Biophysics Practice questions about gas exchange and filtration across capillaries, Y.

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1. What is the driving force for fluid (blood) flow?

a) Hydrostatic pressure differences of the fluid (blood)
b) Hydrostatic and oncotic pressure difference between the plasma and interstitial fluid
c) Oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressure differences between the plasma and interstitial fluid
d) Oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressure differences between the plasma and alveoli
e) None of those listed above

2. What is the driving force for filtration across capillaries?

a) Hydrostatic pressure differences of the fluid (blood)
b) Hydrostatic and oncotic pressure difference between the plasma and interstitial fluid
c) Oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressure differences between the plasma and interstitial fluid
d) Oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressure differences between the plasma and alveoli
e) None of those listed above

3. What is the driving force for gas exchange at the systemic capillaries and tissues?
a) Hydrostatic pressure differences of the fluid (blood)
b) Hydrostatic and oncotic pressure difference between the plasma and interstitial fluid
c) Oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressure differences between the plasma and interstitial fluid
d) Oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressure differences between the plasma and alveoli
e) None of those listed above

4. What is the driving force for gas exchange at the pulmonary capillaries capillaries?
a) Hydrostatic pressure differences of the fluid (blood)
b) Hydrostatic and oncotic pressure difference between the plasma and interstitial fluid
c) Oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressure differences between the plasma and interstitial fluid
d) Oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressure differences between the plasma and alveoli
e) None of those listed above

5. Which one below do not affect the blood gas exchange?

a) Partial pressures of the gases
b) Solubilities and masses of the gases
c) Distance that is needed to be travelled
d) Saturation level of the hemoglobin molecules
e) Amount of the red blood cells
f) Temperature and pH
g) None, all affect

6. Do we observe oxygen-bound hemoglobin in the deoxygenated blood under normal conditions?

a) Yes b) No

7. Which percent of hemoglobin is higher in the deoxygenated blood under normal conditions, the
oxygen-bound form (HbO2) or the carbon dioxide-bound form (HbCO2)?
a) HbO2 b) HbCO2 c) None of these forms

8. When do hemoglobin has higher tendency to bind to oxygen, when the blood is fully oxygenated,
in the arterial blood, or when it is deoxygenated, in the venous blood?
a) when fully oxygenated b) when deoxygenated c) in neither of the conditions

9. How is oxygen transported/observed dominantly in blood?

a) As hemoglobin-bound form (HbO2) b) Free in solution c) None of these forms

10. How is carbon dioxide transported/observed dominantly in blood?

a) As hemoglobin-bound form (HbCO2) b) Free in solution c) As bicarbonate ion d) None of these

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11. What is the least dominant forms of oxygen and carbon dioxide in blood?
a) Hemoglobin-bound forms b) Free in solution c) As bicarbonate ions d) None of these

12. Which one below does not effect the relation that is given in the figure above?
a) High temperature b) Low temperature c) High pH d) Low pH e) None

13. According to the figure above, at which PO2 is the saturation of hemoglobin higher, at 40 mm Hg
or 80 mm Hg?
a) 40 mm Hg b) 80 mm Hg c) About the same at both d) None

14. According to the figure above, at which PO2 change would the rate of change in the saturation of
hemoglobin be higher, at the PO2 change from 100 to 80 mm Hg or from 40 to 20 mm Hg?
a) 100 to 80 mm Hg b) 40 to 20 mm Hg c) About the same at both d) None

15. According to the figure above, at which PO2 change is the volume of O2 that will be delivered
higher, at the PO2 change from 120 to 40 mm Hg or from 40 to 25 mm Hg?
a) 100 to 80 mm Hg b) 40 to 20 mm Hg c) About the same at both d) None

16. According to the figure above, at which PO2 change is the volume of O2 that will be delivered
higher, at the PO2 change from 100 to 80 mm Hg or from 40 to 30 mm Hg?
a) 100 to 80 mm Hg b) 40 to 20 mm Hg c) About the same at both d) None

17. According to the figure above, at which PO2 change would the difference in the saturation of
hemoglobin be higher, at the PO2 change from 100 to 80 mm Hg or from 40 to 20 mm Hg?
a) 100 to 80 mm Hg b) 40 to 20 mm Hg c) About the same at both d) None

