Question 1

Why are carrots said to be good for you?

Accepted Answer

A)  That is just an old wive's tale.
B)  Beta-carotene, the orange pigment in carrots, is a precursor to Vitamin A and retinal, the cofactor in photopigments.
C)  Beta-carotene, the orange pigment in carrots, is necessary to form lens proteins.
D)  Carrots have large amounts of glutamate, a neurotransmitter that activates sensory neurons.E) All of the above
F) C) and D)

Question 2

What effect do high frequency sounds tend to have on the ear?

Accepted Answer

A)  displace the whole length of the basilar membrane with a maximum near the apex
B)  move only the basal portion of the basilar membrane
C)  move only the apex portion of the basilar membrane
D)  move only the portion of the basilar membrane between the basal portion and the apexE) B) and C)
F) B) and D)

Question 3

One patient at your audiology clinic has an actin defect, and another patient has a microtubule defect.What sense other than hearing may be affected in these patients?

Accepted Answer

A)  smell
B)  taste
C)  balance
D)  touchE) A) and C)
F) A) and B)

Question 4

What difference in axonal signaling determines whether we experience a mild or a strong sensation?

Accepted Answer

A)  amplitude of action potentials
B)  frequency of action potentials
C)  action potential threshold
D)  conduction speedE) A) and B)
F) B) and C)

Question 5

You make a knockout of a gene involved in neurological development, and find that the mice have malformed semicircular canals.Instead of being orthogonal (at right angles)  to each other, they are parallel.What aberrant behavior might you see in these mice?

Accepted Answer

A)  overeating
B)  falling over
C)  not startling to sudden noise
D)  unable to respond to a call to locate another mouseE) A) and D)
F) All of the above

Question 6

What happens to a retinal photopigment when it captures a photon?

Accepted Answer

A)  It releases an electron.
B)  It fluoresces.
C)  It changes shape.
D)  It begins to vibrate.E) None of the above
F) B) and C)

Question 7

In the vertebrate eye, what structure is light focused onto?

Accepted Answer

A)  pupil
B)  lens
C)  retina
D)  scleraE) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 8

What sensory equipment is required for an animal to have binocular vision?

Accepted Answer

A)  eyes located to the sides of the head
B)  forward-facing eyes
C)  a camera-type eye with multiple lenses
D)  infrared visionE) C) and D)
F) None of the above

Question 9

Which animal is NOT able to use sonar as a form of "lightless vision" to navigate in dark environments?

Accepted Answer

A)  shrews
B)  owls
C)  bats
D)  whalesE) A) and C)
F) All of the above

Question 10

True or False: There is only a single type of pain receptor.Activation of multiple types of receptors can be interpreted as "pain" especially with unusually high degrees of activation.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Nociceptors can respond to nearby tissue damage by sensing cytosolic factors released by damaged cells.Such "algogenic agents" can cause pain sensation even in the absence of tissue damage.What might be a practical use for such an agent?

Accepted Answer

A)  a nonlethal riot control measure
B)  an anesthetic drug
C)  a treatment for damaged tissue
D)  a tasty food additiveE) All of the above
F) C) and D)

Question 12

All sensory input arrives at the central nervous system in the same form, as ____________ propagated by afferent neurons.Perception of the type and intensity of a stimulus depends on which part of the brain the impulse projects to and the firing frequency of the sensory neuron.

Accepted Answer

A)  action potentials
B)  receptor potentials
C)  reflexes
D)  frequency localizationsE) C) and D)
F) None of the above

Question 13

In 1908, chemist Kikunae Ikeda identified a new taste modality he called "umami", or "delicious" in Japanese.It gives a savory flavor to meat, seaweed, and tomatoes.What molecule is responsible for umami?

Accepted Answer

A)  Na+ ions
B)  H+ ions
C)  glutamate
D)  Mg+2 ionsE) None of the above
F) All of the above

Question 14

If the cilia on Bob's inner ear hair cells are damaged, what can be done to improve Bob's hearing, other than a hearing aid?

