MCAT SCIENCEWORKBOOK

BIOLOGY
QUESTIONSAND

PASSAGES............................................................. 5

SOLUTIONS
.............................................................................. 139

PHYSICS
QUESTIONSAND

PASSAGES......................................................... 223

SOLUTIONS
..............................................................................353

GENERAL CHEMISTRY
QUESTIONSAND

PASSAGES.........................................................431

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
QUESTIONS AND

PASSAGES......................................................... 639

SOLUTIONS
.............................................................................. 731

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BIOLOGY
Chapter
Number

MCAT Biological Sciences Review

MCAT Bioloqy Chapter Title

Corresponding MCAT Science Workbook

Passage Numbers

Molecular Biology
Microbiology
Generalized Eukaryotic Cells
Genetics and Evolution
Nervous and Endocrine Systems
Circulatory, Lymphatic, and Immune Systems
Digestive and Excretory Systems
Muscle and Skeletal Systems
Respiratory and Skin Systems
Reproductive Systems and Development

PHYSICS
Chapter
Number

MCAT Physical Sciences Review

MCAT Physics Chapter Title

Corresponding MCAT Science Workbook

Passage Numbers

Kinematics
Mechanics i
Mechanics I I
Mechanics III
Fluids and Elasticity of Solids
Electrostatics
Electricity and Magnetism
Oscillations and Waves
Sound
Light and Geometrical Optics

GENERAL CHEMISTRY
Chapter
Number

MCAT Physical Sciences Review

MCAT General Chemistry Chapter Title

Corresponding MCAT Science Workbook

Passage Numbers

Atomic Structure
Periodic Trends and Bonding
Phases
Gases
Solutions
Kinetics
Equilibrium
Acids and Bases
Thermodynamics
Redox and Electrochemistry

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
Chapter
Number

MCAT Bioloaica! Sciences Review

MCAT Organic Chemistry Chapter Gtle

Structure and Bonding

Substitution and Elimination Reactions
Electrophilic Addition Reactions
Nucleophilic Addition/Cycloaddition Reactions
Lab Techniques and Spectroscopy
Biologically-ImportantOrganic Chemistry

corresponding MCAT Science Workbook

Passage Numbers

PERIODIC TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS

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MCAT BIOLOGY

Passage 1 (Questions 1-9)

Graph IV

Graph III

Many membrane transport processes are not driven

directly by the hydrolysis of ATP. Instead, they are coupled
to the flow of an ion down its electrochemical gradient. For
example, glucose is transported into some animal cells by the
simultaneous entry of Na+. Sodium ions and glucose bind to
a specific transport protein and enter together. A protein
responsible for the concerted movement of two such species
is called a symport. An antiport carries two species in opposite
directions. The rate and extent of glucose transport depends
on the Na+ gradient across the plasma membrane. Sodium
ions entering the cell in the company of glucose are pumped
out again by the Na+/K+ATPase pump,
A group of researchers wished to gain information about
a type of bacteria that was known to take in glucose across its
cell membrane by use of a sodium-glucose cotransport
mechanism. The researchers conducted two experiments in
which bacterial cells were placed in glucose-containing media
that differed with respect to relative ion concentration and
ATP content. Glycolysis was inhibited in the cells during
these experiments.
Experiment 1:

Bacterial cells with relatively low intracellular sodium

concentration were placed in a glucose-rich medium that had
a relatively high sodium concentration but no ATP. At
regular time intervals, the medium was analyzed for glucose
concentration and sodium concentration. See Figure 1.

time

JC

time

time

Figure 2 Glucose, Na*, and ATP concentrations in

medium

1. Within animal cells, the transport of Na+outof the cell

by the Na+/K+ATPase pump involves:

A. symport.
B. antiport.
C. facilitated diffusion.
D. active transport.

2. The results of Experiments 1 and 2 suggest that the cells

take up glucose:

time

time

Figure 1 Glucose and Na+ concentrations in medium

(no ATP in medium)

Experiment 2:

Bacterial cells with relatively low intracellular sodium

concentration were placed in a glucose-rich medium that had
a relatively high sodium concentration and that was also rich
in ATP. At regular time intervals, the medium was analyzed
for glucose, sodium, and ATP concentration. See Figure 2.
If radiolabeled ATP is used in this experiment, the majority
of the radiolabel at the end of the experiment is found as ADP
inside the cells.