18. According to the figure above, at which PO2 is the saturation of hemoglobin lower?
a) 20 mm Hg b) 40 mm Hg c) 60 mm Hg d) 80 mm Hg e) 100 mm Hg

19. According to the figure above, at which PO2 change would the rate of change in the saturation of
hemoglobin be lower?
a) 100 to 80 mm Hg b) 80 to 60 mm Hg c) 60 to 40 mm Hg d) 40 to 20 mm Hg

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20. According to the figure above, at which PO2 change would the rate of change in the volume of O2
be lower?
a) 100 to 80 mm Hg b) 80 to 60 mm Hg c) 60 to 40 mm Hg d) 40 to 20 mm Hg

21. According to the figure above, at which PO2 change is the volume of O2 that will be delivered
lower
a) 100 to 80 mm Hg b) 80 to 60 mm Hg c) 60 to 40 mm Hg d) 40 to 20 mm Hg

22. According to the figure above, at which PO2 change would the difference in the saturation of
hemoglobin be lower?
a) 100 to 80 mm Hg b) 80 to 60 mm Hg c) 60 to 40 mm Hg d) 40 to 20 mm Hg

The information below and the information in [1], [2], [3] and [4] is a reference for the next 4
questions:
Calculations for NFP, if capillary hydrostatic pressure (CHP) at arteriole end is 35mmHg and is
18mmHg at the venule end while blood colloid osmotic pressure-BCOP is 25mmHg at both ends:

[1] 35 mm Hg CHP – 25 mm Hg BCOP = 10 mm Hg net filtration pressure (NFP)

[2] 25 mm Hg CHP – 35 mm Hg BCOP = –10 mm Hg NFP
[3] 18 mm Hg CHP – 25 mm Hg BCOP = –7 mm Hg NFP
[4] 25 mm Hg CHP – 18 mm Hg BCOP = 7 mm Hg NFP

23. Which calculation above is for NFP towards interstitial fluid at the arteriole end of the capillary?
a) [1] b) [2] c) [3] d) [4] e) none

24. Which calculation above is for NFP towards interstitial fluid at the venule end of the capillary?
a) [1] b) [2] c) [3] d) [4] e) none

The information below and the information in [1] and [2] is a reference for the next 5 questions:
Calculations for NFP, if capillary hydrostatic pressure (CHP) at arteriole end is 35mmHg and is
18mmHg at the venule end while blood colloid osmotic pressure-BCOP is 25mmHg at both ends:

[1] 35 mm Hg CHP – 25 mm Hg BCOP = 10 mm Hg net filtration pressure (NFP), meaning that

filtration occurs towards interstitial fluid at the arteriole end of the capillary, driven by 10 mm Hg

[2] 18 mm Hg CHP – 25 mm Hg BCOP = –7 mm Hg NFP, meaning that filtration occurs towards

the capillary at the venous end of the systemic capillary, which is driven by 7 mm Hg

25. Which one of the driving pressure given above as [1] and [2] would be higher if the overall blood
pressure increases and BCOP remains the same?
a) [1] b) [2] c) both of them e) none of them

26. Which one of the driving pressure given above as [1] and [2] would be higher if the blood volume
increases and BCOP remains the same?
a) [1] b) [2] c) both of them e) none of them

27. What would be the result of [1] when CHP increases 2 mm Hg more than usual at the arteriole end
of the systemic capillaries and BCOP remains the same?
a) –5 mm Hg b) –7 mm Hg c) 10 mm Hg d) 12 mm Hg e) none of those

28. What would be the result of [2] when CHP increases 2 mm Hg more than usual at the venous end
of the systemic capillaries and BCOP remains the same?
a) –5 mm Hg b) –7 mm Hg c) 10 mm Hg d) 12 mm Hg e) none of those

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29. What would be the result of NFPs when CHP increases 3 mm Hg more than the usual values both
at the arteriole and venous ends of the systemic capillaries and BCOP remains the same?
a) 7 mm Hg at the arteriole end of the capillary and –10 mm Hg at the venous end
b) –7 mm Hg at the arteriole end of the capillary and 10 mm Hg at the venous end
c) 10 mm Hg at the arteriole end of the capillary and –7 mm Hg at the venous end
d) 13 mm Hg at the arteriole end of the capillary and –4 mm Hg at the venous end
e) –4 mm Hg at the arteriole end of the capillary and 13 mm Hg at the venous end

The next 6 questions are related to the image above!

