THE ULTIMATE MCAT FLASHCARD SET
QUESTIONS AND 100% CORRECT
ANSWERS 2025
(III) Differences between the right and left ventricle of the heart - ANSWER Right ventricle: feeds
pulmonary circulation; generates less force and faces less resistance (bc circulation is much shorter)
Left ventricle: feeds systemic circulation, generates more force and faces more resistance (bc longer
circulation)
(III) In an electric field (such as one that would be used in SDS PAGE), what charges are the anodes and
cathodes? - ANSWER Anode: positively charged
Cathode: negatively charged
(III) What is mutarotation? - ANSWER The initial opening and subsequent closing of a cyclic hemiacetal
chain, resulting in a mixture of anomers (alpha and beta)
(III) What is the difference between (d)- and D- configurations in stereochemistry? - ANSWER (d)- means
dextrorotatory. D- refers to a molecule with a chiral carbon similar to D-glyceraldehyde (which is actually
levorotatory)
(III) What is a vector? - ANSWER The sum of all displacements
(III) What is the essence of the continuity equation (in laminar flow)? - ANSWER While velocity of fluid at
a more narrow point (smaller cross-sectional area) is greater than at wider points, the volume displaced
per given time is always the same
(III) Why does it matter whether a pipe is open or closed when understanding sound harmonics? -
ANSWER If a pipe has one closed end, then only odd harmonics can exist
(III) How does one calculate efficiency? - ANSWER (load x load distance) / (effort x effort distance)
Work output / Work input
,(III) What is Benedict's reagent? - ANSWER A common reagent used to test for reducing sugars (sugars
with hemiacetal groups)
(III) How do we number a sugar chain that forms rings? - ANSWER Number them in the direction from
left to right in the planar structure, right to left in the chair conformation (from the nucleophilic
substituent to the carbonyl carbon)
(III) When an enzyme is saturated with substrate, what effect does adding more substrate do? - ANSWER
No significant effect
(III) What is the periodic trend of effective nuclear charge? - ANSWER it increases from left to right across
periodic table because of increase in positive charge in nucleus
it decreases as one descends a group because of a larger electron cloud (more inner electrons)
(III) What is the primary factor that changes a solubility product constant (Ksp)? - ANSWER Temperature
*Important Takeaway*: Concentrations do NOT affect Ksp
(III) What changes during a phase change? - ANSWER Entropy and Density
(III) Describe acid anhydrides. - ANSWER They're highly reactive compounds, formed by condensation of
two carboxylic acids. They're NOT soluble in water due to their high reactivity
(III) What does chymotrypsin do? - ANSWER It preferentially cleaves peptide bonds next to large
hydrophobic amino acids.
(III) What kind of reactants can undergo aldol condensation? - ANSWER Aldehydes!
(III) Describe the pathway of blood flow - ANSWER As blood moves from heart to lungs, moving to
slightly greater height. Then oxygenated blood returns back to heart and leaves the aorta in a upward
direction, circulates throughout the body, and returns back up to the heart through the veins
,(III) How is serotonin released from neurons? - ANSWER Via exocytosis (only way many many molecules
can be released from the cell at one time)
(III) What type of molecules are capable of diffusing across a cell membrane? - ANSWER Relative small
(and/or planar) or nonpolar molecules
(III) How do competitive inhibitors work? - ANSWER They bind reversibly to the active site and increase
Km (decrease affinity of the enzyme)
They are the PRIMARY inhibitors that bind to the active site
(III) Consequences of nondisjunction? - ANSWER Serious medical conditions (e.g. monosomy or trisomy)
*But depends on which chromosome is affected. Lower-numbered chromosomes generally have more
genetic material, so it is more likely that it may possess a gene whose presence/absence may lead to
deleterious effects*
(III) What do most inactive enzymes have? - ANSWER Modifications to their active site, or another form
of altered tertiary structure
(III) How can a specific gene code for multiple protein? - ANSWER Gene transcription always results in
same primary transcript (pre-mRNA) but it can be processed many different ways by a nuclear
spliceosome, forming different mRNAs and thus different proteins
(III) Where do normal gut flora hang out? - ANSWER In the cecum
(III) What are the features of gram-negative organisms? - ANSWER Relatively thin cell walls with
periplasmic space
(III) What occurs in DNA repair? - ANSWER Base is excised by restriction enzyme, replaced by
