UMKC PHYSIOLOGY EXAM 1 QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT ANSWERS LATEST UPDATE 2026
physiology is the study of the functions of a living organism. it involves complex processes that
depend on interaction between widely separated... - Answers cells, tissues and organs
levels of organization - Answers atoms, molecules, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, organism
cells respond to _____ in their ______ environment - Answers signals, local
endocrine system function - Answers Regulation and coordination of many activities in the body,
including growth, metabolism, reproduction, blood pressure, water and electrolyte balance, and
others
nervous system function - Answers regulation and coordination of many activities in the body;
detection of and response to changes in the internal and external environments; states of
consciousness; learning; memory; emotion
extracellular fluid is made of - Answers plasma and interstitial fluid
Na+ ICF and ECF composition - Answers ECF: 145
ICF: 15
K+ ICF and ECF composition - Answers ECF: 5
ICF: 150
Ca2+ ICF and ECF composition - Answers ECF: 1
ICF: 0.0001
Cl- ICF and ECF composition - Answers ECF: 100
ICF: 7
Glucose ICF and ECF composition - Answers ECF: 5.6
ICF: 1
what is homeostasis - Answers the mechanism by which organisms maintain a relatively constant
steady state of the internal environment
negative feedback deviation from set point - Answers 1. stress
2. deviation from set point
3. negative feedback corrective action
4. return toward set point
repeat
homeostasis on the local level - Answers restricted to one tissue space
utilizes paracrines and autocrines
homeostasis on the systemic level - Answers involves entire body
utilizes nervous system and endocrine system
paracrine signaling - Answers Signal released from a cell has an effect on neighboring cells.
autocrine signaling - Answers the target cell is also the secreting cell
hormone signaling - Answers molecules are secreted into the blood stream and stimulate cells in
another tissue or organ a distance from the source
neurotransmitter signaling - Answers neuron or effector cell in close proximity to site of
neurotransmitter release
homeostatic process (7 steps) - Answers stimulus -> reflex receptor -> afferent pathway -> integrating
center -> efferent pathway -> effector -> effector response
reflex receptor - Answers detects changes in substance
threshold stimulus
can be individual cells, clusters of cells, molecules
afferent pathway - Answers carries info from reflex receptors to integrating center
NERVOUS SYSTEM REFLEXES ONLY
sensory neurons
integrating center - Answers receives stimulus, analyzes info, generates appropriate response
ES: endocrine gland
NS: brain/spinal cord
efferent pathway - Answers carries commands from integrating center to the effectors
ES: hormones
NS: motor neurons release NTs
effector - Answers any cell affected by the efferent pathway
effector response - Answers 1. local
- how cell activity is changed by the efferent pathway
, 2. systemic
- how ECF (whole body) is changed by local effector response
positive feedback - Answers does not maintain homeostasis but is important in some physiological
processes
what is the plasma membrane composed of? - Answers phospholipids, cholesterol, proteins,
carbohydrates
how does cholesterol affect membrane fluidity - Answers interacts with the acyl chain of
phospholipids to keep the fluidity in an intermediate range
what is membrane permeable? - Answers small, nonpolar molecules
ex: gases, fatty acids, urea, water
membrane transport protein types - Answers ion channels
passive carries
active transporters
whats the difference between diffusion/facilitated diffusion/passive transport and active transport -
Answers active transport moves substances UP their gradient, passive moves substances DOWN their
gradient
what is a cells resting membrane potential? - Answers -70mV
electrical gradient - Answers a charged substance will be drawn towards an environment with the
opposite charge, repelled from one with the same charge
equilibrium potential equation - Answers EI= (61mV/z)log(I0/I1)
K+ equilibrium potential - Answers -90 mV
naturally wants to leave the cell
at rest, the membrane is ______ permeable to K+ than Na+ - Answers MORE
a cells membrane potential is determined by... - Answers permeability of the membrane to ions
passive transport - Answers simple diffusion
facilitated diffusion
- carriers and ion channels
osmosis
active transport - Answers primary active
secondary active
vesicular transport
carrier proteins demonstrate - Answers specificity
transport maximum
competitive inhibition
GLUT family - Answers transports glucose and other hexoses down the concentration gradient
glut2, glut4
GLUT4 - Answers insulin stimulates GLUT4 insertion into the membrane
ion channel transport - Answers create a PORE for passive transport of ions with their electrochemical
gradient
ion channel features - Answers specific or nonspecific
efficient
use stored energy
can be gated
ligand binding - Answers nicotinic acetylcholine receptor channel
change in membrane potential - Answers voltage gated Na+ channel
post-translational modification - Answers CFTR Cl- channel
stretch/stress/mechanosensitive - Answers pressure sensitive channels involved in blood pressure
regulation
aquaporin proteins - Answers transport water across cell membranes in response to osmotic
gradients
osmosis - Answers passive movement of water due to solute concentration
water moves to the area with more solute until equilibrium is reached
osmolarity vs tonicity - Answers osmolarity is solute and solvent
tonicity is TRAPPED (solutes only)
hypotonic solution - Answers A solution in which the concentration of solutes is less than that of the
