PHYSIOLOGY EXAM STUDY GUIDE 2026
TEST BANK WITH FULL SOLUTIONS
⩥ Sagittal. Answer: a vertical plane that divides the body into right and
left parts
⩥ Median Plane (midsagittal plane). Answer: sagittal plane that lies
exactly in the midline
⩥ Parasagittal Planes. Answer: all other sagittal planes offset from the
midline
⩥ Frontal Planes (Coronal Plane). Answer: like sagittal plane lie
vertically, divide body into anterior and posterior parts
⩥ Transverse/Horizontal Plane. Answer: runs horizontally from right to
left, dividing the body into superior and inferior parts. (Transverse is
perpendicular to long axis of an organ, horizontal is from front to back)
⩥ Oblique Sections. Answer: cuts made diagonally between the
horizontal and the vertical planes
,⩥ Dorsal Body Cavity. Answer: protects the fragile nervous system
organs, has 2 subdivisions
⩥ Cranial Cavity. Answer: in the skull, encases the brain
⩥ Vertebral Cavity (Spinal Cavity). Answer: runs within the bony
vertebral column, encloses the delicate spinal cord
⩥ Ventral Body Cavity. Answer: the more anterior and larger of the
closed body cavities, has 2 major subdivisions, houses internal organs
called Viscera
⩥ Thoracic Cavity. Answer: surrounded by the ribs and muscles of the
chest
⩥ Pleural Cavities. Answer: lateral subdivision of Thoracic Cavity,
enveloping a lung, and the Medial Mediastinum
⩥ Medial Mediastinum. Answer: contains the pericardial cavity
⩥ Pericardial Cavity. Answer: encloses the heart and also surrounds the
the remaining thoracic organs (esophagus, trachea, and others)
, ⩥ Abdominopelvic Cavity. Answer: seperated from thoracic cavity by
the diaphram, a dome shaped muscle important in breathing. Has
abdominal and pelvic cavities
⩥ Abdominal Cavity. Answer: Contains stomach, intestines, spleen, and
liver, and other organs
⩥ Pelvic Cavity. Answer: Contains urinary bladder, reproductive organs,
and rectum
⩥ Serosa (Serous Membrane). Answer: the walls of the ventral body
cavity and the outer surfaces of the organs it contains are covered by this
thin double layered membrane
⩥ Parietal Serosa. Answer: lines internal body walls
⩥ Visceral Serosa. Answer: covers the internal organs
⩥ Abdominopelvic Quadrants. Answer: Divisions used primarily by
medical personnel
⩥ Abdominopelvic Regions. Answer: Nine divisions used primarily by
anatomists