BMSC 207 Midterm Mastery: High-Yield Q&A for Acing the Exam | 2025 EXAM UPDATES.
About This Guide:
This resource is tailored to help you conquer BMSC 207 Midterm 1 with confidence. It includes verified,
exam-style questions and accurate answers, covering key course content in anatomy and physiology.
Ideal for review, self-testing, or last-minute prep, this guide is built to help you study efficiently and boost
your score.
What is physiology?
The study of the normal functioning of a living organism and its components parts, including all its
chemical and physical processes
What type of property is being described: properties of a complex system that cannot be explained by a
knowledge of a systems individual components
Emergent property
What is tissue and what makes up tissue?
Tissue is a collection of cells carrying out related functions. Made up of cells.
What is an organ and what makes up an organ?
An organ is a formation of tissues into a structural and functional unit. Made up of tissue.
What is an organ system?
Integrated groups of organs
Function is considered a ____ approach.
Teleological (why)
Mechanism is considered a ____ approach.
Mechanistic (how)
Does physiology focus on the teleological or mechanistic approach?
Physiology focuses on the mechanistic approach, interested in "how" something happens
The ability to maintain a relatively stable internal environment is known as what?
Homeostasis
What are some external and internal factors that could disrupt homeostasis in the human body?
External: toxic chemicals, physical trauma, pathogens Internal: abnormal cell growth, autoimmune
disorders, genetic factors
What type of fluid would we expect to find surrounding cells? What is the function of this fluid?
,Extracellular fluid (ECF). Serves as a buffer between cells and the external environment
What is an example of ECF?
Blood plasma
Which cellular structure separates cells from the ECF
Cell membrane
If the amount of substance in the body is to remain constant, any gain must be offset by equal loss
according to the ____.
Law of mass balance
Body compartments are in a ____ state.
Dynamic steady state
The idea that there is unequal amounts of ions between the ECF and ICF depicts a _____.
stable disequilibrium
The two types of control systems are ___ and ___.
Local and reflex
Describe local control.
Restricted to tissues or cells involved
Describe reflex control.
Refers to any long distance pathway that uses the nervous, endocrine system or both
Reflex control is broken down into two parts: ____ and ___.
Response loop and feedback loop
What is the sole objective of control systems?
Maintain homeostasis
A feedback loop where the response opposes or removes the stimulus signal is known as ____.
Negative feedback
Labour is an example of which feedback loop?
Positive feedback
Daniel starts salivating at the sight of food. This is an example of ____.
Feedforward
The main goal of a membrane is what?
Separating one compartment from another
, List the four functions of the cell membrane.
Physical isolation (separating ICF and ECF) Regulation of exchange with the environment
Communication between cell and environment Structural support
In a typical cell membrane, we would expect to find roughly 55% of ____, 45% of ___, and small
amounts of ___.
protein; lipids; small amounts of carbohydrates
Which of the following membranes would theoretically be the most metabolically active?a) membrane
with 35% protein comp.
b) membrane with 37% protein comp.
c) membrane with 47% protein comp.
d) membrane with 54% protein comp.
membrane with 54% protein comp.
the higher the protein the more metabolically active
What are the three types of lipids found in the cell membrane?
Phospholipids, Sphingolipids, Cholesterol
What are some characteristics of phospholipids?
They can form bilayers, micelles, and liposomes
Amphipathic
Weak bonds
BULK OF LIPID IN CELL MEMBRANE
What is the structure of a phospholipid?
Glycerol backbone, fatty acid tail, polar head (phosphate + a molecule)
Which lipid is also known as lipid rafts?
Sphingolipids
What are some characteristics of sphingolipids?
Can form lipid rafts
Sphingosine backbone
Fatty acid tail
Phosphate head
Larger than phospholipids, fewer in #
Amphipathic
Common to see lipid anchored proteins attached
What is the goal of cholesterol?