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A. in exchange for ATP, as long as extracellular

sodium concentration remains constant.
B. in exchange for sodium, as long as ATP
concentration is zero.
C. together with sodium, as long as a favorable sodium
concentration gradient is maintained.
D. together with sodium, as long as extracellular ATP
concentration is increasing.
3. On the basis of Experiments 1 and 2, a researcher
hypothesized that all of the cells under study ultimately
depend on energy to operate the sodium-glucose
cotransport mechanism. Is this hypothesis reasonable?

A. No; Figure 1 indicates that glucose can cross the

cell membrane indefinitely in the absence of
exogenous energy.
B. No; Figure 2 indicates that extracellular glucose
and ATP concentrations are independent.
C. Yes; Figure 1 indicates that a sodium gradient
drives glucose transport, and Figure 2 indicates
that ATP maintains the sodium gradient.
D. Yes; Figures 1 and 2 indicate that glucose crosses
the cell membrane in exchange for phosphate.

4. The results of Experiments 1 and 2 indicate that ATP

promotes the cellular uptake of glucose by serving as a
source of:
A. enzymes.
B. metabolic energy.
C, inorganic phosphate.
D. carbohydrate.

5. If, in Experiment 1. ATP had been added to the medium

at time x, which of the following would represent the
appearance of Graphs I and II?

L b
Graph I

time

Graph I1

time

L
Graph I

time

time

6. A student postulated that the glucose transport protein

must be located exclusively on the outer surface of the
cell membrane. Is this hypothesis necessarily true?

A. Yes; transport proteins only occur on the outer

surface of membranes.
B. Yes; the hydrophobic tails of the lipid bilayer
repel protein molecules.
C. No; transport proteins are located exclusively on
the inner surface of the lipid bilayer.
D. No; transport proteins may span the entire width
of the lipid bilayer.
7. According to Figure 1, as sodium concentration in the
medium approaches the same concentration found in
the cells, glucose concentration in the medium would:

A. remain at its original level, because sodium

c o n c e n t r a t i o n d o e s not a f f e c t glucose
concentration.
B. increase, because less glucose is transported into
the bacterial cells.
C. level off, because a sodium gradient is not available
to drive cotransport.
D. approach zero, because glucose and sodium are
transported together.

8. In Figure 1, if the initial Na+ concentration in the

medium were doubled, which graph below would best
depict the glucose concentration in the medium?

time

time

time

tune

time

Graph I

time

time

time

9. Based on the information in the passage, the first step

in the transport of sodium and glucose into a cell is:

A. binding of specific secreted proteins to sodium in

the surrounding medium.
B. direct hydrolysis of ATP in the cytoplasm by the
sodium-glucose cotransporter.
C. direct hydrolysis of ATP on the extracellular
surface by the sodium-glucose cotransporter.
D. binding of specific proteins in the membrane to
sodium and glucose in the surrounding medium.

Passage 2 (Questions 1-7)

Protein synthesis occurs either on free ribosomes o r
ribosomes bound to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER).
According to the signal hypothesis, it is the growing
polypeptide that cues the ribosomes to remain free or attach
to the ER. Proteins targetted to the ER, Golgi, lysosomes,
plasma membrane, or to be secreted contain a signal peptide
of 15 or more continuous amino acids. These N-terminus
signal peptides are responsible for the co-translational
insertion of the growing polypeptide into the membrane of
the ER. After the leading end of the protein is inserted into
the ER lumen, the signal peptide is cleaved by an enzyme.
Proteins destined for the secretory pathway are packaged
into vesicles that pinch off from the membrane of the ER and
fuse with the cis face of the Golgi apparatus. Often the
packaging of a protein into a transport vesicle requires the
presence of a region on the protein that is recognized by a
receptor in the Golgi membrane. This receptor-protein
complex will localize to a vesicle and target the vesicle to its
destination.
One of the best-characterized pathways of vesicular
transport involves proteins destined to become lysosomal
enzymes. These proteins carry a unique mannose-6-phosphate
(M6P) marker that is recognized by the specific M6P receptor
in the membrane of the Golgi apparatus. M6P receptors bind
proteins and sequester them along one region of the Golgi
membrane, facilitating their packaging into vesicles. Once
the vesicle has budded from the Golgi apparatus, it travels to
the lysosome, where it fuses with the lysosomal membrane.
The M6P receptor releases its bound protein when it
encounters the acidic pH of the interior of the lysosome. T h e
acidity of the lysosome also activates lysosomal enzymes.

