1. Organisation of the Body

Question 1

1. Which of the listed terms is described by: “All the chemical processes that take place in the organelles and cytoplasm the cells of the body”?

A. Metabolism
B. Cellular respiration
C. Homeostasis
D. Physiology

Answer 1

A: The quoted statement is a definition of metabolism; Metabolism is all the chemical processes that take place in the organelles and cytoplasm the cells of the body

Question 2

2. Which major organ lies deep to the right hypochondriac region?
   A. The stomach
   B. The spleen
   C. The liver
   D. The duodenum

Answer 2

C: Hypochondriac = below the rib cartilage; liver is located mostly on the right side.

Question 3

S1. Name and describe the location of the 9 segments of the abdomen

Answer 3

From top to bottom, left to right:

Left hypochondriac; Epigastric region; Right hypochondriac.
Left Lumbar; umbilical region; Right lumbar.
Left Iliac Region; Hypogastrium; Right Iliac Region.

Question 4

S2. Which organs are located in which respective regions?

Answer 4

Left hypochondriac: Spleen, Colon, Left kidney, Pancreas

Epigastric region: Stomach, Liver, Pancreas, Duodenum, Spleen, Adrenal glands.

Right hypochondriac: Liver, Gall bladder, right kidney, small intestine

Left Lumbar: Descending Colon, left kidney

Umbilical region: Umbilicus (navel), parts of the small intestine, duodenum

Right lumbar: Gallbladder, liver, Right colon

Left Iliac Region: Descending colon, sigmoid colon

Hypogastrium: Urinary bladder, Sigmoid colon, female reproductive organs

Right Iliac Region: Appendix, colon

Question 5

3. Which plane of the body divides it into dorsal and ventral regions?

A. Transverse
B. Axial
C. Coronal
D. Sagittal

Answer 5

C: Dorsal and ventral = front and back – a coronal section so divides the body into these sections.

Question 6

4. To which of the following does the “tissue level” of structural organisation refer?

A. Atoms, ions, molecules and electrolytes
B. Mitochondria, ribosomes, nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum C. Nephron, alveolus, villus, lobule
D. Muscle, nervous, connective, epithelial

Answer 6

D: The listed structures are the four major tissue types.

Question 7

5. The directional term “superior” in anatomy means which of the following?
   A. Cephalic
   B. Ventral
   C. Closer to the top of the head
   D. Closer to the skin surface

Answer 7

C: Cephalic refers to the head region, while superior refers to being closer to the head than is the other anatomical structure in question.

Question 8

6. Which of the following is the best definition of physiology?

A. The microscopic study of tissues and cells
B. The study of how the body works
C. All the chemical processes that take place in the organelles of the body’s cells
D. The body’s automatic tendency to maintain a relatively constant internal environment

Answer 8

B: Physiology is indeed the study of how the (healthy) body functions.

Question 9

7. The “anatomical position” could be described as which of the following?
   A. Lying down prone
   B. Lying down supine
   C. Standing displaying the ventral surface of the body
   D. Standing with arms and legs abducted

Answer 9

C: This is the best answer. Standing is required, as is having the arms hanging parallel to the sides, with palms facing forward.

Question 10

8. Which choice best describes the location of the majority of the musculoskeletal system?

A. It is in the dorsal cavity
B. It is in the ventral cavity
C. It is in the abdominopelvic cavity
D. It is not located in a body cavity

Answer 10

D: The musculoskeletal system is located in the arms and legs, and surrounding, but outside of the abdominopelvic, the thoracic and the dorsal cavities.

Question 11

9. Which of the following is/are the contents of the ventral cavity?

A. Heart and lungs
B. Brain and spinal cord
C. Viscera
D. Gut, kidneys, liver, pancreas, spleen, bladder, internal reproductive organs

Answer 11

C: This is the best answer. It is a collective term for all organs in the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities.

Question 12

10. Which of the stated relationships is correct?

A. The heart is inferior to the clavicle
B. The shoulder is distal to the carpals
C. The phalanges are proximal to the metacarpals D. The eye is medial to the eyebrows

Answer 12

A: The heart is indeed below (inferior) to the clavicle. All other choices are wrong.

clavicle: collarbones
carpals: eight small bones that make up the wrist (or carpus) that connects the hand to the forearm
Phalanges: bones that make up the fingers of the hand and the toes of the foot
Metacarpals: a group of five bones of the hand between the phalanges and the carpus

Question 13

11. Which of the following is/are the contents of the dorsal body cavity?

A. Heart and lungs
B. Brain and spinal cord
C. Viscera
D. Gut, kidneys, liver, pancreas, spleen, bladder, internal reproductive organs

Answer 13

Dorsal refers to the back, the cavity enclosed by the skull and vertebrae.

