Study Questions 01 – Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology 1
Test questions may be asked on class material that is not covered in the
study questions.
1. Define “anatomy”.
2. Define “physiology”.
3. What is “gross anatomy”?
4. What is “microscopic anatomy”?
5. What do we mean by “systemic anatomy”?
6. A dog has an abrasion on his side. Which is the most useful way to
describe the location of the abrasion, and why?
“The abrasion on the dog is to my left”.
“The abrasion on the dog is on top of the dog.”
“The abrasion is on the dog’s left side.”
7. Why do we have different terms to describe location on the body for
human anatomy and for animal anatomy?
8. Define the following terms.
cranial
caudal
median plane
transverse plane
medial
lateral
dorsal
ventral
proximal
distal
palmar
plantar
anterior
posterior
deep
superficial
rostral
lumen
9. Is the shoulder cranial to or caudal to the hip?
10. Does “plantar” refer to a location on the fore limb or the rear limb?
11. Which of the following terms can also be used for the “palmar” or
“plantar” surface of a horse’s leg – anterior, posterior, medial or
lateral?
12. Which of the following terms can also be used for the “palmar” or
“plantar” surface of a horse’s leg – cranial or caudal?
13. What terms can be used for the “front” of a limb (the opposite side
from “palmar” or “plantar”)?
14. Look at your left ring finger. It has 3 bones in it. Is your
fingernail on the proximal or the distal finger bone? Which bone would
a wedding ring go on?
15. Is the eye caudal to, rostral to, or cranial to the ear?
16. In anatomy, what is “tissue”?
What is an “organ”?
What is a “system”?
17. List the 4 major groups of tissue in the body.
18. What is epithelial tissue – where is it located?
19. Give some examples of “internal surfaces of the body”.
20. Give an example of the “external surface of the body”.
21. Are glands derived from epithelial, connective, muscle, or nervous
tissue?
22. List 4 general functions of epithelial tissue.
23. Define secretion, excretion, and absorption as relating to the
cells of a tissue.
secretion
excretion
absorption
24. List 2 ways that epithelial tissue can be classified.
25. List and briefly describe the 3 shapes that epithelial cells come in.
26. List and briefly describe the 3 types of layers that epithelial cells
come in.
27. What is the function of simple squamous epithelial tissue? Give an
example of where it is located.
28. What is the function of simple cuboidal epithelial tissue? Give an
example of where it is located.
29. What is the function of simple columnar epithelial tissue? Give an
example of where it is located.
What are “cilia”?
30. What is the function of stratified squamous epithelial tissue? Give an
example of where it is located.
31. What is the function of stratified cuboidal epithelial tissue? What is
another name for it? Give an example of where it is located.
32. Give an example of where stratified columnar epithelial tissue is
located.
33. Give an example of where pseudostratified columnar epithelial tissue
is located.
34. In general, what is the purpose of glands?
35. Name and briefly describe the 2 general types of glands, and give an
example of each.
36. Which type of gland has ducts?
37. Which type of gland secretes hormones?
38. What are the general functions of connective tissue?
Where is connective tissue located?
39. List 7 categories of connective tissue.
40. What property of elastic connective makes it elastic? What color is
elastic connective tissue?
41. Give an example of where elastic connective tissue is located.
42. What color is collagenous tissue (collagen fibers)? Is collagen made
of fat, protein, carbohydrates, or minerals?
42. Are individual collagen fibers stretchy (elastic) or not? Are they
strong or weak?
43. What type of cell makes collagen? Where is collagen located?
44. List the 3 main ways that collagen fibers can be arranged in tissue.
45. Describe dense regular connective tissue, and give an example of its
location in the body.
What is a tendon? What is a ligament?
46. Describe dense irregular connective tissue, and give an example of its
location in the body.
47. Describe areolar connective tissue, and give an example of its
location in the body.
What is the function of areolar connective tissue?
48. Describe reticular connective tissue, and give an example of its
location in the body.
49. Describe adipose tissue, and give an example of its location in the
body.
50. What is cartilage composed of?
51. In anatomy, what is “matrix”?
52. Name the 3 types of cartilage.
53. Describe hyaline cartilage. Where is it located?
54. Describe elastic cartilage. Where is it located?
55. Describe fibrocartilage. Where is it located?
56. What is bone tissue composed of?
56. Name the 2 types of bone tissue.
57. Describe cancellous bone.
58. Where is cancellous bone tissue located?
59. Describe compact bone. Where is it located?
60. What is bone marrow, and where is it located?
61. List the 2 functions of bone marrow.
62. What is vascular tissue?
63. Is blood considered to be epithelial tissue, connective tissue, muscle
tissue, or nervous tissue?
64. What are the components of blood?
65. Is the fluid now circulating in your heart and blood vessels
considered to be plasma or serum?
66. What is the difference between plasma and serum?
What are clotting factors?
67. If you took a blood sample from a patient, allowed it to clot, and
then spun the sample down and removed the fluid, would the fluid be
plasma or serum? Why?
68. If you took a blood sample from a patient, prevented it from clotting,
and then spun the sample down and removed the fluid, would the fluid
be plasma or serum? Why?
69. Lavender top tubes contain an anticoagulant. This means that blood put
into a lavender top tube will not clot. If you spin down blood in a
lavender top tube, do you get a sample of plasma or serum?
70. If you took a blood sample from a patient and you needed serum for a
test, would you put the blood into a red top or a lavender top tube?
71. Name the 3 types of blood cells.
72. What is another name for RBC’s - red blood cells? Briefly describe
RBC’s.
What is hemoglobin?
73. What is another name for WBC’s - white blood cells?
Name 5 types of WBC.
74. What is another name for platelets?
What is the function of platelets?
75. Arrange the 3 types of blood cells in order, from smallest to largest
(in general).
76. Name the 2 basic types of blood proteins.
Which type is water soluble?
Which type include antibodies, carrier proteins, and clotting factors?
77. Name 3 important electrolytes found in blood.
What is an electrolyte?
78. What is the function of muscle tissue?
What is another term for a muscle cell?
79. Name the 3 types of muscle tissue.
80. Why is skeletal muscle called “skeletal” muscle?
Do skeletal muscles provide voluntary or involuntary movement?
What does “striated” mean?
Is skeletal muscle striated or non-striated?
81. Where is cardiac muscle located?
Does cardiac muscle provide voluntary or involuntary movement?
Is cardiac muscle striated or non-striated?
82. Where is smooth muscle located?
Does smooth muscle provide voluntary or involuntary movement?
Is smooth muscle striated or non-striated?
83. Does a beef steak consist of skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscle?
84. What is the function of nervous tissue?
Briefly, what is a “stimulus”? (plural – stimuli)
Briefly, what is a “nerve impulse”?
85. What is another name for a nerve cell?
What are the parts of a neuron?
What color is the nerve cell body?
86. Name and describe the 2 types of nerve cell processes.
87. What is a “nerve”?
88. What is the name of the protective, insulating cover on some nerve
axons?
What is the myelin sheath composed of?
What color is the myelin sheath?
89. What are the nodes of Ranvier?
90. Which axon can conduct a nerve impulse the fastest – a myelinated or a
non-myelinated axon?
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