In the image, height of the fluids in the vertical columns is due to the hydrostatic pressure of the
fluid at different locations of the lateral tube. Variation of pressure, as the fluid moves from the
inlet site at (a) towards the outlet site at (i), is shown by the height of the fluids. This figure is
representing changes in the blood pressure in the large (systemic) circulation, the original graph of
which is shown as overlaid with this representative figure.

30. Which of the sites given below could be the left ventricle?
a) a b) b c) e d) h e) i

31. Which of the sites given below could be the aorta?

a) a b) b c) e d) h e) i

32. Which of the sites given below could be the capillaries?

a) a b) b c) c d) d e) e

33. Which of the sites given below could be the right atrium?
a) a b) b c) e d) h e) i

34. What will be the height in the vertical columns if the amount of blood that is circulating in
the system decreases?
a) Increases b) Decreases c) Remains the same

35. What will be the height in the vertical columns if the number of heart beat in each minute
increases?
a) Increases b) Decreases c) Remains the same

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36. Oxygen partial pressure (PO2) at the tissue is determined by a balance between the ________ of
oxygen transport to the tissues in the blood and _______ at which the oxygen is used by the tissues.
What is the word that fits best to both of the blank regions in the sentence that is given above?
a) Duration b) Effectiveness c) Pressure d) Temperature e) Speed

37. Which one has a higher diffusion rate, oxygen or carbon dioxide?
a) Oxygen b) Carbon dioxide c) Both have the same diffusion rate

38. What is the reason of different diffusion rates of oxygen or carbon dioxide?
a) Solubility differences b) Mass differences c) Both (a) and (b) d) None of those

39. Which one below is correct about the partial pressures of oxygen (PO2) for gas exchange at the
capillary site of the pulmonary circulation be?
a) PO2 at the arterial end of the pulmonary capillary should be more than PO2 at the alveoli
b) PO2 at the arterial end of the pulmonary capillary should be less than PO2 at the alveoli
c) PO2 at the arterial end of the pulmonary capillary should be the same as PO2 at the alveoli
d) PO2 at the venous end of the pulmonary capillary should be more than PO2 at the alveoli
e) None of those listes above

40. Which one below is not correct about the partial pressures of oxygen (PO2) for gas exchange at the
capillary site of the systemic circulation?
a) PO2 at the arterial end of the systemic capillary is more than that at the venous end
b) PO2 at the arterial end of the systemic capillary is more than that at the tissue
c) PO2 at the venous end of the systemic capillary is the same as that at the tissue
d) PO2 at the venous end of the systemic capillary is the same as that at the arterial end
e) None of those listes above

The remaining questions are related to the image above!

41. What is the PO2 difference at the arterial end for diffusion of O2 into the pulmonary capillaries at
alveoli?
a)40–100 = –60mmHg b)46+40=86mmHg c)100+40=140mmHg d)100–40=60mmHg e)100mmHg

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42. What is the PO2 difference at the arterial end for diffusion of O2 into the interstitial fluid at tissue
site?
a)40–100= –60mmHg b)46+40=86mmHg c)100+40=140mmHg d)100–40=60mmHg e)100mmHg

43. What would the PO2 difference at the arterial end for diffusion of O2 into the pulmonary capillaries
be if the PO2 at the alveoli is 110 mmHg instead of 100 mmHg?
a)40–110 = –70mmHg b)46+40=86mmHg c)110+40=150mmHg d)110–40=70mmHg e)110mmHg

44. What would the PCO2 difference at the arterial end of the pulmonary capillaries for diffusion of
CO2 into the alveoli be if the PCO2 at the arterial end is 50 mmHg instead of 46 mmHg?
a)40–100= –60mmHg b)100–40=60mmHg c)40–50= –10mmHg d)50–40=10mmHg e)40mmHg

45. What is the PCO2 difference at the arterial end for the diffusion of CO2 into the alveoli at the
lungs?
a)40–100= –60mmHg b)100–40=60mmHg c)40–46= –6mmHg d)46–40=6mmHg e)40mmHg

46. What is the PCO2 difference at the arterial end for diffusion of CO2 into the capillaries at the
tissue?
a)40–100= –60mmHg b)100–40=60mmHg c)40–46= –6mmHg d)46–40=6mmHg e)40mmHg