TEAS Science Practice Test #5 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the role of the cerebellum in the brain?
- To regulate heart rate and breathing
- To process visual and auditory information
- To coordinate voluntary movement, balance, and posture (Correct answer)
- To control emotional responses and memory formation
Correct answer: To coordinate voluntary movement, balance, and posture
The cerebellum (Latin for "little brain") is located at the back of the brain and is responsible for coordinating voluntary movements, maintaining balance and posture, and fine-tuning motor activity for smooth, precise movement.
Question 2: Which of the following correctly describes an "exothermic" chemical reaction?
- A reaction that absorbs energy (heat) from the surroundings
- A reaction that releases energy (heat) to the surroundings (Correct answer)
- A reaction that requires a catalyst to proceed
- A reaction that only occurs at very high temperatures
Correct answer: A reaction that releases energy (heat) to the surroundings
An exothermic reaction releases energy (usually as heat) to the surroundings, so the products have less energy than the reactants. Combustion (burning) and many oxidation reactions are exothermic. Endothermic reactions absorb energy.
Question 3: Which blood vessels carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart?
- Pulmonary arteries
- Pulmonary veins (Correct answer)
- Coronary arteries
- Superior vena cava
Correct answer: Pulmonary veins
Pulmonary veins carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart — the only veins in the body that carry oxygenated blood. Pulmonary arteries carry deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle to the lungs.
Question 4: What is the term for an organism that can cause disease in a host?
- Symbiont
- Commensal
- Pathogen (Correct answer)
- Saprophyte
Correct answer: Pathogen
A pathogen is any microorganism (bacterium, virus, fungus, parasite) capable of causing disease in a susceptible host. Pathogens overcome host defenses and damage tissues, triggering symptoms of infection.
Question 5: Which property of water makes it an effective solvent for biological molecules?
- Its high boiling point
- Its polar nature and ability to form hydrogen bonds (Correct answer)
- Its low density when frozen
- Its transparency to light
Correct answer: Its polar nature and ability to form hydrogen bonds
Water is a polar molecule with a slight negative charge on the oxygen and slight positive charges on the hydrogens. This allows it to form hydrogen bonds with and dissolve other polar and ionic molecules, making it the "universal solvent" for biological processes.
Question 6: During which phase of mitosis do the chromosomes line up along the middle of the cell?
- Prophase
- Metaphase (Correct answer)
- Anaphase
- Telophase
Correct answer: Metaphase
During metaphase, chromosomes align at the cell's equatorial plate (metaphase plate) in the middle of the cell, attached to spindle fibers. This alignment ensures equal distribution of chromosomes when the cell divides.
TEAS Science Practice Test #5 2
What is the role of the cerebellum in the brain?