusing across the synapse. 
B) Acetylcholine was released, but the insecticide prevented it from binding to the receptor sites of the postsynaptic neurons. 
C) The insecticide caused continuous stimulation of the muscles. 
D) The insecticide prevented acetylcholinesterase from being removed from the synapse. 
A) Acetylcholine was released, but the insecticide prevented it from diffusing across the synapse. 
B) Acetylcholine was released, but the insecticide prevented it from binding to the receptor sites of the postsynaptic neurons. 
C) The insecticide caused continuous stimulation of the muscles. 
D) The insecticide prevented acetylcholinesterase from being removed from the synapse.

Question 11

Schizophrenia

Accepted Answer

A) can best be described as feeling a sense of worthlessness. 
B) is often associated with hallucinations and paranoid delusions. 
C) causes changes in body weight and sleeping patterns. 
D) is best defined as a type of mental deterioration or dementia. 
A) can best be described as feeling a sense of worthlessness. 
B) is often associated with hallucinations and paranoid delusions. 
C) causes changes in body weight and sleeping patterns. 
D) is best defined as a type of mental deterioration or dementia.

Question 12

Use the figure below to answer the following questions.
  
-What is the minimum change in the membrane's voltage that must occur to generate the action potential?

Accepted Answer

A) +20 
B) +40 
C) +70 
D) +120 
A) +20 
B) +40 
C) +70 
D) +120

Question 13

When the human brain's normal electrical activity is suddenly altered, a seizure can result. Seizures cause several behavioral and physical complications such as sudden mood changes, muscle spasms, or uncontrollable body shaking. Seizure impulses often start in one hemisphere of the brain and travel to the other. Which of the following surgical treatments would reduce the severity of seizures?

Accepted Answer

A) severing the suprachiasmatic nucleus so that the patient's biological clock has altered circadian rhythms 
B) severing the corpus callosum so that the brain has diminished ability to send messages between the two cerebral hemispheres 
C) severing the parietal lobe so that speech capabilities are diminished 
D) stimulating the cerebrum to allow the retention of short-term memory capabilities 
A) severing the suprachiasmatic nucleus so that the patient's biological clock has altered circadian rhythms 
B) severing the corpus callosum so that the brain has diminished ability to send messages between the two cerebral hemispheres 
C) severing the parietal lobe so that speech capabilities are diminished 
D) stimulating the cerebrum to allow the retention of short-term memory capabilities

Question 14

The signal that crosses a synapse is stopped when

Accepted Answer

A) a second action potential traveling down the signaling cell "sounds a retreat," and the neurotransmitters return to the signaling cell. 
B) the responding cell runs out of sodium and is no longer able to respond to the stimulus. 
C) the responding cell runs out of potassium and is no longer able to respond to the stimulus. 
D) the neurotransmitter is enzymatically broken down or transported back to the signaling cell. 
A) a second action potential traveling down the signaling cell "sounds a retreat," and the neurotransmitters return to the signaling cell. 
B) the responding cell runs out of sodium and is no longer able to respond to the stimulus. 
C) the responding cell runs out of potassium and is no longer able to respond to the stimulus. 
D) the neurotransmitter is enzymatically broken down or transported back to the signaling cell.

Question 15

Which of the following statements regarding the brain is true?

Accepted Answer

A) Ventricles in the brain are filled with interstitial fluid. 
B) The blood-brain barrier helps to maintain a stable chemical environment for the brain. 
C) Layers of connective tissue, called epithelium, surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. 
D) White matter is mainly dendrites. 
A) Ventricles in the brain are filled with interstitial fluid. 
B) The blood-brain barrier helps to maintain a stable chemical environment for the brain. 
C) Layers of connective tissue, called epithelium, surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. 
D) White matter is mainly dendrites.

Question 16

In all vertebrates, the brain consists of the

Accepted Answer

A) cerebrum, forebrain, and hindbrain. 
B) cerebrum, midbrain, and hindbrain. 
C) forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain. 
D) cerebrum, cerebellum, and hindbrain. 
A) cerebrum, forebrain, and hindbrain. 
B) cerebrum, midbrain, and hindbrain. 
C) forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain. 
D) cerebrum, cerebellum, and hindbrain.

