GMS 6440 FINAL EXAMS 2026/2027 QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔Electrolytes are pumped and leak across cell membranes simultaneously but
independently. - ✔✔True
✔✔At what point in time does the electrochemical equilibrium potential exist? - ✔✔At
equilibrium
✔✔What is a major factor that regulates an electrolyte's electrochemical equilibrium
potential across a cell membrane? - ✔✔Concentration (chemical) gradient
✔✔The electrochemical equilibrium potential for a single highly permeant ion species is
controlled by the concentration gradient. - ✔✔True
✔✔Movement of a charged electrolyte is determined by the major forces of voltage plus
chemical concentration gradients - ✔✔True
✔✔The cellular K+ Electrochemical Equilibrium Potential is regulated by concentration
differences across plasma membranes. - ✔✔True
✔✔Which of these ion choices is primarily responsible for establishing a typical cell
membrane's "resting" potential? - ✔✔K+
✔✔Excessive extracellular acid (i.e., [H+] ) will raise the concentration of extracellular
potassium ion concentration. - ✔✔True
✔✔Cell Membrane Potential is controlled by the relative degree of ion permeability as
well as ion concentration gradients existing across a cell's plasma membrane. - ✔✔True
✔✔Rhabdomyolysis can lead to cardiac muscle cell pathology as the result of creating a
condition of hyperkalemia (excessive K+ concentration in the plasma). - ✔✔True
✔✔A normal lean person consists of ~ 95% water. - ✔✔False, ~ 60% water.
✔✔Most of the sodium in the body is inside the cells. - ✔✔False; It is extracellular.
✔✔The capillary is the main barrier between the intracellular and extracellular fluids. -
✔✔False; The cell wall (plasma membrane separates intracellular and extracellular
fluid. The capillary separates the interstitium and the plasma, both sub- compartments
of the extracellular fluid.
, ✔✔To measure the volume of the entire extracellular fluid compartment, we use a
substance that moves freely across the capillary but cannot enter the cell. - ✔✔True; An
example is inulin.
✔✔Water and small solutes move across the capillary wall by active transport. -
✔✔False: All movement across the capillary wall is passive, driven by hydrostatic and
colloid osmotic (oncotic) pressures.
✔✔The osmolality of the body fluids is greater when all the solutes are large. -
✔✔False: The total number of particles, irrespective of size, determines osmolality.
✔✔All water movement in and out of cell is passive. - ✔✔True; water movement is
driven by solute (osmotic) gradients across the cell wall.
✔✔Sodium (Na) is effectively impermeable at the cell wall. - ✔✔True: Any Na that does
enter the cell will be immediately removed by the Sodium potassium ATPase in the cell
wall.
✔✔Eating a meal high in salt, without drinking any water will lead to an increase in both
intracellular and extracellular fluid volume. - ✔✔False: This is a Hypertonic expansion:
Ingest NaCl stays extracellular, increases the ECF osmolality, H2O moves OUT of cells
to restore osmotic equilibrium.
Decrease in ICFV, increase in ECFV.
✔✔A pure water solution can safely be infused intravenously to a dehydrated person. -
✔✔False: Water will enter the surrounding cells causing swelling and lysis. The
potassium released in to the extracellular fluid by cell lysis can be fatal. A 5% glucose
solution is iso-osmotic to body fluids, so safe to infuse. After metabolism of the glucose
this is equivalent to giving pure water.
✔✔Hormones produce physiological actions by binding to receptors at their target
cells/tissues. - ✔✔True
✔✔There are specific receptors for each hormone. - ✔✔True
✔✔Receptors for peptide hormones are always on the inside (cytoplasm; nucleus) of
target cells. - ✔✔False
✔✔GPCR are also known as seven trans-membrane (7TM) receptors. - ✔✔True
✔✔Gaq proteins couple to adenylyl cyclase. - ✔✔true
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔Electrolytes are pumped and leak across cell membranes simultaneously but
independently. - ✔✔True
✔✔At what point in time does the electrochemical equilibrium potential exist? - ✔✔At
equilibrium
✔✔What is a major factor that regulates an electrolyte's electrochemical equilibrium
potential across a cell membrane? - ✔✔Concentration (chemical) gradient
✔✔The electrochemical equilibrium potential for a single highly permeant ion species is
controlled by the concentration gradient. - ✔✔True
✔✔Movement of a charged electrolyte is determined by the major forces of voltage plus
chemical concentration gradients - ✔✔True
✔✔The cellular K+ Electrochemical Equilibrium Potential is regulated by concentration
differences across plasma membranes. - ✔✔True
✔✔Which of these ion choices is primarily responsible for establishing a typical cell
membrane's "resting" potential? - ✔✔K+
✔✔Excessive extracellular acid (i.e., [H+] ) will raise the concentration of extracellular
potassium ion concentration. - ✔✔True
✔✔Cell Membrane Potential is controlled by the relative degree of ion permeability as
well as ion concentration gradients existing across a cell's plasma membrane. - ✔✔True
✔✔Rhabdomyolysis can lead to cardiac muscle cell pathology as the result of creating a
condition of hyperkalemia (excessive K+ concentration in the plasma). - ✔✔True
✔✔A normal lean person consists of ~ 95% water. - ✔✔False, ~ 60% water.
✔✔Most of the sodium in the body is inside the cells. - ✔✔False; It is extracellular.
✔✔The capillary is the main barrier between the intracellular and extracellular fluids. -
✔✔False; The cell wall (plasma membrane separates intracellular and extracellular
fluid. The capillary separates the interstitium and the plasma, both sub- compartments
of the extracellular fluid.
, ✔✔To measure the volume of the entire extracellular fluid compartment, we use a
substance that moves freely across the capillary but cannot enter the cell. - ✔✔True; An
example is inulin.
✔✔Water and small solutes move across the capillary wall by active transport. -
✔✔False: All movement across the capillary wall is passive, driven by hydrostatic and
colloid osmotic (oncotic) pressures.
✔✔The osmolality of the body fluids is greater when all the solutes are large. -
✔✔False: The total number of particles, irrespective of size, determines osmolality.
✔✔All water movement in and out of cell is passive. - ✔✔True; water movement is
driven by solute (osmotic) gradients across the cell wall.
✔✔Sodium (Na) is effectively impermeable at the cell wall. - ✔✔True: Any Na that does
enter the cell will be immediately removed by the Sodium potassium ATPase in the cell
wall.
✔✔Eating a meal high in salt, without drinking any water will lead to an increase in both
intracellular and extracellular fluid volume. - ✔✔False: This is a Hypertonic expansion:
Ingest NaCl stays extracellular, increases the ECF osmolality, H2O moves OUT of cells
to restore osmotic equilibrium.
Decrease in ICFV, increase in ECFV.
✔✔A pure water solution can safely be infused intravenously to a dehydrated person. -
✔✔False: Water will enter the surrounding cells causing swelling and lysis. The
potassium released in to the extracellular fluid by cell lysis can be fatal. A 5% glucose
solution is iso-osmotic to body fluids, so safe to infuse. After metabolism of the glucose
this is equivalent to giving pure water.
✔✔Hormones produce physiological actions by binding to receptors at their target
cells/tissues. - ✔✔True
✔✔There are specific receptors for each hormone. - ✔✔True
✔✔Receptors for peptide hormones are always on the inside (cytoplasm; nucleus) of
target cells. - ✔✔False
✔✔GPCR are also known as seven trans-membrane (7TM) receptors. - ✔✔True
✔✔Gaq proteins couple to adenylyl cyclase. - ✔✔true
