22 Anatomy & Physiology Practice Questions & Answers

1. 1. A cadaver section divides the body into right and left portions. Which plane does this section follow?

   • A.Transverse (horizontal) plane
   • B.Sagittal plane✓ Answer
   • C.Frontal (coronal) plane
   • D.Oblique plane

   The sagittal plane passes vertically from front to back and therefore separates the body into right and left portions (a midsagittal cut produces equal halves). The frontal plane divides anterior from posterior, and the transverse plane divides superior from inferior, so neither can create right and left parts.

   Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; standard anatomical planes and directional terminologyReport a problem with this question

2. 2. Which layer of the skin contains blood vessels, sensory nerve endings, hair follicles, and sweat glands?

   • A.Stratum corneum
   • B.Epidermis
   • C.Dermis✓ Answer
   • D.Hypodermis (subcutaneous layer)

   The dermis is the thick connective-tissue layer that carries the skin's blood supply, sensory receptors, hair follicles, and sebaceous and sweat glands, and its collagen and elastin give skin strength and elasticity. The epidermis above it is avascular and is nourished by diffusion from dermal capillaries; the stratum corneum is simply the outermost dead layer of that epidermis, and the hypodermis is a fatty layer beneath the skin.

   Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; integumentary system structureReport a problem with this question

3. 3. Which cutaneous receptor responds primarily to deep pressure and vibration?

   • A.Merkel's discs
   • B.Meissner's corpuscles
   • C.Pacinian corpuscles✓ Answer
   • D.Free nerve endings

   Pacinian (lamellated) corpuscles lie deep in the dermis and subcutaneous tissue, and their onion-like layers deform only under substantial or rapidly changing force, which makes them sensitive to deep pressure and vibration. Meissner's corpuscles and Merkel's discs are superficial light-touch receptors, and free nerve endings signal pain and temperature.

   Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; cutaneous sensory receptorsReport a problem with this question

4. 4. The shoulder and hip joints allow flexion and extension, abduction and adduction, and rotation. Which type of synovial joint are they?

   • A.Ball-and-socket joint✓ Answer
   • B.Saddle joint
   • C.Hinge joint
   • D.Pivot joint

   A ball-and-socket joint seats a rounded bone head in a cup-shaped socket, and that geometry permits motion in all three planes plus rotation, which is why the shoulder and hip are the body's most mobile joints. A hinge joint such as the elbow moves in only one plane, a pivot joint permits rotation around a single axis, and a saddle joint such as the first carpometacarpal allows two planes plus limited opposition.

   Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; musculoskeletal system structure, synovial joint classificationReport a problem with this question

5. 5. Which bone cells break down bone matrix and release stored calcium into the bloodstream?

   • A.Osteoclasts✓ Answer
   • B.Fibroblasts
   • C.Osteoblasts
   • D.Osteocytes

   Osteoclasts resorb mineralized bone matrix, which both reshapes bone and releases calcium and phosphorus into the blood, so they are the demolition side of continuous bone remodeling. Osteoblasts build new bone matrix, osteocytes are mature cells that maintain existing bone, and fibroblasts produce collagen in soft connective tissues rather than bone.

   Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; bone tissue structure and functionReport a problem with this question

6. 6. In a skeletal muscle, which connective-tissue sheath wraps each fascicle, the bundle of muscle fibers?

   • A.Perimysium✓ Answer
   • B.Aponeurosis
   • C.Epimysium
   • D.Endomysium

   The wrappings are organized from small to large: endomysium surrounds each individual muscle fiber, perimysium bundles fibers into a fascicle, and epimysium encloses the whole muscle. All three are continuous with the surrounding fascia and converge into the tendon, while an aponeurosis is a broad flat sheet of tendon rather than an internal wrapping.

   Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; muscle and connective tissue organizationReport a problem with this question

7. 7. Which description matches cardiac muscle tissue?

