HESI A2 2023
Which of these statements is true regarding the way light travels?
A. Sound travels faster than light.
B. The speed of light is always the same regardless of the medium through which it
travels.
C. Light travels as both a wave and a particle.
D. Light can not travel through a vacuum. - *answers* C. Light travels as both a wave
and a particle.
Light is a curiosity in that it acts as both a wave and a particle. It only changes direction
via reflection (bouncing off of something) or refraction (passing from one medium to
another). In a vacuum, the speed of light is constant, but when passing through a
medium that has an index of refraction different from a vacuum, light's speed slows.
Which of these elements is liquid at room temperature?
A. mercury
B. zinc
C. manganese
D. magnesium - *answers* A. mercury
Mercury is the only one of the elements listed here that is liquid at room temperature.
The element bromine also has this property.
Where is the hyoid bone located?
A. neck
B. pelvis
C. rib cage
D. leg - *answers* A. neck
The hyoid bone is located between the chin and thyroid cartilage.
A person with AB- blood should not receive blood from which other blood type?
A. B-
B. A-
C. O-
D. AB+ - *answers* D. AB+
Those with an AB- blood type should not receive blood from those with AB+ blood.
Although both AB+ and AB- blood have A and B antigens, the person with AB- blood
lacks a special protein, or "Rhesus" Factor (Rh), circulating in their blood. If they are
given blood that has the Rh factor present, their body will make antibodies to this
foreign substance and complications will occur. This is especially true in pregnancy
situations where the mother is Rh- and the baby she is carrying is Rh+.
,Which blood type is considered the universal donor?
A. O-
B. O+
C. AB-
D. AB+ - *answers* A. O-
O- blood lacks both A and B antigens and the Rh factor, making it the only blood type
that can donate to everyone.
Note the correct use of the terms antibody and antigen:
O- is the best donor because it does not have A, B or Rh antigens.
AB+ is the universal receiver because it does not have A, B or Rh antibodies.
What is the only artery in the body to carry oxygen-poor blood?
A. renal artery
B. interosseous artery
C. vena cava
D. pulmonary artery - *answers* D. pulmonary artery
Most arteries in the body carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart, but the
pulmonary artery carries oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the
lungs. The vena cava would not be correct because it is not an artery, it is a vein and
the question asks for an artery.
Chocolate cysts of the ovaries are attributed to ____.
A. menorrhagia
B. ectopic pregnancy
C. pelvic inflammatory disease
D. endometriosis - *answers* D. endometriosis
Endometriosis is a condition in which the tissue from the uterus (endometrium) grows in
other parts of the body, such as the ovaries or bowel. If a woman has endometrial tissue
in her ovary, the tissue bleeds and builds up over time, and as the blood ages it turns
brown, hence the term "chocolate cyst."
Which is not true of synovial joints?
A. They are found in the intervertebral discs of the spinal column
B. They have a fluid-filled capsule that surrounds their articulating surface
C. They are the most common joint in the body
D. They are the most moveable joint type in the body - *answers* A. They are found in
the intervertebral discs of the spinal column
Instead of a synovial joint, the intervertebral discs of the spinal column form a
fibrocartilaginous joint, which allows slight movement of the vertebrae of the spine.
Ligaments connect _______.
, A. tendon to bone
B. muscle to bone
C. bone to bone
D. muscle to bone - *answers* C. bone to bone
Ligaments connect bone to bone, and tendons connect muscle to bone.
What is the longest muscle in the human body?
A. sartorius
B. vastus medialis
C. vastus lateralis
D. adductor longus - *answers* A. sartorius
The longest muscle in the human body is the sartorius muscle, which is located in the
anterior thigh.
Which of these is not a part of the body's chemical defense system against infection?
A. lysozyme
B. agranulocyte
C. urine
D. hydrochloric acid - *answers* B. agranulocyte
Agranulocytes are a type of white blood cell and therefore are not a part of the body's
chemical defense system.
Which of these is considered an example of naturally acquired passive immunity?
A. inactivated (killed) vaccine injection
B. exposure to a disease and subsequent immunity
C. attenuated (live) vaccine injection
D. breastfeeding - *answers* D. breastfeeding
Natural passive immunity occurs when live antibodies are transferred from one
individual to another, such as when antibodies are transferred from a mother to her
baby via breast milk.
Worms lack which of these?
A. eyes and ears
B. brain and ears
C. eyes and brain
D. nose and brain - *answers* A. eyes and ears
Worms lack eyes, ears, and a nose, but they do have brains.
Which organelle is responsible for generating ATP that is used for chemical energy?