polymerase, and finally linked to bases around it by DNA ligase
(III) What do topoisomerases do? - ANSWER They relax and wind/unwind DNA for synthesis
, (III) Formula for osmotic pressure - ANSWER Π=iMRT (i = # particles in solution per original formula unit)
(III) Where does the majority of water reabsorption occur in the nephron? - ANSWER The descending
limb of the loop of Henle
(III) When do cells lose totipotency? - ANSWER At a very early embryonic stage
(III) What is Korsakoff's syndrome? - ANSWER Its a disorder in which cofabulation is often a common
symptom, where the subject will produce distorted memory without the intention to deceive
(III) What is working memory involved in? - ANSWER Reasoning and comprehension. Processing
information
(III) What is fundamental attribution error? - ANSWER Tendency to over-value dispositional/personality-
based causes for behavior while under-valuing role of external circumstances (for BOTH the self and
others)
(III) What is self-effacing bias? - ANSWER Attributing success to external factors (opposite of self-serving
bias)
(III) What is the humanistic perspective? - ANSWER A belief in free will as the foremost determinant in
behavior (focus on cognitive thinking, in contrast to Behavioral therapy, which focuses on actions)
(III) What is the Trait perspective? - ANSWER It focuses on measuring aspects of personality that are able
to be grouped into stable patterns of thought and behavior
(III) What is the concept of belief perseverance? - ANSWER When presented with information of varying
opinion, people are more likely to believe information that confirms their opinion and discount evidence
which refutes/contradicts it (similar to the confirmation bias)
(III) How do we increase statistical significance of a study's results? - ANSWER Increase the number of
data points in the study (often by incorporating data from other studies)
QUESTIONS AND 100% CORRECT
ANSWERS 2025
(III) Differences between the right and left ventricle of the heart - ANSWER Right ventricle: feeds
pulmonary circulation; generates less force and faces less resistance (bc circulation is much shorter)
Left ventricle: feeds systemic circulation, generates more force and faces more resistance (bc longer
circulation)
(III) In an electric field (such as one that would be used in SDS PAGE), what charges are the anodes and
cathodes? - ANSWER Anode: positively charged
Cathode: negatively charged
(III) What is mutarotation? - ANSWER The initial opening and subsequent closing of a cyclic hemiacetal
chain, resulting in a mixture of anomers (alpha and beta)
(III) What is the difference between (d)- and D- configurations in stereochemistry? - ANSWER (d)- means
dextrorotatory. D- refers to a molecule with a chiral carbon similar to D-glyceraldehyde (which is actually
levorotatory)
(III) What is a vector? - ANSWER The sum of all displacements
(III) What is the essence of the continuity equation (in laminar flow)? - ANSWER While velocity of fluid at
a more narrow point (smaller cross-sectional area) is greater than at wider points, the volume displaced
per given time is always the same
(III) Why does it matter whether a pipe is open or closed when understanding sound harmonics? -
ANSWER If a pipe has one closed end, then only odd harmonics can exist
(III) How does one calculate efficiency? - ANSWER (load x load distance) / (effort x effort distance)
Work output / Work input
,(III) What is Benedict's reagent? - ANSWER A common reagent used to test for reducing sugars (sugars
with hemiacetal groups)
(III) How do we number a sugar chain that forms rings? - ANSWER Number them in the direction from
left to right in the planar structure, right to left in the chair conformation (from the nucleophilic
substituent to the carbonyl carbon)
(III) When an enzyme is saturated with substrate, what effect does adding more substrate do? - ANSWER
No significant effect
(III) What is the periodic trend of effective nuclear charge? - ANSWER it increases from left to right across
periodic table because of increase in positive charge in nucleus
it decreases as one descends a group because of a larger electron cloud (more inner electrons)
(III) What is the primary factor that changes a solubility product constant (Ksp)? - ANSWER Temperature
*Important Takeaway*: Concentrations do NOT affect Ksp
(III) What changes during a phase change? - ANSWER Entropy and Density
(III) Describe acid anhydrides. - ANSWER They're highly reactive compounds, formed by condensation of
two carboxylic acids. They're NOT soluble in water due to their high reactivity
(III) What does chymotrypsin do? - ANSWER It preferentially cleaves peptide bonds next to large
hydrophobic amino acids.