Accepted Answer

A)  transgenic expression of a cilia protein
B)  minoxidil treatment
C)  injection of microtubules into the cochlea
D)  not much - there is currently no drug that can regenerate hair cellsE) C) and D)
F) A) and B)

Question 15

What is the molecular basis of touch sensation?

Accepted Answer

A)  Pressure on the skin squeezes out chemical signals from epidermal glands.
B)  Cell membrane distortion opens touch receptors, creating a receptor potential.
C)  Pressure damages the delicate strands of skin cell DNA, activating a complex signalling cascade.
D)  Pressure on sensory axons bursts vesicles and causes neurotransmitter release.E) A) and C)
F) B) and D)

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT an example of a mechanoreceptor?

Accepted Answer

A)  Meissner's corpuscles
B)  Ruffini endings
C)  Merkel cells
D)  red corpusclesE) None of the above
F) A) and B)

Question 17

What information would best help you distinguish what type of sensation a sensory neuron transmits?

Accepted Answer

A)  the rate of action potential firing
B)  the proteins it expresses most abundantly
C)  the part of the brain it transmits signals to
D)  the amplitude of action potentialsE) A) and B)
F) None of the above

Question 18

If genetically engineered bees could express a receptor for TNT in their olfactory neurons, how could the transgenic bees be useful for detecting explosives?

Accepted Answer

A)  Watch for death of the bee when the neuron absorbs TNT.
B)  Use MRI to monitor the brain activity of the bee.
C)  Train bees to respond in a predictable way when the TNT neuron is activated by conditioning them to expect an associated food reward.
D)  Grind up the bee's antennae for use in a TNT ELISA assay.E) C) and D)
F) B) and D)

Question 19

Which is NOT a part of the vertebrate eye?

Accepted Answer

A)  cornea
B)  retina
C)  iris
D)  cochleaE) None of the above
F) A) and B)

Question 20

Cutaneous receptors are classified as interoceptors.These specialized skin receptors can respond to which of the following stimuli?

Accepted Answer

A)  heat, cold, and light
B)  pain, pressure, and sound
C)  chemicals, light, and sound
D)  heat, cold, pain, touch, and pressureE) C) and D)
F) All of the above

Exam 44: Sensory Systems

Why are carrots said to be good for you?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In the vertebrate eye, what structure is light focused onto?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

True or False: There is only a single type of pain receptor.Activation of multiple types of receptors can be interpreted as "pain" especially with unusually high degrees of activation.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Cutaneous receptors are classified as interoceptors.These specialized skin receptors can respond to which of the following stimuli?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

One patient at your audiology clinic has an actin defect, and another patient has a microtubule defect.What sense other than hearing may be affected in these patients?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is the molecular basis of touch sensation?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If genetically engineered bees could express a receptor for TNT in their olfactory neurons, how could the transgenic bees be useful for detecting explosives?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Nociceptors can respond to nearby tissue damage by sensing cytosolic factors released by damaged cells.Such "algogenic agents" can cause pain sensation even in the absence of tissue damage.What might be a practical use for such an agent?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which is NOT a part of the vertebrate eye?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

You make a knockout of a gene involved in neurological development, and find that the mice have malformed semicircular canals.Instead of being orthogonal (at right angles) to each other, they are parallel.What aberrant behavior might you see in these mice?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What sensory equipment is required for an animal to have binocular vision?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If the cilia on Bob's inner ear hair cells are damaged, what can be done to improve Bob's hearing, other than a hearing aid?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is NOT an example of a mechanoreceptor?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which animal is NOT able to use sonar as a form of "lightless vision" to navigate in dark environments?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In 1908, chemist Kikunae Ikeda identified a new taste modality he called "umami", or "delicious" in Japanese.It gives a savory flavor to meat, seaweed, and tomatoes.What molecule is responsible for umami?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

All sensory input arrives at the central nervous system in the same form, as ____________ propagated by afferent neurons.Perception of the type and intensity of a stimulus depends on which part of the brain the impulse projects to and the firing frequency of the sensory neuron.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What information would best help you distinguish what type of sensation a sensory neuron transmits?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What happens to a retinal photopigment when it captures a photon?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What effect do high frequency sounds tend to have on the ear?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What difference in axonal signaling determines whether we experience a mild or a strong sensation?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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