MCAT Topical Tests

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The following Topical Test and explanations should be used to practice and to assess
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Biology Discretes
Test
Time: 30 Minutes
Number of Questions: 30

This test consists of 30 discrete questionsquestions

that are NOT based on a descriptive passage. These
discretes comprise 15 of the 77 questions on the
Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences sections of
the MCAT.

MCAT

BIOLOGY DISCRETES TEST

DIRECTIONS: The following questions are not based
on a descriptive passage; you must select the best
answer to these questions. If you are unsure of the best
answer, eliminate the choices that you know are
incorrect, then select an answer from the choices that
remain. Indicate your selection by blackening the
corresponding circle on your answer sheet.

I.
II.
III.
IV.
A.
B.
C.
D.

They are eukaryotic.

They possess ribosomes.
They possess cell walls.
They reproduce asexually.

I only
I and 1I only
I, II, and III only
II III, and IV only

3 . The solid line in the figure below shows the course of

the reaction A + B C + D in the absence of its
catalyst. Which of the dotted lines would best represent
the course of the same reaction in the presence of its
catalyst?
2

potential energy

1 . Which of the following are characteristic of animal and

fungal cells, but NOT bacterial cells?

4
1

reaction coordinate
2 . What is the function of a lysosomes membrane?
A . It provides an acidic environment for the
lysosomes hydrolytic enzymes within the neutral
environment of the cell.
B . It is continuous with the nuclear membrane,
thereby linking the lysosome with the
endoplasmic reticulum.
C . It is used as an alternative site of protein
synthesis.
D . The cytochrome carriers of the electron transport
chain are embedded within it.

A.
B.
C.
D.

1
2
3
4

4 . A culture of red blood cells is grown on a nutrient

medium containing dinitrophenol which is a poison
that blocks the electron transport chain. Under these
conditions:
A.
B.
C.
D.

ATP production will remain the same.

ATP production will decrease.
oxygen consumption will increase.
lactic acid production will increase.

GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.

as developed by

Biology Discretes Test

5 . Downs syndrome is a human genetic disorder that can
be caused by the nondisjunction of chromosome 21
during meiosis. During which phase of meiosis does
nondisjunction occur?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Interphase
Prophase
Anaphase
Metaphase

6 . Brain cells of the housefly Musca domestica have 6

pairs of chromosomes. Therefore, it can be concluded
that:
A.
B.
C.
D.

the flys diploid number is 24.

the flys haploid number is 12.
the flys gametes contain 3 chromosomes.
the flys gametes contain 6 chromosomes.

7 . Fetal lungs are supplied with only enough blood to

nourish the lung tissue itself, since fetal lungs are
nonfunctional prior to birth. Obstruction of which of
the following fetal structures would cause an increase
in blood supply to fetal lungs?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Aorta
Ductus arteriosus
Ductus venosus
Pulmonary artery

8 . Which of the following pairs of differentiated tissue

might be malformed if only one of the primary germ
layers failed to properly differentiate during
development?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Brain and skeleton

Muscle and kidneys
Kidneys and brain
Intestinal epithelium and kidneys

9 . Which of the following statements illustrates the

principle of induction during vertebrate development?
A . The presence of a notochord beneath the ectoderm
results in the formation of a neural tube.
B . A neuron synapses with another neuron via a
neurotransmitter.
C . The neural tube develops into the brain, the spinal
chord, and the rest of the nervous system.
D . Secretion of TSH stimulates the secretion of the
hormone thyroxine.

KAPLAN

1 0 . Strontium is preferentially incorporated into growing

long bone. Therefore, if a child were exposed to
strontium, where would the highest concentration of
strontium most likely be found?
A.
B.
C.
D.

In the cartilage lining the joints

In the center of long bones
Near the epiphyseal plates of long bones
Evenly distributed throughout long bones

1 1 . A patient with a peptic ulcer takes a large overdose of

an antacid. As a result, the activity of which of the
following enzymes would be most affected?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Trypsin
Procarboxypeptidase
Lipase
Pepsin

1 2 . Pancreatic lipase is involved in the digestion of:

A.
B.
C.
D.

starch.
protein.
fat.
cellulose.

1 3 . Which of the following would trigger an increase in

breathing rate?
A.
B.
C.
D.

High blood CO2 partial pressure

Low blood CO2 partial pressure
High blood pH
High blood O2 partial pressure

1 4 . If a tracer substance is injected into a patients superior

vena cava, which of the following structures would the
tracer reach last?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Right ventricle
Left ventricle
Pulmonary veins
Left atrium

GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.