(III) What kind of reactants can undergo aldol condensation? - ANSWER Aldehydes!
(III) Describe the pathway of blood flow - ANSWER As blood moves from heart to lungs, moving to
slightly greater height. Then oxygenated blood returns back to heart and leaves the aorta in a upward
direction, circulates throughout the body, and returns back up to the heart through the veins
,(III) How is serotonin released from neurons? - ANSWER Via exocytosis (only way many many molecules
can be released from the cell at one time)
(III) What type of molecules are capable of diffusing across a cell membrane? - ANSWER Relative small
(and/or planar) or nonpolar molecules
(III) How do competitive inhibitors work? - ANSWER They bind reversibly to the active site and increase
Km (decrease affinity of the enzyme)
They are the PRIMARY inhibitors that bind to the active site
(III) Consequences of nondisjunction? - ANSWER Serious medical conditions (e.g. monosomy or trisomy)
*But depends on which chromosome is affected. Lower-numbered chromosomes generally have more
genetic material, so it is more likely that it may possess a gene whose presence/absence may lead to
deleterious effects*
(III) What do most inactive enzymes have? - ANSWER Modifications to their active site, or another form
of altered tertiary structure
(III) How can a specific gene code for multiple protein? - ANSWER Gene transcription always results in
same primary transcript (pre-mRNA) but it can be processed many different ways by a nuclear
spliceosome, forming different mRNAs and thus different proteins
(III) Where do normal gut flora hang out? - ANSWER In the cecum
(III) What are the features of gram-negative organisms? - ANSWER Relatively thin cell walls with
periplasmic space
(III) What occurs in DNA repair? - ANSWER Base is excised by restriction enzyme, replaced by
polymerase, and finally linked to bases around it by DNA ligase
(III) What do topoisomerases do? - ANSWER They relax and wind/unwind DNA for synthesis
, (III) Formula for osmotic pressure - ANSWER Π=iMRT (i = # particles in solution per original formula unit)
(III) Where does the majority of water reabsorption occur in the nephron? - ANSWER The descending
limb of the loop of Henle
(III) When do cells lose totipotency? - ANSWER At a very early embryonic stage
(III) What is Korsakoff's syndrome? - ANSWER Its a disorder in which cofabulation is often a common
symptom, where the subject will produce distorted memory without the intention to deceive
(III) What is working memory involved in? - ANSWER Reasoning and comprehension. Processing
information
(III) What is fundamental attribution error? - ANSWER Tendency to over-value dispositional/personality-
based causes for behavior while under-valuing role of external circumstances (for BOTH the self and
others)
(III) What is self-effacing bias? - ANSWER Attributing success to external factors (opposite of self-serving
bias)
(III) What is the humanistic perspective? - ANSWER A belief in free will as the foremost determinant in
behavior (focus on cognitive thinking, in contrast to Behavioral therapy, which focuses on actions)
(III) What is the Trait perspective? - ANSWER It focuses on measuring aspects of personality that are able
to be grouped into stable patterns of thought and behavior
(III) What is the concept of belief perseverance? - ANSWER When presented with information of varying
opinion, people are more likely to believe information that confirms their opinion and discount evidence
which refutes/contradicts it (similar to the confirmation bias)
(III) How do we increase statistical significance of a study's results? - ANSWER Increase the number of
data points in the study (often by incorporating data from other studies)