1. Proteins that are to be secreted pass through what series

of organelles?
A. ER Golgi lysosomes plasma membrane
B. ER 4 Golgi -+ secretory vesicles
C. cytoplasm -+ Golgi 4 ER .secretory vesicles
D. ER secretory vesicles lysosomes
2. Where in the cell would the M6P receptor be transcribed?
A.
B.
C.
D.

In
In
In
In

the nucleus
the cytoplasm
the rough ER
the Golgi

3. The transport of proteins to the lysosomes requires

which of the following?
A. Acidic pH in the ER
B. Vesicle movement from the rough ER to the Golgi
C. Endocytosis
D. Inhibition of signal peptidase

4. Which of the following enzymes would be expected to

function well within an acidic environment?
A. Signal peptidase

B. Trypsin
C. Pepsin
D. Pancreatic lipase

5. Which of the following processes would be disrupted in

a cell that failed to label proteins with the M6P marker?
A. Intracellular digestion of macromolecules
B. Protein synthesis
C. Oxidative phosphorylation
D. Golgi formation

6. If a protein that is destined to become a lysosomal

enzyme were synthesized without a signal peptide, in
which of the following cellular regions would it
ultimately reside?

A. The cytosol
B. The cell surface
C. The mitochondria
D. The peroxisomes
7. The ER lumen corresponds most closely to which of the
following compartments?
A. The interior of the nucleus
B. The cytoplasm
C. The extracellular environment
D. The intermembrane space in mitochondria

Passage 3 (Questions 1- 6 )
The circulation of a fetus differs from that of a newborn
infant in several important aspects.
First, unlike an infant's anatomy, fetal anatomy does not
provide direct contact between the fetus and the external
environment. The lungs of the fetus are collapsed and fluidfilled, and do not function in respiration. Fetal respiration,
nutritional and excretory functions are all performed by the
placenta, which is essentially composed of interwoven fetal
and maternal capillaries. Maternal blood, however, does not
normally mix with fetal blood.
Second, both sides of the fetal heart supply blood to the
systemic circulation; hence, they work largely in parallel,
rather than in series as in an infant. While the lungs are fluidfilled, the pulmonary vascular resistance is higher than thesystemic vascular resistance. Shunts between the left and
right atria and between the great arteries permit most of the
blood to bypass the lungs.
Third, the fetus exists in hypoxic conditions relative to
those that exist after birth. To reach the fetal blood, oxygen
must diffuse through the placenta from the maternal blood
which has already oxygenated a substantial portion of
maternal body tissue. The blood that perfuses the fetus is
about 67% saturated with oxygen. In the normal person, this
is the approximate saturation of mixed venous blood returning
to the lungs to be oxygenated. Blood that leaves the lungs of
the normal adult is about 95% to 98% saturated with oxygen.
The lowest oxygen saturation of blood in the fetal circulation
occurs in blood in the lower inferior vena cava. In the fetal
lamb, which furnishes a good model for the study of human
fetal circulation, oxygen saturation of blood in the lower
inferior vena cava is 26%. Blood in the superior vena cava,
which comes mostly from the head, is only 3 1% saturated in
the human fetus,
The fetus has two adaptations for surviving relative
hypoxia: its cellular enzymes can function at low oxygen
tensions, and fetal hemoglobin can deliver oxygen to the
tissues despite low levels of oxygen saturation. These special
properties are lost within a few days after birth, when normal
respiratory activities begin.
<

The brain of the human fetus is large relative to the rest

of the body, and its supply of oxygen is very important. The
fetal brain is perfused with highly-saturated blood from the
left ventricle. The output of the right ventricle, which is less
saturated, supplies the limbs and internal organs of the fetus.

1. At the placenta, C O should normally:

A. diffuse from the fetal side to the maternal side.
B. diffuse from the maternal side to the fetal side.
C. be of equal concentration on both the maternal and
fetal sides.
D. be of higher concentration on the maternal side
with no net diffusion between the maternal and
fetal sides.

2. Some children persist in forming fetal hemoglobin for

months or even years after birth. Such children would
likely:
A. be able to withstand environments having low
oxygen content.
B. be able to shunt blood from the right to the left side
of the heart.
C. be unable to survive in the absence of an artificial
oxygen supply.
D. be unable to bear children.
3. A newborn infant is able to survive the loss of fetal
hemoglobin within a few days after birth because the
infant's:

A. blood continues to bypass the fluid-filled lungs.

B. circulatory system is independent of the mother's.
C. lungs have direct contact with oxygen in the
environment.
D. digestive and excretory systems become active.
4. In a pregnant woman with healthy lungs but impaired
circulation, her fetus may be at risk of suffering birth
defects because:

A. the placenta will show increased material perfusion.

3. the fetus cannot tolerate any compromising of the

blood supply to its internal organs.