A. mitochondria
B. Golgi apparatus
Which of these statements is true regarding the way light travels?
A. Sound travels faster than light.
B. The speed of light is always the same regardless of the medium through which it
travels.
C. Light travels as both a wave and a particle.
D. Light can not travel through a vacuum. - *answers* C. Light travels as both a wave
and a particle.
Light is a curiosity in that it acts as both a wave and a particle. It only changes direction
via reflection (bouncing off of something) or refraction (passing from one medium to
another). In a vacuum, the speed of light is constant, but when passing through a
medium that has an index of refraction different from a vacuum, light's speed slows.
Which of these elements is liquid at room temperature?
A. mercury
B. zinc
C. manganese
D. magnesium - *answers* A. mercury
Mercury is the only one of the elements listed here that is liquid at room temperature.
The element bromine also has this property.
Where is the hyoid bone located?
A. neck
B. pelvis
C. rib cage
D. leg - *answers* A. neck
The hyoid bone is located between the chin and thyroid cartilage.
A person with AB- blood should not receive blood from which other blood type?
A. B-
B. A-
C. O-
D. AB+ - *answers* D. AB+
Those with an AB- blood type should not receive blood from those with AB+ blood.
Although both AB+ and AB- blood have A and B antigens, the person with AB- blood
lacks a special protein, or "Rhesus" Factor (Rh), circulating in their blood. If they are
given blood that has the Rh factor present, their body will make antibodies to this
foreign substance and complications will occur. This is especially true in pregnancy
situations where the mother is Rh- and the baby she is carrying is Rh+.
,Which blood type is considered the universal donor?
A. O-
B. O+
C. AB-
D. AB+ - *answers* A. O-
O- blood lacks both A and B antigens and the Rh factor, making it the only blood type
that can donate to everyone.
Note the correct use of the terms antibody and antigen:
O- is the best donor because it does not have A, B or Rh antigens.
AB+ is the universal receiver because it does not have A, B or Rh antibodies.
What is the only artery in the body to carry oxygen-poor blood?
A. renal artery
B. interosseous artery
C. vena cava
D. pulmonary artery - *answers* D. pulmonary artery
Most arteries in the body carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart, but the
pulmonary artery carries oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the
lungs. The vena cava would not be correct because it is not an artery, it is a vein and
the question asks for an artery.
Chocolate cysts of the ovaries are attributed to ____.
A. menorrhagia
B. ectopic pregnancy
C. pelvic inflammatory disease
D. endometriosis - *answers* D. endometriosis
Endometriosis is a condition in which the tissue from the uterus (endometrium) grows in
other parts of the body, such as the ovaries or bowel. If a woman has endometrial tissue
in her ovary, the tissue bleeds and builds up over time, and as the blood ages it turns
brown, hence the term "chocolate cyst."
Which is not true of synovial joints?
A. They are found in the intervertebral discs of the spinal column
B. They have a fluid-filled capsule that surrounds their articulating surface
C. They are the most common joint in the body
D. They are the most moveable joint type in the body - *answers* A. They are found in
the intervertebral discs of the spinal column
Instead of a synovial joint, the intervertebral discs of the spinal column form a
fibrocartilaginous joint, which allows slight movement of the vertebrae of the spine.
Ligaments connect _______.
, A. tendon to bone
B. muscle to bone
C. bone to bone
D. muscle to bone - *answers* C. bone to bone
Ligaments connect bone to bone, and tendons connect muscle to bone.
What is the longest muscle in the human body?
A. sartorius
B. vastus medialis
C. vastus lateralis
D. adductor longus - *answers* A. sartorius
The longest muscle in the human body is the sartorius muscle, which is located in the
anterior thigh.
Which of these is not a part of the body's chemical defense system against infection?
A. lysozyme
B. agranulocyte
C. urine
D. hydrochloric acid - *answers* B. agranulocyte
Agranulocytes are a type of white blood cell and therefore are not a part of the body's
chemical defense system.
Which of these is considered an example of naturally acquired passive immunity?
A. inactivated (killed) vaccine injection
B. exposure to a disease and subsequent immunity
C. attenuated (live) vaccine injection
D. breastfeeding - *answers* D. breastfeeding
Natural passive immunity occurs when live antibodies are transferred from one
individual to another, such as when antibodies are transferred from a mother to her
baby via breast milk.
Worms lack which of these?
A. eyes and ears
B. brain and ears
C. eyes and brain
D. nose and brain - *answers* A. eyes and ears
Worms lack eyes, ears, and a nose, but they do have brains.
Which organelle is responsible for generating ATP that is used for chemical energy?
A. mitochondria
B. Golgi apparatus
