Anatomical Directions in Context
During surgery, a doctor makes an incision from the sternum toward the left shoulder. Is the cut moving medial → lateral or lateral → medial?
Medial → Lateral
Which plane gives you a cross-section view of both femurs at once?
Transverse
The pancreas lies in which cavity?
Abdominal
Which life function is most directly impaired if the diaphragm is paralyzed?
Respiration
When blood sugar rises after eating, the pancreas releases insulin. Which component is the effector?
Cells take in glucose
The kidneys are (superior/inferior) to the liver and (medial/lateral) to the spine.
Inferior; lateral
An MRI shows the brain divided into anterior and posterior halves. Which plane was used?
Frontal
What cavity separates into thoracic and abdominopelvic portions by the diaphragm?
Ventral
Which survival need is most immediately critical if removed: water, oxygen, or nutrients?
Oxygen
During exercise, your body temperature rises. Your brain detects this change and signals your sweat glands to produce sweat. What type of feedback is this?
If a patient lies face down, what anatomical position are they in?
Prone
A CT scan shows the lungs in superior and inferior halves. Which plane is this?
Transverse
The mediastinum contains the heart, thymus, trachea, and esophagus. Which cavity is it part of?
Thoracic
If a person is dehydrated, which life function is the body struggling to maintain?
Excretion/regulation of water balance
You drink a large glass of water. Your kidneys detect the change in blood volume and adjust urine production to maintain balance. Identify the receptor and effector in this scenario.
Receptor = kidneys detect blood volume
Effector = kidneys adjusting urine production
An arrow enters a patient’s chest from the front and exits through the back. What directional path does the arrow take?
Anterior --> Posterior
Which two planes would allow you to see both lungs and the heart in one section?
Frontal and transverse
A stab wound punctures the pleural cavity. Which organ is most directly affected?
Lung
Explain why maintaining stable body temperature is crucial for metabolism.
Enzyme activity depends on optimal temp; too high/low disrupts reactions
A person experiences a sudden drop in blood pressure when standing up quickly. The body responds by increasing heart rate and constricting blood vessels. Describe whether this is positive or negative feedback, and explain why.
Negative feedback, because the body’s response opposes the initial change (raises blood pressure back toward normal)
The patella is ___ to the femur but ___ to the skin.
distal; deep
An MRI shows only structures from the nose to the spinal cord, but does not include either the left or right ears. Along which plane was the image taken?
Sagittal
Which dorsal cavity structure is continuous with the cranial cavity?
Vertebral/spinal cavity
Which life function includes cells using glucose and oxygen to create ATP?
Metabolism
During heavy exercise, carbon dioxide levels in the blood rise. Chemoreceptors detect this change, and the respiratory center in the brain increases the rate and depth of breathing. Identify the stimulus, receptor, control center, and effector involved.
Stimulus = increased CO₂ in blood
Receptor = chemoreceptors in blood vessels
Control center = respiratory center in the brain
Effector = muscles controlling breathing