MCAT
1 5 . Stenosis is a condition in which the leaves of a heart
valve adhere to each other, decreasing the volume of
blood flow through the valve. A patient diagnosed with
stenosis of the mitral valve would experience the
greatest increase in blood pressure in his:
A.
B.
C.
D.

left ventricle.
left atrium.
right atrium.
aorta.

2 0 . If the victim of an automobile accident suffered isolated

damage to the cerebellum, which of the following
would most likely occur?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Loss of voluntary muscle contraction

Loss of sensation in the extremities
Loss of muscular coordination
Loss of speech

2 1 . Ingestion of the insecticide Parathion, which blocks

acetylcholinesterase function, would cause a(n):
1 6 . All of the following thermoregulatory mechanisms are
involved in heat conservation EXCEPT:
A.
B.
C.
D.

piloerection.
perspiration.
shivering.
blood vessel constriction.

1 7 . An increased plasma osmolarity would most likely

result in:
A.
B.
C.
D.

excretion of dilute urine.

decreased water permeability in the nephron.
increased ADH secretion.
dehydration.

1 8 . A patients anterior pituitary gland is removed due to

the presence of a malignant tumor. Plasma
concentration of which of the following hormones
would be LEAST affected following surgery?
A.
B.
C.
D.

FSH
Insulin
Estrogen
ACTH

1 9 . If a patient with high blood glucose levels (a diabetic)

accidentally took an overdose of insulin, which of the
following would most likely occur?
A . Convulsions due to decreased blood glucose
concentration
B . Increased glucose concentration in urine
C . Dehydration due to increased urine excretion
D . Increased conversion of glycogen to glucose

A . decrease in postsynaptic depolarization.

B . halt to all synaptic nervous transmission.
C . increase in acetylcholine concentration
synapses.
D . decrease in acetylcholine concentration
synapses.

in
in

2 2 . How many different types of gametes would be

produced by an organism of genotype AabbCcDdEE, if
all of the genes assort independently?
A.
B.
C.
D.

6
8
10
16

2 3 . The gene for color-blindness is X-linked. If normal

parents have a color-blind son, what is the probability
that he inherited the gene for color-blindness from his
mother?
A.
B.
C.
D.

25%
50%
75%
100%

2 4 . What is the sequence of linked genes D, E, F, and G,

given the following recombinant frequencies?
GE: 23%
GD: 8%
EF: 8%
A.
B.
C.
D.

ED: 15%
GF: 15%
DF: 7%

GDFE
GFDE
EFGD
FGDE
GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.

as developed by

Biology Discretes Test

2 5 . In fruit flies, the gene for wing type is located on an
autosomal chromosome. The allele for wild-type wings
is dominant to the allele for vestigial wings. If a
homozygous dominant male fly is crossed with a
female with vestigial wings, what percentage of their
female progeny are expected to have wild-type wings?
A . 0%
B . 25%
C . 75%
D . 100%

2 9 . In a particular population, for a trait with two alleles,

the frequency of the recessive allele is 0.6. What is the
frequency of individuals expressing the dominant
phenotype?
A.
B.
C.
D.

0.16
0.36
0.48
0.64

3 0 . Sexually reproducing species have a selective advantage

over asexually reproducing species, because sexual
reproduction:
2 6 . A cell is placed in a medium containing radioactively
labeled thymidine. If the cell undergoes two rounds of
replication while in this medium, the radioactivity will
appear:
A.
B.
C.
D.

A.
B.
C.
D.

is more energy efficient.

creates novel genetic recombinations.
decreases the likelihood of mutations.
always decreases an offsprings survival ability.

in both strands of all the DNA molecules.

in both strands of half the DNA molecules.
in one of the strands of every DNA molecule.
in both strands of half the DNA molecules; the
other half of the DNA molecules will have one
labeled strand.

2 7 . Which of the following is an acceptable nitrogen base

composition for double-stranded DNA?
A.
B.
C.
D.

31% A; 19% T; 31% C; 19% G

36% A; 36% U; 24% C; 24% G
48% A; 48% T; 52% C; 52% G
31% A; 31% T.; 19% C; 19% G

2 8 . What would be the sequence of mRNA transcribed

from the DNA segment: 5 -ACGTCA-3 ?
A.
B.
C.
D.

5 -TGCAGT-3
5 -UGCAGU-3
5 -UGACGU-3
5 -UCGAGU-3

END OF TEST

KAPLAN