Question 14

12. Which of the stated relationships is correct?

A. The heart is superior to the large intestine
B. The shoulder is distal to the metacarpals
C. The phalanges are proximal to the carpals
D. The eye is medial to the nose

Answer 14

A: The heart is indeed above (superior) to the intestine. All other answers are wrong.

Question 15

13. What is the study of how body parts function called?

A. Histology
B. Physiology
C. Homeostasis
D. Metabolism

Answer 15

B: Physiology refers to function.

Question 16

14. Which of the following correctly describes the two named body parts?
    A. The elbow is proximal to the shoulder
    B. The phalanges are distal to the carpals
    C. The ribs are proximal to the sternum
    D. The elbow is distal to the knee

Answer 16

B: Phalanges (finger bones) are indeed further from the trunk along the arm, than are the carpals (wrist bones).

Question 17

15. Which one of the following statements is correct?
    A. The diaphragm separates the brain and spinal cord.
    B. The ventral cavity contains the male and female reproductive system.
    C. The abdominopelvic cavity contains the spinal cord.
    D. The dorsal cavity contains the brain and spinal cord.

Answer 17

D: Dorsal means back and that is the cavity with the spinal cord and brain. B is incorrect as the genitalia are outside the ventral cavity.

Question 18

16. Complete the sentence correctly: “Cervical vertebrae are……
    A. Superior to the rib cage
    B. Inferior to the thoracic vertebrae
    C. Located between the thoracic and sacral vertebrae
    D. Fused into a single bone called the sacrum

Answer 18

A: Cervix refers to “neck”. The cervical vertebrae are in the neck; hence they are above (superior) to the rib cage.

Question 19

17. The dorsal body cavity contains which of the following organs?

A. The brain
B. The brain and spinal cord
C. The brain, spinal cord and heart
D. The brain, spinal cord, heart and kidneys

Answer 19

Answer is B: Dorsal refers to the back and is opposite to ventral. Only the brain and spinal cord occupy the dorsal cavity. All other answers are incorrect.

Question 20

18. What does the process known as anabolism refer to?

A. The use of energy for producing chemical substances
B. The breaking down phase of metabolism
C. All the chemical process that take place in the organelles of the cells
D. The supply of nutrients to the body’s cells

Answer 20

Answer is A: Anabolism refers to the process of constructing/building molecules (think anabolic steroids). B refers to catabolism. C is metabolism.

Question 21

19. To what does the term “hypochondriac” refer?

A. A condition of having too few chondria
B. The region of abdomen inferior to the ribs
C. A person who often complains of an ailment
D. Having insufficient cartilage in the knees

Answer 21

Answer is B: In this case “hypo-” means below, while “chondro” refers to the cartilage joining the ribs to the sternum (the costal cartilages). The regions of the abdomen immediately inferior to these rib cartilages (on the left and right sides of the body) are what is being referred to.

Question 22

20. If a medical image displays internal anatomy in the midsagittal section, which of the following describes the section?

A. A vertical section through the nose and umbilicus that divides the body into right and left halves
B. A cross-section through the midriff at about the level of the liver
C. A cross-section through the upper chest at about the level of the shoulders
D. A vertical section through the midpoint of the clavicle and through either the right or left thigh

Answer 22

Answer is A: A sagittal section divides the body into left and right portions. A mid- sagittal section means that the dividing line is in the vertical midline of the body so that the halves are equal.

Question 23

21. Which of the following best describes the “anatomical position”?

A. Standing vertically, arms held horizontally, legs apart so that the tips of the head, hands and feet lie on an imaginary circle, drawn around the body
B. Standing “to attention”, with hands held so that thumbs are ventral while the fifth digit is dorsal
C. Standing “at ease” with hands clasped behind your back while adjacent and dorsal to the sacrum
D. Standing vertically, arms parallel and lateral to the ribs with hands inferior to the elbows and supinated

Answer 23

D: The anatomical position is achieved when standing with feet comfort- ably apart while displaying the ventral surface of the head, body and forearms to the same direction (forwards).