C. the maternal alveoli may be deficient in oxygen
partial pressure.
D. fetal oxygen supply depends on maternal
circulation.

5. Blood delivered to the fetus has a lower oxygen

concentration than does blood leaving the adult lung

because, before it reaches the placenta, maternal blood:

A. mixes with f e t a l blood of lower oxygen

concentration.
B. releases oxygen to the mother's own tissues.
C. gives up nutrients to the fetal circulation.
D. must pass through the right atrium and ventricle.
6. Which of the following chambers of the fetal heart
supply blood to the systemic circulatory system?

A. Right atrium and right ventricle

B. Right atrium and left atrium
C. Left ventricle and right ventricle
D. Left ventricle and right atrium

Passage 4 (Questions1-6)
The selective permeability of cell membranes plays an
important role in regulating the intracellular environment.
Ions can be transported across cell membranes by passive,
active, or facilitated processes.
Ionophores are small hydrophobic molecules that dissolve
in the lipid bilayer and increase its ion permeability. Most
are synthesized by microorganisms, presumably as biological
weapons, and some have been used as antibiotics. They have
been widely employed by cell biologists to increase membrane
permeability to specific ions in studies on synthetic bilayers,
cells, and cell organelles.
It is known that ionophores may be substance-specific.
That is, a given ionophore may promote cell membrane
permeability to one substance, but not to another.
An investigator sought to learn more about the characteristics of a particular ionophore termed lonophore A.

1. Across which of the following cell types would the

inward diffusion of water be most pronounced under
normal conditions?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Epithelial cells of the stomach

Epithelial cells of the large intestine
Endothelial cells of the alveolar capillaries
Cornified cells of the skin

2. If, in Experiment 1, the cells were placed in a hypotonic

medium, and if the cells were permeable to water and
magnesium, then the cells would most likely have:

A. increased in calcium concentration to compensate

for a deficit in positive charge.
B. decreased in calcium concentration by intake of
water.
C. decreased in size by losing both calcium and
magnesium ions.
D. decreased in size by losing water passively along
a concentration gradient.

Experiment 1:

Cells with relatively high internal calcium concentration

and low internal magnesium concentration were placed in an
aqueous medium of relatively low calcium concentration and
high magnesium concentration.

3. A graduate student suggested that a neuron at resting

potential might be induced to undergo an action potential
by exposure to a sodium-specific ionophore. Is this a
reasonable hypothesis?

After several seconds had elapsed, the cells' internal ion

concentrations were evaluated, and it was found that internal
concentrations of calcium and magnesium had remained the
same.

A. Yes, the ionophore would excite a threshold

reaction i n the neuron's Schwann cells.
B. Yes, an action potential occurs when threshold
depolarization causes voltage-gated channels to
open.
C. No, an action potential requires a reduced
permeability to sodium ions.
D. No, an action potential is triggered by active
transport of sodium along the myelin sheath.

Experiment 2 :

Experiment 2 was identical to Experiment 1 except that

the cell medium was infused, also, with Ionophore A.
The cells' internal ion concentrations were evaluated,
and it was found that the internal concentration of calcium
had remained the same but that the internal concentration of
magnesium had increased subs tantially.

4. If, in either Experiment 1or Experiment 2, the cells had

decreased their internal concentration of magnesium, it
would indicate that they had undergone a process in
which:

A. ATP had been converted to ADP.

B. Ca2+entered the cell.
C. carbohydrates had been synthesized.
d channels had opened.
D. ~ o l t a g e ~ g a t eion

5. The results of Experiments 1 and 2 would most justify

the researcher's conclusion that:

A. Ionophore A would not be a useful antibiotic.

B. Ionophore A is specific to positively-charged ions,
since it altered sodium permeability but not
magnesium permeability.
C. ionophores facilitate movement only in accordance
with existing concentration gradients.
D. in order to be effective, ionophores require the
active assistance of the cell's sodium-potassium
pump.