Question 17

Use the figure below to answer the following questions.
  
-Why do the two parts of the graph marked with arrows look identical?

Accepted Answer

A) They represent the depolarization and repolarization of the membrane. 
B) They represent the minimum change in the membrane's voltage that must occur to generate and complete the action potential. 
C) They represent the stimulus that begins and ends the action potential. 
D) They represent the resting potential before and after the action potential has occurred. 
A) They represent the depolarization and repolarization of the membrane. 
B) They represent the minimum change in the membrane's voltage that must occur to generate and complete the action potential. 
C) They represent the stimulus that begins and ends the action potential. 
D) They represent the resting potential before and after the action potential has occurred.

Question 18

The autonomic nervous system

Accepted Answer

A) integrates sensory inputs to the brain. 
B) carries signals to and from skeletal muscles. 
C) regulates the internal environment of the body. 
D) is part of the central nervous system. 
A) integrates sensory inputs to the brain. 
B) carries signals to and from skeletal muscles. 
C) regulates the internal environment of the body. 
D) is part of the central nervous system.

Question 19

A physician friend of yours is telling you about a patient with a head injury who suddenly stopped breathing. Your friend explains that the bony rim was pressing against the breathing center. You guess that the "bony rim" (whatever that is)must have been exerting pressure in the region of the

Accepted Answer

A) basal ganglia and hippocampus. 
B) cerebellum and cerebrum. 
C) thalamus and hypothalamus. 
D) medulla oblongata and pons. 
A) basal ganglia and hippocampus. 
B) cerebellum and cerebrum. 
C) thalamus and hypothalamus. 
D) medulla oblongata and pons.

Question 20

During transmission across a typical chemical synapse,

Accepted Answer

A) neurotransmitter molecules are stored in the synaptic cleft. 
B) action potentials trigger chemical changes that make the synaptic vesicles fuse with each other. 
C) vesicles containing neurotransmitters diffuse to the receiving cell's plasma membrane. 
D) neurotransmitter molecules bind to receptors in the receiving cell's plasma membrane. 
A) neurotransmitter molecules are stored in the synaptic cleft. 
B) action potentials trigger chemical changes that make the synaptic vesicles fuse with each other. 
C) vesicles containing neurotransmitters diffuse to the receiving cell's plasma membrane. 
D) neurotransmitter molecules bind to receptors in the receiving cell's plasma membrane.

Exam 28: Nervous Systems

Once the threshold potential is reached,

Which of the following statements about resting potential is true?

Our emotions, learning, and memory depend upon the

Which of the following statements about Alzheimer's disease is true?

Action potentials normally travel along an axon

What part of the brain sorts incoming information, such as touch signals from your hand, into categories before relaying it to the cerebral cortex?

The sophisticated behavior of mammals and birds is directly related to

Suppose that you have a younger sibling who excels in mathematics and logic but has extreme difficulty remembering the faces of people she meets, even if she sees them again only a few hours after first meeting them. What other evidence would indicate that your sibling is left-brained?

Schizophrenia

Use the figure below to answer the following questions. -What is the minimum change in the membrane's voltage that must occur to generate the action potential?

The signal that crosses a synapse is stopped when

Which of the following statements regarding the brain is true?

In all vertebrates, the brain consists of the

Use the figure below to answer the following questions. -Why do the two parts of the graph marked with arrows look identical?

The autonomic nervous system

A physician friend of yours is telling you about a patient with a head injury who suddenly stopped breathing. Your friend explains that the bony rim was pressing against the breathing center. You guess that the "bony rim" (whatever that is)must have been exerting pressure in the region of the

During transmission across a typical chemical synapse,

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The Molecules of Cells

A Tour of the Cell

The Working Cell

How Cells Harvest Chemical Energy

Photosynthesis: Using Light to Make Food

The Cellular Basis of Reproduction and Inheritance

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Molecular Biology of the Gene

How Genes Are Controlled

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the Immune System

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Reproduction and Embryonic Development

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How Animals Move

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