Prepare for Medical Assistant anatomy and physiology questions with these practice answers. This covers body systems, medical terminology, and clinical applications.
Q: What is the basic unit of life?
Answer: cell
Q: The directional term that means the opposite of medial is?
Answer: lateral
Q: What plane divides the body into superior and inferior portions?
Answer: transverse
Q: The maintenance of a relatively stable internal environment in the body in known as what?
Answer: homeostasis
Q: The posterior portion of the knee joint is know as what?
Answer: popliteal
Q: Organs found in the lower right abdominopelvic quadrant include?
Answer: appendix, cecum, ascending colon, small intestine
Q: Moving your arms away from your body so that the letter “T” is formed is known as?
Answer: abduction
Q: A coronal MRI would section the body into?
Answer: anterior/posterior sections
Q: What tissue provides the greatest protection from mechanical injury?
Answer: stratified squamous epithelium
Q: What cells would be expected to be to be most active in replacing bone matrix lost due to injury?
Answer: osteoblasts
Q: The atlas bone?
Answer: first cervical vertebra
Q: How many vertebrae make up the cervical region of the body?
Answer: 7
Q: What bones form the upper jaw?
Answer: maxilla
Q: What bone is superior to the fibula and inferior to the ischium?
Answer: femur
Q: Joints are lined by what type of membrane?
Answer: synovial
Q: What large muscle separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity?
Answer: diaphragm
Q: The type of muscle that is attached to the bone of the skeleton is called?
Answer: skeletal
Q: The contractile unit of a myofibril that lies between two successive Z lines is called a?
Answer: retinaculum
Q: In synaptic transmission, the postsynaptic neuron is stimulated to form an impulse by a neurotransmitter released from the?
Answer: axon tip of presynaptic neuron
Q: Cerebral spinal fluid is located in the
Answer: subarachnoid space
Q: Interpretation of sensory impulses occurs in which part of the cerebrum?
Answer: postcentral gyri-parietal lobes
Q: The neurotransmitter released at the neuromuscular junction is?
Answer: acetylcholine
Q: The term that refers to areas of myelinated axons is?
Answer: white matter
Q: The area of the retina where the nerve fibers leave the eye and there is a blind spot is know as the?
Answer: optic disc
Q: The hormones regulating blood calcium levels are?
Answer: PTH and calcitonin
Q: What stimulates uterine contractions?
Answer: oxytocin
Q: The hormone erythopoietin increases the production of what?
Answer: red blood cells
Q: Which endocrine organ is referred to as the “master” gland?
Answer: pituitary
Q: What blood cell aids in clotting?
Answer: thrombocyte
Q: What valve is located between the right atrium and the right ventricle?
Answer: tricuspid
Q: What portion of the heart has the thickest myocardium?
Answer: left ventricle
Q: Blood transported by the pulmonary veins returns to the?
Answer: left atrium
Q: Parasympathetic innervation of the heart is mediated by which cranial nerve?
Answer: X
Q: The specialized are in the heart that initiates each heartbeat and sets in pace is?
Answer: SA Node
Q: By secreting hormones, the thymus causes what cells to become immunocompetent?
Answer: lymphocytes
Q: The redness and heat of an inflamed area are due to a local hyperemia caused by?
Answer: vasodilation
Q: Worn out and damaged red blood cells are destroyed in the?
Answer: spleen
Q: The exchange of gases occurs in small air sacs called?
Answer: alveoli
Q: The structure that closes off the larnyx during eating is?
Answer: epiglottis
Q: Bile is produced in the liver and stored in the?
Answer: gallbladder
Q: Saliva contains an enzyme that breaks down?
Answer: starch
Q: What is the term for movement of food through the digestive tract?
Answer: peristalsis
Q: What is the first step in urine formation?
Answer: glomerular filtration
Q: The functional and structural unit of the kidneys is?
Answer: nephron
Q: What is the cluster of blood capillaries found in each nephron called?
Answer: glomerulus
Q: The inner lining of the uterus that sheds every month during menstruation is known as the?
Answer: endometrium
Q: The rupture of the mature follicle (egg) during ovulation is due to a surge in?
Answer: LH
Q: The presence of which hormone in the maternal blood or urine indicates pregnancy?
Answer: hCG
Q: Where is the sperm produced?
Answer: testes
Q: Fertilization generally occurs in the?
Answer: fallopian tubes