   • A.Non-striated and involuntary, found in the walls of hollow organs and blood vessels
   • B.Non-striated and voluntary, found only in the diaphragm
   • C.Striated and voluntary, attached to bone by tendons
   • D.Striated and involuntary, with cells joined end to end by intercalated discs✓ Answer

   Cardiac muscle is striated like skeletal muscle but is involuntary, and its cells are joined by intercalated discs that pass the electrical impulse rapidly from cell to cell so the heart contracts as a coordinated unit. Skeletal muscle is striated and voluntary, and smooth muscle is non-striated and involuntary; the diaphragm is skeletal muscle, not a separate tissue type.

   Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; muscle tissue typesReport a problem with this question

8. 8. During a relaxing massage a client's heart rate and blood pressure decrease, breathing slows, and digestive activity increases. Which physiological shift explains this pattern?

   • A.Increased release of epinephrine from the adrenal medulla
   • B.Loss of somatic motor control of skeletal muscle
   • C.A shift toward parasympathetic dominance✓ Answer
   • D.A shift toward sympathetic dominance

   The parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system produces the 'rest-and-digest' state, slowing heart rate and respiration, lowering blood pressure, and increasing gastrointestinal activity, which is the pattern described. Sympathetic activity and adrenal epinephrine would do the opposite by raising heart rate and blood pressure and inhibiting digestion, and somatic motor control is unrelated to these visceral changes.

   Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; autonomic nervous system functionReport a problem with this question

9. 9. Which subdivision of the peripheral nervous system carries motor commands to skeletal muscle under voluntary control?

   • A.Sympathetic division
   • B.Parasympathetic division
   • C.Somatic nervous system✓ Answer
   • D.Autonomic nervous system

   The peripheral nervous system divides into a somatic branch, which carries voluntary motor output to skeletal muscle and sensory information back to the central nervous system, and an autonomic branch, which controls involuntary targets such as cardiac muscle, smooth muscle, and glands. The sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions are the two subdivisions of that autonomic branch, so neither governs voluntary skeletal muscle action.

   Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; nervous system organizationReport a problem with this question

10. 10. Which nerve is the largest in the body, arises from the sacral plexus, and divides into the tibial and common fibular (peroneal) nerves?

    • A.Obturator nerve
    • B.Phrenic nerve
    • C.Sciatic nerve✓ Answer
    • D.Femoral nerve

    The sciatic nerve is formed from the sacral plexus, travels through the gluteal region and down the posterior thigh, and splits into the tibial and common fibular nerves, which is why it supplies so much of the lower limb. The femoral and obturator nerves come from the lumbar plexus, and the phrenic nerve arises from the cervical plexus and innervates the diaphragm.

    Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; peripheral nerve plexusesReport a problem with this question

11. 11. Which statement about the pulmonary circuit is correct?

    • A.The pulmonary arteries carry deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle to the lungs✓ Answer
    • B.The pulmonary veins return blood from the lungs to the right atrium
    • C.The pulmonary arteries carry oxygenated blood from the left ventricle to the body
    • D.The pulmonary veins carry deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs

    Arteries are defined by direction of flow, not oxygen content: they carry blood away from the heart, so the pulmonary arteries carry oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle to the lungs, and the pulmonary veins return oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the left atrium. This is the one place in the body where arteries carry deoxygenated blood and veins carry oxygenated blood.

    Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; cardiovascular system structure and blood flow pathwayReport a problem with this question

12. 12. Blood in the veins of the legs must travel upward against gravity. What mainly makes this venous return possible?

    • A.The thick muscular walls of veins pumping blood upward
    • B.The force of left ventricular contraction alone
    • C.One-way venous valves working with the skeletal muscle pump and the respiratory pump✓ Answer
    • D.Gravity acting on the column of blood in the vein

    Veins have thin walls and carry blood under low pressure, so most of the force from ventricular contraction has been dissipated by the time blood reaches them. Return therefore depends on one-way valves that prevent backflow while contracting skeletal muscles squeeze the vessels and pressure changes during breathing draw blood toward the thorax.

    Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; venous return and vessel structureReport a problem with this question

13. 13. Which blood component contains hemoglobin and transports most of the oxygen in the blood?

    • A.Plasma
    • B.Erythrocytes (red blood cells)✓ Answer
    • C.Leukocytes (white blood cells)
    • D.Thrombocytes (platelets)

    Erythrocytes are packed with hemoglobin, the iron-containing protein that reversibly binds oxygen in the lungs and releases it in the tissues, so they are the body's oxygen carriers. Leukocytes serve immune defense, platelets initiate clotting, and plasma is the fluid matrix that carries cells, nutrients, hormones and wastes but does not contain hemoglobin.

    Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; blood composition and functionReport a problem with this question

14. 14. Unlike blood, lymph has no central pump. What moves lymph through the lymphatic vessels?

    • A.Arterial pulse pressure generated in the capillary beds
    • B.Contraction of the left ventricle pushing lymph forward
    • C.Skeletal muscle contraction, pressure changes during breathing, contraction of smooth muscle in the vessel walls, and external compression✓ Answer
    • D.Osmotic suction created by the spleen

    Lymphatic vessels have one-way valves but no pump equivalent to the heart, so lymph is propelled by external and intrinsic forces: contracting skeletal muscles squeeze the vessels, diaphragmatic breathing creates pressure gradients toward the thorax, the vessel segments contract rhythmically, and outside compression such as manual work assists the flow. Flow is always one way, from the tissues toward the venous angles at the base of the neck.

    Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; lymphatic system functionReport a problem with this question

15. 15. Where does the thoracic duct return lymph to the bloodstream, and what territory does it drain?

    • A.Directly into the right atrium; it drains the entire body
    • B.At the left venous angle near the left subclavian vein; it drains roughly three quarters of the body✓ Answer
    • C.At the left venous angle; it drains only the two lower limbs
    • D.At the right venous angle; it drains the right upper quadrant of the body

    The thoracic duct is the largest lymphatic vessel; it begins at the cisterna chyli below the diaphragm and empties at the junction of the left subclavian and internal jugular veins, draining both lower limbs, the abdomen, and the left side of the upper body — about three quarters of the body. The much smaller right lymphatic duct handles the remaining right upper quadrant, meaning the right arm and the right side of the head, neck and thorax.

    Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; lymphatic drainage territoriesReport a problem with this question

16. 16. Production of antibodies directed against one specific pathogen is a function of which part of immunity?

    • A.The inflammatory response and fever
    • B.The skin and mucous-membrane barriers
    • C.B lymphocytes of the adaptive (specific) immune response✓ Answer
    • D.Phagocytosis by neutrophils and macrophages

    Adaptive immunity is antigen-specific: B lymphocytes recognize a particular antigen and produce antibodies against it, and memory cells make later responses faster. Barriers, phagocytes, inflammation and fever belong to innate (nonspecific) immunity, which responds the same way regardless of which invader is present.

    Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; innate versus adaptive immunityReport a problem with this question

17. 17. What happens in the thorax when the diaphragm contracts during quiet inspiration?

    • A.It flattens and descends, increasing thoracic volume and lowering pressure in the lungs so air flows in✓ Answer
    • B.It remains still while the abdominal muscles actively draw air in
    • C.It flattens while pressure inside the lungs rises above atmospheric pressure
    • D.It domes upward, decreasing thoracic volume and pushing air out

    The diaphragm is the primary muscle of inspiration: when it contracts it flattens and moves inferiorly, enlarging the thoracic cavity so intrapulmonary pressure falls below atmospheric pressure and air moves in along the pressure gradient. Quiet expiration is passive, occurring as the diaphragm relaxes back into its dome shape and elastic recoil of the lungs pushes air out.

    Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; respiratory system function and mechanics of breathingReport a problem with this question

18. 18. Injured soft tissue has moved past the inflammatory stage into the proliferation (repair) stage of healing. What characterizes this stage?

