Discrete Practice Questions

Consult your online resources for additional practice.

1. Which of the following is true regarding nerve cells?

   1. Sensory neurons are also referred to as efferent neurons.
   2. Interneurons are also referred to as afferent neurons.
   3. Motor neurons transmit information from receptors to the brain.
   4. Sensory neurons transmit information from receptors to the brain.

2. Which component of the nervous system is NOT involved in the initial reflexive response to pain?

   1. Spinal cord
   2. Cerebral cortex
   3. Interneuron
   4. Motor neuron

3. A child has experienced nervous system damage and can no longer coordinate the movements to dribble a basketball, although she can still walk in an uncoordinated fashion. Which region of the central nervous system was most likely affected?

   1. Forebrain
   2. Midbrain
   3. Hindbrain
   4. Spinal cord

4. The temporal lobe deals with all of the following EXCEPT:

   1. language comprehension.
   2. memory.
   3. emotion.
   4. motor skills.

5. Which part of the brain deals with both homeostasis and emotions?

   1. Cerebellum
   2. Pons
   3. Hypothalamus
   4. Thalamus

6. Which of the following activities would most likely be completed by the right hemisphere of a left-handed person?

   1. Finding a car in a parking lot
   2. Learning a new language
   3. Reading a book for pleasure
   4. Jumping rope with friends

7. Which of the following is/are true with regard to neurulation?

   1. The neural tube differentiates from endoderm.
   2. The neural tube becomes the peripheral nervous system.
   3. Neural crest cells migrate from their original site.
   1. I only
   2. III only
   3. II and III only
   4. I, II, and III

8. Which of the following neurotransmitters is NOT classified as a catecholamine?

   1. Epinephrine
   2. Norepinephrine
   3. Dopamine
   4. Acetylcholine

9. If the amount of acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine, is increased, which of the following would likely be the result?

   1. Weakness of muscle movements
   2. Excessive pain or discomfort
   3. Mood swings and mood instability
   4. Auditory and visual hallucinations

10. The adrenal glands do all of the following EXCEPT:

    1. promote the fight-or-flight response via estrogen.
    2. produce stress responses via cortisol.
    3. produce both hormones and neurotransmitters.
    4. release estrogen in males and testosterone in females.

11. A disorder of the pineal gland would most likely result in which of the following disorders?

    1. High blood pressure
    2. Diabetes
    3. Insomnia
    4. Hyperthyroidism

12. Which of the following neurotransmitters is associated with both schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease?

    1. GABA
    2. Serotonin
    3. Dopamine
    4. Enkephalins

13. In a personality survey, which set of twins would be expected to score most similarly?

    1. Identical twins raised in different homes
    2. Fraternal twins raised in different homes
    3. Identical twins raised in the same home
    4. Fraternal twins raised in the same home

14. During a physical examination, a physician brushes the bottom of the foot of a fifty-year-old patient with multiple sclerosis. Her toes are observed to curl toward the bottom of her foot, with no fanning of the toes. This response is:

    1. abnormal, and evidence that she is exhibiting a primitive reflex.
    2. normal, and evidence that she is exhibiting a primitive reflex.
    3. abnormal, and evidence that she is not exhibiting a primitive reflex.
    4. normal, and evidence that she is not exhibiting a primitive reflex.

15. Which of the following fine motor tasks would one expect to see first in an infant?

    1. Grasping for objects with two fingers
    2. Following objects with the eyes
    3. Scribbling with a crayon
    4. Moving a toy from one hand to the other