Human Anatomy and Physiology Questions and Answers

Answer: C

The single cell is the zygote.

At fertilisation a sperm fuses with an ovum, and the resulting single diploid cell, the zygote, carries the full set of chromosomes. Repeated cell division then produces the embryo and, eventually, every tissue of the body.

The egg cell is the unfertilised ovum, which cannot develop on its own. A tissue is a group of many similar cells. The embryo is the multicellular stage that develops from the zygote, not the single cell it begins as.

Answer: C

The answer is large, same: tissues consist of large numbers of the same type of cells.

A tissue is a group of many similar cells that share a common origin and work together to perform a particular function. Examples are epithelial, connective, muscular and nervous tissue.

A tissue is not a fixed small number of cells such as ten, and its cells are not defined by a shape such as circular, oval or round. Different types of cells working together make up an organ, not a tissue.

Answer: B

The correct matching is 1-c, 2-d, 3-a, 4-b.

The cranial cavity contains the brain (1-c). The pelvic cavity holds the organs of the reproductive system along with the urinary bladder and rectum (2-d). The thoracic cavity contains the lungs and heart (3-a). The abdominal cavity contains the stomach and intestines (4-b).

Every other option puts at least one organ group in the wrong cavity, such as the brain in the abdomen.

Answer: B

The correct matching is 1-b, 2-a, 3-d, 4-c, 5-f, 6-e.

The levels build on each other. The chemical level is atoms and molecules (1-b). The cellular level is the cell, the smallest living unit (2-a). A tissue is a group of similar cells (3-d). An organ is made of different tissues joined together (4-c). An organ system is a set of related organs with a common function (5-f). The organism is all parts of the body working together (6-e).

Only one option matches all six; the first, for example, wrongly makes the chemical level the smallest living unit.

Answer: A

'Dorsal' means related to the back side of the body.

In anatomy dorsal (from Latin dorsum, back) is the opposite of ventral, the belly side. In a standing human dorsal corresponds to posterior. On the hand it means the back of the hand, and on the foot its upper surface.

The front side is ventral or anterior. The lower part of the body is described as inferior (or caudal), and the upper part as superior (or cranial). So each of the other options names a different directional term.

Answer: A

The supine position is lying flat on the back, face up.

It is the usual position for physical examination of the abdomen and for most surgery.

Lying flat on the stomach, face down, is the prone position. Sitting upright is the Fowler's (or high Fowler's) position used for breathless patients. Standing straight with the arms at the sides and palms forward is the anatomical position, the reference posture for directional terms.

Answer: B

The brain is contained in the cranial cavity.

The cranial cavity is formed by the bones of the skull. Together with the vertebral canal, which holds the spinal cord, it makes up the dorsal body cavity.

The thoracic cavity holds the lungs and heart. The abdominal cavity holds the stomach, intestines and liver. The pelvic cavity holds the urinary bladder and the reproductive organs. All three belong to the ventral body cavity, at the front of the body.

Answer: B

The basic level of structural organisation is the chemical level.

The body is organised in a hierarchy that starts with atoms and molecules, the chemical level. Molecules combine to form cells, cells form tissues, tissues form organs, organs form organ systems, and the systems together make the organism.

The cellular level is the basic level of life, since the cell is the smallest living unit, and that is the trap in option C. But the question asks for the basic level of structural organisation, and cells are themselves built from chemicals. Tissues and organs are higher levels still.