Physiology I w/Lab Exam Q&A | Portage Learning
1. Which of the following is a primary function of the nervous system?
A) Integration of sensory input and generation of motor output
B) Production of red blood cells
C) Synthesis of digestive enzymes
D) Regulation of body temperature only
Correct Answer: A) Integration of sensory input and generation of motor output
Rationale: The nervous system receives sensory information, processes and
integrates it, and produces appropriate motor responses. Hematopoiesis occurs
in bone marrow, enzyme synthesis in glands, and thermoregulation is one of
many integrated functions.
2. The central nervous system (CNS) consists of the:
A) Brain and cranial nerves
B) Brain and spinal cord
C) Spinal cord and peripheral nerves
D) Brain, spinal cord, and autonomic ganglia
Correct Answer: B) Brain and spinal cord
Rationale: The CNS is the structural division comprising the brain and spinal
cord. The peripheral nervous system (PNS) includes cranial nerves, spinal
nerves, and ganglia outside the CNS.
,3. The motor (efferent) division of the peripheral nervous system is subdivided
into:
A) Sympathetic and parasympathetic only
B) Somatic and autonomic only
C) Somatic and autonomic, with the autonomic further divided into sympathetic
and parasympathetic
D) Central and peripheral
Correct Answer: C) Somatic and autonomic, with the autonomic further divided
into sympathetic and parasympathetic
Rationale: The somatic system controls voluntary skeletal muscles; the
autonomic system regulates involuntary functions and has sympathetic (fight-
or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) branches.
4. The autonomic nervous system controls which type of activities?
A) Voluntary skeletal muscle movements
B) Sensory perception of touch
C) Conscious thought processes
D) Involuntary activities such as heart rate, digestion, and glandular secretion
Correct Answer: D) Involuntary activities such as heart rate, digestion, and
glandular secretion
, Rationale: The autonomic nervous system operates without conscious control,
regulating smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands to maintain homeostasis
and respond to stress.
5. Which part of a neuron receives signals and conducts them toward the cell
body?
A) Dendrites
B) Axon
C) Axon hillock
D) Synaptic terminals
Correct Answer: A) Dendrites
Rationale: Dendrites are branched extensions that receive incoming signals from
other neurons or sensory receptors and carry graded potentials toward the
soma. The axon transmits impulses away from the cell body.
6. The axon of a neuron is specialized for:
A) Receiving neurotransmitters
B) Conducting nerve impulses away from the cell body
C) Synthesizing proteins
D) Forming the blood‑brain barrier
Correct Answer: B) Conducting nerve impulses away from the cell body