Increase viscosity (gives cell membrane strength and flexibility)
If a membrane has high cholesterol content, what would we expect to happen?
a) high viscosity, decreased permeability
About This Guide:
This resource is tailored to help you conquer BMSC 207 Midterm 1 with confidence. It includes verified,
exam-style questions and accurate answers, covering key course content in anatomy and physiology.
Ideal for review, self-testing, or last-minute prep, this guide is built to help you study efficiently and boost
your score.
What is physiology?
The study of the normal functioning of a living organism and its components parts, including all its
chemical and physical processes
What type of property is being described: properties of a complex system that cannot be explained by a
knowledge of a systems individual components
Emergent property
What is tissue and what makes up tissue?
Tissue is a collection of cells carrying out related functions. Made up of cells.
What is an organ and what makes up an organ?
An organ is a formation of tissues into a structural and functional unit. Made up of tissue.
What is an organ system?
Integrated groups of organs
Function is considered a ____ approach.
Teleological (why)
Mechanism is considered a ____ approach.
Mechanistic (how)
Does physiology focus on the teleological or mechanistic approach?
Physiology focuses on the mechanistic approach, interested in "how" something happens
The ability to maintain a relatively stable internal environment is known as what?
Homeostasis
What are some external and internal factors that could disrupt homeostasis in the human body?
External: toxic chemicals, physical trauma, pathogens Internal: abnormal cell growth, autoimmune
disorders, genetic factors
What type of fluid would we expect to find surrounding cells? What is the function of this fluid?
,Extracellular fluid (ECF). Serves as a buffer between cells and the external environment
What is an example of ECF?
Blood plasma
Which cellular structure separates cells from the ECF
Cell membrane
If the amount of substance in the body is to remain constant, any gain must be offset by equal loss
according to the ____.
Law of mass balance
Body compartments are in a ____ state.
Dynamic steady state
The idea that there is unequal amounts of ions between the ECF and ICF depicts a _____.
stable disequilibrium
The two types of control systems are ___ and ___.
Local and reflex
Describe local control.
Restricted to tissues or cells involved
Describe reflex control.
Refers to any long distance pathway that uses the nervous, endocrine system or both
Reflex control is broken down into two parts: ____ and ___.
Response loop and feedback loop
What is the sole objective of control systems?
Maintain homeostasis
A feedback loop where the response opposes or removes the stimulus signal is known as ____.
Negative feedback
Labour is an example of which feedback loop?
Positive feedback
Daniel starts salivating at the sight of food. This is an example of ____.
Feedforward
The main goal of a membrane is what?
Separating one compartment from another
, List the four functions of the cell membrane.
Physical isolation (separating ICF and ECF) Regulation of exchange with the environment
Communication between cell and environment Structural support
In a typical cell membrane, we would expect to find roughly 55% of ____, 45% of ___, and small
amounts of ___.
protein; lipids; small amounts of carbohydrates
Which of the following membranes would theoretically be the most metabolically active?a) membrane
with 35% protein comp.
b) membrane with 37% protein comp.
c) membrane with 47% protein comp.
d) membrane with 54% protein comp.
membrane with 54% protein comp.
the higher the protein the more metabolically active
What are the three types of lipids found in the cell membrane?
Phospholipids, Sphingolipids, Cholesterol
What are some characteristics of phospholipids?
They can form bilayers, micelles, and liposomes
Amphipathic
Weak bonds
BULK OF LIPID IN CELL MEMBRANE
What is the structure of a phospholipid?
Glycerol backbone, fatty acid tail, polar head (phosphate + a molecule)
Which lipid is also known as lipid rafts?
Sphingolipids
What are some characteristics of sphingolipids?
Can form lipid rafts
Sphingosine backbone
Fatty acid tail
Phosphate head
Larger than phospholipids, fewer in #
Amphipathic
Common to see lipid anchored proteins attached
What is the goal of cholesterol?
Increase viscosity (gives cell membrane strength and flexibility)
If a membrane has high cholesterol content, what would we expect to happen?
a) high viscosity, decreased permeability