Question 24

22. Which term describes the location of the adrenal glands with reference to the kidneys?

A. Proximal
B. Distal
C. Superior
D. Inferior

Answer 24

C: The adrenal glands are on the cephalic side of the kidneys. Being closer to the head, they are termed “superior to the kidneys”.

Question 25

23. Which of the following terms is NOT used to identify a region of the abdomen?
    A. Left hypochondriac
    B. Hypogastric
    C. Epigastric
    D. Right sacral

Answer 25

D: Right sacral is not a region on the anterior surface of the abdomen.

Question 26

24. What structure separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity?

A. The mediastinum
B. The diaphragm
C. The peritoneum
D. The pylorus

Answer 26

Answer is B: The muscular diaphragm physically separates these two ventral cavities.

Question 27

25. When the body is standing in the “anatomical position”, which of the following is true?

A. The radius is lateral to the ulna.
B. The radius is medial to the ulna.
C. The radius is proximal to the ulna.
D. The radius is distal to the ulna.

Answer 27

Answer is A: In the anatomical position, the palms are displayed ventrally. The radius is further from the body’s midline than is the ulna; hence, it is lateral to the ulna.

Question 28

26. What is the movement called when the arms are moved from the anatomical position by sweeping them through 90° in the coronal plane, so that they are held horizontally (parallel to the ground)?

A. Pronation
B. Circumduction
C. Abduction
D. Rotation

Answer 28

Answer is C: Moving the straight arms away from the body in this fashion is called abduction.

Question 29

27. Which bones are located distal to the elbow and proximal to the wrist?

A. The carpals
B. The radius and ulna
C. The tarsals
D. The humerus

Answer 29

Answer is B: Distal to the elbow means further along the arm towards the hand – this eliminates the humerus. Proximal to the wrist means closer to the body than the wrist – this eliminates the carpals. The tarsals are in the ankle.

Question 30

28. What is the collective term used for contents of the body’s ventral cavity?

A. The omentum
B. The peritoneum
C. The internal organs
D. The viscera

Answer 30

Answer is D: The peritoneum is the membrane that surrounds the abdominal cavity and the omentum is a portion of that. The internal organs are close but also include the brain which is not in the ventral cavity.

Question 31

29. What is meant by the term “retroperitoneal”?

A. On the dorsal side of the lungs
B. In the space between the spinal cord and the bodies of the vertebrae
C. Within the body wall but not enclosed by the peritoneum
D. It is a small bone of the facial skeleton

Answer 31

Answer is D: Retroperitoneal refers to organs inferior to the diaphragm but not enclosed by the peritoneum. For example, the kidneys, pancreas, rectum and part of the duodenum.

Question 32

30. How does a coronal section divide the body?

A. Into many transverse slices
B. Into a ventral part and a dorsal part
C. Into a left and right section
D. Into superior and inferior portions

Answer 32

Answer is B: An imaginary cut that divides the body into a front half (or section) and back half is termed coronal. Choice C is sagittal, while choice D is a transverse section.

Question 33

31. What structure separates the abdominal and pelvic cavities?

A. There is no separating structure.
B. The diaphragm.
C. The peritoneum.
D. The dura mater.

Answer 33

Answer is A: The pelvic cavity is not physically separated from the abdominal cavity. For example, parts of the small intestine are located in both “cavities”.

Question 34

32. In which cavity(ies) does the digestive system lie?
    A. The abdominal cavity
    B. The abdominal and pelvic cavities
    C. The thoracic, abdominal and pelvic cavities
    D. The dorsal, thoracic, abdominal and pelvic cavities

Answer 34

Answer is C: The oesophagus is within the thoracic cavity, while the remainder is in the abdominopelvic cavity.

Question 35

33. Imagine an image of a transverse section of the upper arm. What tissues may be identified there located from the most superficial to the deepest?
    A. Skin, subcutaneous fat, muscle, hypodermis, bone
    B. Epidermis, dermis, hypodermis, muscle, bone
    C. Integument, muscle, superficial fascia, bone, marrow
    D. Hypodermis, subcutaneous fat, muscle, marrow, bone

Answer 35

Answer is B: Choice A is incorrect as hypodermis is more superficial than muscle. Choice C is wrong again because superficial fascia (which is a synonym for hypo- dermis) is more superficial than muscle. Choice D is wrong as marrow lies within bone, and also hypodermis and subcutaneous fat are almost synonyms.