    • A.Vasoconstriction and clot formation to stop the initial bleeding
    • B.Marked heat, redness and swelling caused by the first vascular response to injury
    • C.Fibroblasts depositing new but relatively weak and disorganized collagen to bridge the damaged area✓ Answer
    • D.Mature collagen fully realigned along lines of stress, with strength equal to the original tissue

    Healing proceeds in overlapping stages: inflammation first, then proliferation or repair, then maturation and remodeling. During proliferation fibroblasts lay down new collagen that is fragile and randomly oriented, which is why gentle, pain-free movement and light work are used at this point; only in the later remodeling stage does that collagen realign along lines of tensile stress and gain strength, and scar tissue remains less elastic than the tissue it replaces.

    Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; tissue injury and repairReport a problem with this question

19. 19. Two days after an ankle injury the area is red, warm, swollen, painful, and difficult to use. Which stage of tissue response does this represent, and what does the underlying physiology indicate?

    • A.A chronic fibrotic stage; deep friction directly on the site is indicated
    • B.The remodeling stage; collagen is mature and the site tolerates aggressive stretching
    • C.The acute inflammatory stage; vasodilation and increased vessel permeability are underway, so direct deep work over the site is inappropriate✓ Answer
    • D.An ischemic stage; heat applied directly on the site will restore circulation

    Redness, heat, swelling, pain and loss of function are the cardinal signs of acute inflammation, produced by vasodilation and increased capillary permeability that bring blood, fluid and immune cells to the injured tissue. Because that vascular response is already at its peak, adding mechanical or thermal load directly over the site increases fluid accumulation and pain rather than helping, so attention is directed away from the injured area until inflammation subsides.

    Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; inflammation and tissue repair physiologyReport a problem with this question

20. 20. Cortisol, the hormone released in greater amounts during prolonged stress, is secreted by which structure?

    • A.The thyroid gland
    • B.The posterior pituitary
    • C.The adrenal medulla
    • D.The adrenal cortex✓ Answer

    Cortisol is a glucocorticoid produced by the outer adrenal cortex, and it supports the sustained stress response by raising blood glucose and damping inflammation. The inner adrenal medulla instead releases epinephrine and norepinephrine for the rapid fight-or-flight reaction, the thyroid regulates metabolic rate, and the posterior pituitary stores oxytocin and antidiuretic hormone.

    Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; endocrine glands and their hormonesReport a problem with this question

21. 21. What is the functional unit of the kidney, and where does filtration of the blood begin?

    • A.The alveolus; filtration begins in the loop of Henle
    • B.The ureter; filtration begins in the renal pelvis
    • C.The nephron; filtration begins in the collecting duct
    • D.The nephron; filtration begins at the glomerulus inside the glomerular (Bowman's) capsule✓ Answer

    Each kidney contains roughly a million nephrons, and urine formation starts when blood pressure forces water and small solutes out of the glomerular capillaries into the surrounding glomerular capsule. The tubules that follow reabsorb water, glucose and needed ions and secrete additional wastes, while the ureter and renal pelvis only transport urine that has already been formed.

    Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; urinary system structure and nephron functionReport a problem with this question

22. 22. In traditional Chinese medicine, meridians are best described as:

    • A.The seven energy centers aligned along the midline of the body
    • B.The three constitutional types that govern body function
    • C.Channels through which qi (vital energy) is said to flow, with specific points located along them✓ Answer
    • D.Lymphatic vessels identified by Western anatomy under a different name

    In this energetic model meridians are pathways along which qi is described as circulating, and the points along them are the sites addressed by acupressure and shiatsu; they are conceptual channels rather than structures demonstrated by Western dissection. Chakras are the midline energy centers of the Indian yogic tradition, and the doshas are the three constitutional types of Ayurveda.

    Source: FSMTB MBLEx Content Outline — Anatomy & Physiology domain; concepts of energetic anatomyReport a problem with this question

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