Human Biology WACE Exam Questions
and Answers
Absolute Date - Correct Answers -The actual age (in years) of a fossil or artefact.
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) Radiocarbon Dating - Correct Answers -A
technique used to give radiocarbon dates for very small samples of material.
Acetabulum - Correct Answers -The socket of the pelvis in which the head of the thigh
bone fits.
Acheulian Tool - Correct Answers -A type of hand axe that was flaked all around the
edges, in both directions; teardrop in shape. It is associated with *Homo Erectus*.
Achromatopsia - Correct Answers -An inherited form of total colour blindness.
Primer - Correct Answers -A strand of DNA or RNA that serves as a starting point for
DNA replication.
Progesterone - Correct Answers -A female sex hormone produced by the ovaries; helps
prepare the uterine lining for a fertilised egg; also prepares mammary glands for milk
secretion.
Prognathism - Correct Answers -Having a protruding jaw.
Prolactin - Correct Answers -A hormone that promotes milk production during and after
pregnancy.
Acquired Reflex - Correct Answers -A response to a stimulus that has been learned
through practice. eg; balancing while riding a bike, catching a ball.
Action Potential - Correct Answers -When sodium (Na+) ions move into a nerve cell at a
particular place on the membrane, this change is propagated along the cell membrane
as a nerve impulse.
Active Immunity - Correct Answers -Immunity produced by the body manufacturing
antibodies against a foreign antigen.
Adaptation - Correct Answers -A particular structure, physiological process or form of
behaviour that makes an organism better able to survive and reproduce in a particular
environment,
,Adrenal Cortex - Correct Answers -The outer portion of an adrenal gland, secretes the
hormones *Aldosterone* and *Cortisol*, when stimulated by the Anterior Pituitary's
secretion of *Adrenocorticotropic* hormone.
Adrenal Medulla - Correct Answers -The inner portion of an adrenal gland; secretes the
hormones *Adrenaline* and *Noradrenaline*.
Adrenal Gland - Correct Answers -One of two endocrine glands, one immediately above
each kidney; each consists of an inner adrenal *medulla* and an outer adrenal *cortex*.
Adrenaline - Correct Answers -A hormone secreted from the adrenal medulla that
prepares the body for the fight-or-flight responses; also acts as a neurotransmitter by
transferring nervous impulses across the synapse between adjacent nerve cells. AKA
Epinephrine.
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH) - Correct Answers -A hormone that controls the
production and release of some of the hormones of from the cortex of the adrenal
glands.
Type 2 Diabetes - Correct Answers -Usually occurs in people over the age of 40 (AKA
Adult-Onset Diabetes) who are overweight; it can usually be controlled by diet and
lifestyle changes.
Afferent Division - Correct Answers -Part of the peripheral nervous system containing
nerve fibres that carry impulses into the brain and spinal cord. AKA Sensory Division.
Agglutination - Correct Answers -The clumping together of micro-organisms or blood
cells.
Albinism - Correct Answers -An inherited condition marked by an inability to produce
pigment in the hair, skin and eyes (bite/blond, white and red respectively)
Aldosterone - Correct Answers -A hormone that acts on the kidney to reduce the
amount of sodium in the urine and increase the amount of potassium.
All-or-Nothing Response - Correct Answers -A response of constant size regardless of
the strength of stimulus; with respect to nerve cells, a nerve impulse is either
transmitted at full strength (∆15mV) or not at all (varying levels of sensitivity are
variations in the *number* of neurons being fired).
Alpha (α) Cell - Correct Answers -A type of cell in the Islets of Langerhans in the
pancreas which are sensitive to low blood sugar and releases the hormone Glucagon.
Anaemia - Correct Answers -A condition in which there is a reduced amount of
haemoglobin in the blood, or a reduced amount of red blood cells.
, Androgen - Correct Answers -Any of the male sex hormones produced by the testes
(testosterone); responsible for the development and maintenance of secondary sex
characteristics.
Aneuploidy - Correct Answers -A change in the number of chromosomes as a result of
non-disjunction.
Annotation - Correct Answers -Identification of a specific DNA sequence.
Antibiotic - Correct Answers -A chemical able to inhibit the growth of (bacteriostatic), or
kill (bactericidal) bacteria.
Antibody - Correct Answers -A substance produced in response to a specific antigen;
combines with the antigen to neutralise or destroy it.
Allele - Correct Answers -An alternative form of a gene; an individual usually has only
two alleles of each gene (maternal and paternal).
Allele Frequency - Correct Answers -How often an allele occurs in a population.
Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH) - Correct Answers -A hormone produced by the
Hypothalamus and released by the Posterior Pituitary. Stimulates kidneys to remove
water from urine, thus reducing urine production (AKA Vasopressin).
Antigen - Correct Answers -Any substance capable of causing formation of antibodies
when introduced into tissues.
Antigen-Antibody Complex - Correct Answers -A compound formed when an antibody
combines with an antigen.
Antiviral Drug - Correct Answers -A drug used for treatment of viral infections.
Aortic Body - Correct Answers -The group of cells within the walls of the aortic arch that
are sensitive to changes in the concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the
blood and its pH.
Arboreal - Correct Answers -Living in trees; as some monkeys do.
Artefact (Artifact) - Correct Answers -An object made or modified by humans.
Artificial Immunity - Correct Answers -Immunity produced by giving a person an antigen,
which triggers an immune response, or by giving a person the antibodies directly for an
infecting antigen.
and Answers
Absolute Date - Correct Answers -The actual age (in years) of a fossil or artefact.