Question 36

34. By what anatomical term is the head region known?
    A. Plantar
    B. Cephalic
    C. Hypochondriac
    D. Axillary

Answer 36

Answer is B: The cephalus is the head; the plantar region is the base of the foot; the hypochondriac region is inferior and deep to the rib cartilages of ribs 7–10; the axil- lary region is the “armpit”.

Question 37

35. Which organ would be found in the left hypochondriac region?
    A. The appendix
    B. The urinary bladder
    C. The liver
    D. The stomach

Answer 37

Answer is D: Left hypochondriac region is deep to the cartilages of the lower ribs on our left-hand side. The stomach is closest to this region.

Question 38

36. To which body region does “popliteal” refer?

A. The region around each eye
B. The region anterior to the elbow, between arm and forearm
C. The region dorsal to the knee
D. The region of the anterior crease between thigh and abdomen

Answer 38

Answer is C: Here the popliteal artery and popliteus tendon may be located. Choice A refers to orbital; B refers to antecubital; D refers to inguinal.

Question 39

37. Which region of the body is known as the acromial region?
    A. The elbow region
    B. The heel region
    C. The medial ankle region
    D. The shoulder region

Answer 39

Answer is D: The superior part of the shoulder at the distal end of the clavicle is known as acromial. Here the acromion of the scapula articulates with the clavicle at the “ac” or acromioclavicular joint. Choice A is the olecranal region; B the calcaneal; C (the medial malleolus) is not usually ascribed a region name.

Question 40

38. What are the terms cortex and medulla used to describe?
    A. The cortex is the outer part of an organ or bone, while the medulla is the inner part.
    B. The cortex is the inner part of an organ or bone, while the medulla is the outer part.
    C. The cortex is the deeper part of an organ or bone, while the medulla is the more superficial part.
    D. The medulla refers to the fibrous capsule around an organ, while the cortex is the tissue of an organ.

Answer 40

Answer is A: The medulla of the kidney, for example, is the deep, inner part, while the cortex is the more superficial, outer part.

Question 41

39. What is meant by the term flexion (or to flex)?
    A. Flexion is where the angle between two long bones is decreased by muscle action.
    B. Flexion is an action performed to stretch (extend) a muscle.
    C. Flexion is where the angle between two long bones is increased by muscle action.
    D. Flexion is caused by the action of contracting a muscle.

Answer 41

Answer is A: To flex an arm is to decrease the angle between the humerus and radius (by contracting the biceps brachii). Choice D is wrong as contracting the triceps brachii causes extension of the forearm.

Question 42

40. To what movement is the term “extension” applied?
    A. Extension is where the angle between two long bones is decreased by muscle action.
    B. Extension is an action performed to stretch (extend) a muscle.
    C. Extension is where the angle between two long bones is increased by muscle action.
    D. Extension occurs when an antagonistic muscle is allowed to contract.

Answer 42

Answer is C: To extend a body part is to increase the angle between the moving bone and the stationary bone. For example, when the fingers of a clenched fist are allowed to straighten, the angle between the proximal phalanges and the metacarpals increases.

Question 43

41. What exists in the “potential space” between the visceral and parietal layers of a membrane?
    A. Serous fluid
    B. Nothing
    C. Air
    D. Synovial fluid

Answer 43

Answer is A: Serous membranes have a deeper visceral layer and a more superficial parietal layer. Between them is a small amount of serous fluid to lubricate their movement past each other.

Question 44

42. One of the images taken for mammography of the compressed breast is known as “cranio-caudal”. What direction is this?
    A. Compression from the medial and lateral sides.
    B. A left to right (sideways) view.
    C. The breast is flattened against the rib cage for imaging.
    D. When standing, the breast is compressed from above and below.

Answer 44

Answer is D: From above (the cranial direction) and below (the caudal, or tail direction).

Question 45

43. What part of the body is known as the popliteal region?
    A. The fold of the knee
    B. The fold of the elbow
    C. The area around the ears
    D. The medial sides of the ankles

Answer 45

Answer is A: Behind the knee, opposite to the patella is the popliteal region. Here the popliteal pulse and popliteus tendon are found.