6. If a given cell were persistently engaged in active

transport, its cytoplasm would most likely be rich in:

A. smooth endoplasmic reticulum.

B. lysosomes.
C. centrioles.
D. mitochondria.

Questions 1 through 1 1 are NOT based on a

descriptive passage.
1. All of the following are key processes in the production
of energy in the mitochondrion EXCEPT:
A. glycolysis.
B. the citric acid cycle.
C. electron transport.
D. oxidative phosphorylation.

2. When it is time to breed, salmon travel from saltwater,

in which they are hypotonic, to freshwater, in which
they are hypertonic. They maintain solute balance by
reversing their osmoregulatory machinery when moving
between the two environments. Failure to reverse this
machinery when moving to their breeding grounds would
most likely result in:
A. death, as cells became too concentrated to carry
out normal metabolism.
B. death, as cells underwent lysis due to water influx.
C. improved metabolic activity, a s enzyme
concentrations increased.
D. no change, because movement from a hypertonic
to a hypotonic medium does not present osmotic
challenges.

3. A hormone is discovered that rapidly accumulates inside

renal cells in the absence of endocytosis when
administered to mice intravenously. The hormone is
most likely a:

A. polypeptide.

B. steroid.
C. second messenger.
D. neurotransmitter.

4. The ratio of guanine-cytosine (G-C) pairs to adeninethymine (A-T) pairs is useful in laboratory manipulation
of double-stranded DNA. If a segment of DNA has a
low G-C : A-T ratio, it would be reasonable to assume
that this segment would:

A. contain more guanine than cytosine.

B. contain more adenine than thymine.
C. require more energy to separate the two DNA
strands than would a comparable segment of DNA
having a high G-C : A-T ratio.
D. require less energy to separate the two DNA strands
than would a comparable segment of DNA having
a high G-C : A-T ratio.

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5. What organelle would be most closely associated with

exocytosis of newly synthesized secretory protein?
A. Lysosomes
B. Golgi apparatus
C. Perbxisomes
D. Ribosomes

6. It is known that the developing frog embryo requires

greater protein production than the adult organism. If
cells from a developing frog embryo and from a mature
frog were examined, would the investigator find the
greater rate of translation in cells of the embryo or of
the adult?

A. Embryo, because a developing organism requires

a higher rate of translation than does an adult
B. Embryo, because ribosomal production is not yet
under regulatory control by DNA
C. Adult, because ribosomal productio.n is more
efficient in a mature organism
D. Adult, because a mature organism has more
complex metabolic requirements

7. Colchicine is a compound which interferes with the

formation of microtubules. Which of the following
would be affected LEAST by the administration of
colchicine?
A. Mitotic spindles
B. Flagellae
C . Organelle movement
D. Amoeboid motility of cells

8. Clathrin, a substance that aggregates on the cytoplasmic

side of cell membranes, is responsible for the
coordinated pinching off of membrane in receptormediated endocytosis. A lipid-soluble toxin that
inactivates clathrin would be associated with:

A. reduced delivery of polypeptide hormones to

endosomes.
3. increased secretion of hormone into t.he
extracellular fluid.
C. increased protein production on the rough
endoplasmic reticulum.
D. an increase in ATP consumption.

9. In Kartagener's syndrome, defective dynein is produced

causing a paralysis of microtubule-based movement of
flagellae and cilia. One could expect to find all of the
following outcomes EXCEPT:
A. male infertility.
B. ectopic pregnancy in women.
C. chronic lung infections.
D. failure to ovulate in women.

10. If erythrocytes are placed into a hypertonic solution,

they will:

A. hemolyze.
B. remain the same.
C . swell up.
D. shrivel.
11. A codon is a segment of an mRNA molecule that codes
for one amino acid in a polypeptide chain formed
during protein synthesis. Which of the following
correctly describes the chain of events that occurs in
the synthesis of a polypeptide?

A. Specific RNA codons cause amino acids to line up

in a specific order; tRNA anticodons attach to
mRNA codons; rRNA codons cause protein
molecules to cleave into specific amino acids.
B. DNA generates mRNA in the nucleus; mRNA
moves to the cytoplasm and attaches to a tRNA
anticodon; an operon regulates the sequence of
events that causes amino acids to line up in their
appropriate order.
C. DNA generates tRNA; the tRNA anticodon attaches
to the mRNA codon in the cytoplasm; tRNA is
carried by mRNA to the ribosomes, causing amino
acids to join together in a specific order.
D. DNA generates mRNA; mRNA moves to the
ribosomes, where a tRNA anticodon binds to an
mRNA codon, causing amino acids to join together
in their appropriate order.