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) Radiocarbon Dating - Correct Answers -A
technique used to give radiocarbon dates for very small samples of material.
Acetabulum - Correct Answers -The socket of the pelvis in which the head of the thigh
bone fits.
Acheulian Tool - Correct Answers -A type of hand axe that was flaked all around the
edges, in both directions; teardrop in shape. It is associated with *Homo Erectus*.
Achromatopsia - Correct Answers -An inherited form of total colour blindness.
Primer - Correct Answers -A strand of DNA or RNA that serves as a starting point for
DNA replication.
Progesterone - Correct Answers -A female sex hormone produced by the ovaries; helps
prepare the uterine lining for a fertilised egg; also prepares mammary glands for milk
secretion.
Prognathism - Correct Answers -Having a protruding jaw.
Prolactin - Correct Answers -A hormone that promotes milk production during and after
pregnancy.
Acquired Reflex - Correct Answers -A response to a stimulus that has been learned
through practice. eg; balancing while riding a bike, catching a ball.
Action Potential - Correct Answers -When sodium (Na+) ions move into a nerve cell at a
particular place on the membrane, this change is propagated along the cell membrane
as a nerve impulse.
Active Immunity - Correct Answers -Immunity produced by the body manufacturing
antibodies against a foreign antigen.
Adaptation - Correct Answers -A particular structure, physiological process or form of
behaviour that makes an organism better able to survive and reproduce in a particular
environment,
,Adrenal Cortex - Correct Answers -The outer portion of an adrenal gland, secretes the
hormones *Aldosterone* and *Cortisol*, when stimulated by the Anterior Pituitary's
secretion of *Adrenocorticotropic* hormone.
Adrenal Medulla - Correct Answers -The inner portion of an adrenal gland; secretes the
hormones *Adrenaline* and *Noradrenaline*.
Adrenal Gland - Correct Answers -One of two endocrine glands, one immediately above
each kidney; each consists of an inner adrenal *medulla* and an outer adrenal *cortex*.
Adrenaline - Correct Answers -A hormone secreted from the adrenal medulla that
prepares the body for the fight-or-flight responses; also acts as a neurotransmitter by
transferring nervous impulses across the synapse between adjacent nerve cells. AKA
Epinephrine.
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH) - Correct Answers -A hormone that controls the
production and release of some of the hormones of from the cortex of the adrenal
glands.
Type 2 Diabetes - Correct Answers -Usually occurs in people over the age of 40 (AKA
Adult-Onset Diabetes) who are overweight; it can usually be controlled by diet and
lifestyle changes.
Afferent Division - Correct Answers -Part of the peripheral nervous system containing
nerve fibres that carry impulses into the brain and spinal cord. AKA Sensory Division.
Agglutination - Correct Answers -The clumping together of micro-organisms or blood
cells.
Albinism - Correct Answers -An inherited condition marked by an inability to produce
pigment in the hair, skin and eyes (bite/blond, white and red respectively)
Aldosterone - Correct Answers -A hormone that acts on the kidney to reduce the
amount of sodium in the urine and increase the amount of potassium.
All-or-Nothing Response - Correct Answers -A response of constant size regardless of
the strength of stimulus; with respect to nerve cells, a nerve impulse is either
transmitted at full strength (∆15mV) or not at all (varying levels of sensitivity are
variations in the *number* of neurons being fired).
Alpha (α) Cell - Correct Answers -A type of cell in the Islets of Langerhans in the
pancreas which are sensitive to low blood sugar and releases the hormone Glucagon.
Anaemia - Correct Answers -A condition in which there is a reduced amount of
haemoglobin in the blood, or a reduced amount of red blood cells.
, Androgen - Correct Answers -Any of the male sex hormones produced by the testes
(testosterone); responsible for the development and maintenance of secondary sex
characteristics.
Aneuploidy - Correct Answers -A change in the number of chromosomes as a result of
non-disjunction.
Annotation - Correct Answers -Identification of a specific DNA sequence.
Antibiotic - Correct Answers -A chemical able to inhibit the growth of (bacteriostatic), or
kill (bactericidal) bacteria.
Antibody - Correct Answers -A substance produced in response to a specific antigen;
combines with the antigen to neutralise or destroy it.
Allele - Correct Answers -An alternative form of a gene; an individual usually has only
two alleles of each gene (maternal and paternal).
Allele Frequency - Correct Answers -How often an allele occurs in a population.
Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH) - Correct Answers -A hormone produced by the
Hypothalamus and released by the Posterior Pituitary. Stimulates kidneys to remove
water from urine, thus reducing urine production (AKA Vasopressin).
Antigen - Correct Answers -Any substance capable of causing formation of antibodies
when introduced into tissues.
Antigen-Antibody Complex - Correct Answers -A compound formed when an antibody
combines with an antigen.
Antiviral Drug - Correct Answers -A drug used for treatment of viral infections.
Aortic Body - Correct Answers -The group of cells within the walls of the aortic arch that
are sensitive to changes in the concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the
blood and its pH.
Arboreal - Correct Answers -Living in trees; as some monkeys do.
Artefact (Artifact) - Correct Answers -An object made or modified by humans.
Artificial Immunity - Correct Answers -Immunity produced by giving a person an antigen,
which triggers an immune response, or by giving a person the antibodies directly for an
infecting antigen.
