Experimental Design
A student says, "I didn't have a Control Group, but I measured everything carefully." Why is their experiment invalid?
They have nothing to compare the results to / No baseline.
Cyanide is a poison that acts by shutting down the Mitochondria. What is the specific immediate cause of death?
The body stops making Energy / ATP.
A freshwater fish is thrown into the ocean. Explain why it dies using the word Hypertonic.
The ocean is Hypertonic, so it sucks water OUT of the fish's cells -> Dehydration
A patient has perfectly healthy eyes, but a stroke damaged their Occipital Lobe. What is their symptom?
Cortical Blindness / They cannot process what they see
A patient on the Keto Diet eats zero carbs. What molecule is their body burning for energy instead?
Lipids / Fats
You are testing a blood pressure drug. You give Group A the drug and Group B a sugar pill. To avoid the Placebo Effect, what must the patients in Group B believe?
That they are taking the real drug.
Tay-Sachs is a disease where the Lysosomes fail. Why does this kill the cell?
The cell fills up with toxic waste/trash and bursts.
Grocery stores spray water on their vegetables to keep them crisp. This creates a Hypotonic environment. Why don't the plant cells burst?
The Cell Wall prevents bursting.
A patient is colorblind. Which specific photoreceptors in their retina are malfunctioning?
Cones
Enzymes are proteins that speed up reactions. If a patient has a fever of 106°F, their enzymes stop working. What is the scientific term for a protein losing its shape due to heat?
Denaturation
A scientist graphs their data and puts "Time" on the Y-Axis. Explain why this is wrong.
Time is the Independent Variable, so it must go on the X-Axis.
Antibiotics work by destroying the Cell Wall. Why can a human take Penicillin without their own cells exploding?
Human/Animal cells do not have Cell Walls.
A patient has massive brain swelling. To save them, you must administer an IV that is Hypertonic. Explain how this works.
Salt Sucks. The extra salt in the blood sucks the water OUT of the swollen brain cells
You have a bad cold and your nose is stuffed. You eat a strawberry but it tastes like "nothing." Why?
Flavor is mostly Smell (Olfactory). Taste buds only detect sweet/sour/etc.
Blood returning from the lungs is red (oxygenated). Which chamber of the heart does it enter first?
Left Atrium
Explain the difference between Constants and the Control Group.
Constants are things kept the same for EVERYONE (like room temp); Control Group is the set of people who don't get the IV.
Muscle cells in a weightlifter look different than skin cells because they are packed with more of which two organelles?
Mitochondria (for energy) and Ribosomes (to build protein)
Explain why drinking salt water when you are thirsty actually makes you more dehydrated.
It adds salt to your blood, which sucks water OUT of your cells to dilute it
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) destroys the Myelin Sheath. How does this change the electrical signal in the neuron?
It slows it down or stops it completely
The Left Ventricle is the strongest chamber in the heart. Why is its muscle wall so much thicker than the Right Ventricle?
It has to pump blood to the entire body, not just the lungs
Why is a Double-Blind study considered the "Gold Standard" in medicine?
It prevents the doctor from accidentally acting differently toward the treated patients / Removes researcher bias.
The Cell Membrane is "Selectively Permeable." Oxygen slips right through, but Sodium (Na+) requires a pump. Why?
Sodium is charged/large OR it is moving against the gradient/Active Transport
Active Transport is different from Osmosis/Diffusion because it requires _______ to move molecules against the flow.
Energy / ATP
A hockey player gets hit in the back of the head and now has trouble balancing and walking in a straight line. Which part of the brain is bruised?
Cerebellum
Arteries take blood away from the heart. Which is the only artery in the entire body that carries blue (deoxygenated) blood?
Pulmonary Artery