cell that resides in the solution
physiology is the study of the functions of a living organism. it involves complex processes that
depend on interaction between widely separated... - Answers cells, tissues and organs
levels of organization - Answers atoms, molecules, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, organism
cells respond to _____ in their ______ environment - Answers signals, local
endocrine system function - Answers Regulation and coordination of many activities in the body,
including growth, metabolism, reproduction, blood pressure, water and electrolyte balance, and
others
nervous system function - Answers regulation and coordination of many activities in the body;
detection of and response to changes in the internal and external environments; states of
consciousness; learning; memory; emotion
extracellular fluid is made of - Answers plasma and interstitial fluid
Na+ ICF and ECF composition - Answers ECF: 145
ICF: 15
K+ ICF and ECF composition - Answers ECF: 5
ICF: 150
Ca2+ ICF and ECF composition - Answers ECF: 1
ICF: 0.0001
Cl- ICF and ECF composition - Answers ECF: 100
ICF: 7
Glucose ICF and ECF composition - Answers ECF: 5.6
ICF: 1
what is homeostasis - Answers the mechanism by which organisms maintain a relatively constant
steady state of the internal environment
negative feedback deviation from set point - Answers 1. stress
2. deviation from set point
3. negative feedback corrective action
4. return toward set point
repeat
homeostasis on the local level - Answers restricted to one tissue space
utilizes paracrines and autocrines
homeostasis on the systemic level - Answers involves entire body
utilizes nervous system and endocrine system
paracrine signaling - Answers Signal released from a cell has an effect on neighboring cells.
autocrine signaling - Answers the target cell is also the secreting cell
hormone signaling - Answers molecules are secreted into the blood stream and stimulate cells in
another tissue or organ a distance from the source
neurotransmitter signaling - Answers neuron or effector cell in close proximity to site of
neurotransmitter release
homeostatic process (7 steps) - Answers stimulus -> reflex receptor -> afferent pathway -> integrating
center -> efferent pathway -> effector -> effector response
reflex receptor - Answers detects changes in substance
threshold stimulus
can be individual cells, clusters of cells, molecules
afferent pathway - Answers carries info from reflex receptors to integrating center
NERVOUS SYSTEM REFLEXES ONLY
sensory neurons
integrating center - Answers receives stimulus, analyzes info, generates appropriate response
ES: endocrine gland
NS: brain/spinal cord
efferent pathway - Answers carries commands from integrating center to the effectors
ES: hormones
NS: motor neurons release NTs
effector - Answers any cell affected by the efferent pathway
effector response - Answers 1. local
- how cell activity is changed by the efferent pathway
, 2. systemic
- how ECF (whole body) is changed by local effector response
positive feedback - Answers does not maintain homeostasis but is important in some physiological
processes
what is the plasma membrane composed of? - Answers phospholipids, cholesterol, proteins,
carbohydrates
how does cholesterol affect membrane fluidity - Answers interacts with the acyl chain of
phospholipids to keep the fluidity in an intermediate range
what is membrane permeable? - Answers small, nonpolar molecules
ex: gases, fatty acids, urea, water
membrane transport protein types - Answers ion channels
passive carries
active transporters
whats the difference between diffusion/facilitated diffusion/passive transport and active transport -
Answers active transport moves substances UP their gradient, passive moves substances DOWN their
gradient
what is a cells resting membrane potential? - Answers -70mV
electrical gradient - Answers a charged substance will be drawn towards an environment with the
opposite charge, repelled from one with the same charge
equilibrium potential equation - Answers EI= (61mV/z)log(I0/I1)
K+ equilibrium potential - Answers -90 mV
naturally wants to leave the cell
at rest, the membrane is ______ permeable to K+ than Na+ - Answers MORE
a cells membrane potential is determined by... - Answers permeability of the membrane to ions
passive transport - Answers simple diffusion
facilitated diffusion
- carriers and ion channels
osmosis
active transport - Answers primary active
secondary active
vesicular transport
carrier proteins demonstrate - Answers specificity
transport maximum
competitive inhibition
GLUT family - Answers transports glucose and other hexoses down the concentration gradient
glut2, glut4
GLUT4 - Answers insulin stimulates GLUT4 insertion into the membrane
ion channel transport - Answers create a PORE for passive transport of ions with their electrochemical
gradient
ion channel features - Answers specific or nonspecific
efficient
use stored energy
can be gated
ligand binding - Answers nicotinic acetylcholine receptor channel
change in membrane potential - Answers voltage gated Na+ channel
post-translational modification - Answers CFTR Cl- channel
stretch/stress/mechanosensitive - Answers pressure sensitive channels involved in blood pressure
regulation
aquaporin proteins - Answers transport water across cell membranes in response to osmotic
gradients
osmosis - Answers passive movement of water due to solute concentration
water moves to the area with more solute until equilibrium is reached
osmolarity vs tonicity - Answers osmolarity is solute and solvent
tonicity is TRAPPED (solutes only)
hypotonic solution - Answers A solution in which the concentration of solutes is less than that of the
cell that resides in the solution
