Block 1 PRACTICE

QUESTIONS

Question 1
A 45 year old female was sent to the emergency room after
severe hemorrhage due to perforation of her gastric
ulcer. The patient has loss of blood causing hypotension.
The normal mechanism of the body is to counteract the
fluid loss. There is a peripheral vasoconstriction as her
arterioles are stimulated by angiotensin II. What is the
lining epithelium of the arteriole?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

mesothelium
endothelium
periosteum
myometrium
endometrium

Question 2
In the condition known as Diabetic Glomerulosclerosis, the
glomerular filter is altered and becomes permeable to
proteins. One sign of this condition is the increased levels
of protein excreted in the urine. Another sign of this
condition is an increase in the concentration of cells which
act to phagocytose the large proteins entering through the
glomerular filter. Which cells phagocytose the large
proteins in the kidneys?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Mesangial Cell
Neutrophils
Macrophages
Mast cells
Eosinophils

Question 3
A 55-year-old Caucasian man presented with generalized back pain. His
physical examination reveals right-sided muscular weakness and a pulse of
78/min, regular; blood pressure 140/82 mm Hg. Peripheral blood: Hb 11
g/dL, WBC 6.0 ?par 109/l (polymorphs 81%, lymphocytes 16%, monocytes
2%, eosinophils 1%), platelets 300 ?109/1 (300 000/mm3). The blood film
was normal. The bone marrow shows an increase in the
cells shown in the accompanying light micrograph.
The cells pointed by the arrows in the light
micrograph are identified asA.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Macrophages
Endothelial cells
Plasma cells
Neutrophils
Adipocytes

Question 4
A women enters the clinic with complaints of increased
frequency of urination. The 24 hour urine examination
reveals a very dilute urine. Her antidiuretic hormone
(ADH) levels were extremely low, confirming a diagnoses
of central diabetes insipidus. A special form of this
disease called nephrogenic diabetes insipidus is a result
of insensitivity of the kidneys to ADH because of defective
ADH receptor proteins synthesized by the following
structure indicated by the arrow, which is lined by the
epithelium:
A.
B.
C.
D.

Simple columnar
Simple cuboidal
Simple squamous
Stratified cuboidal

Question 5
A 20-year-old male is complaining of "right eye watering, stinging,
eyes matted all the time." He has an history of seasonal and
"skin" allergies (no history of eczema or asthma). History of
acute allergic and bacterial conjunctivitis since age 6. He is
diagnosed of chronic allergic conjunctivitis. The cell which
causes the symptoms in the patient is shown in the picture
below. The chemical mediators released from the cell causing
the symptoms of seasonal allergy in this patient are
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Actin and myosin

Fibronectin and Laminin
Histamine and heparin
Keratin and actin
Heparin and chondroitin suphate

Question 6
Ehlers Danlos Type IV is a genetic disease caused by
deficiency of type III collagen. The organs having Type
III collagen in abundance are
A. brain and lymphnode
B. blood and bone marrow
C. spleen and lymphnode
D. muscular system
E. cartilage and bone

Question 7
A 25 year old complains of nausea and vomiting since 2 months. Upper
GI endoscopy shows inflammation of the gastric mucosa which is
lined by simple columnar epithelium. The biopsy showed presence
of H pylori which mediate the inflammation and ulcer formation. He
is subsequently treated with antibiotics and now he is on
prophylactic treatment. The structure that maintains the integrity of
the epithelial cells which is part of the structure labeled e is

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Heparin
Integrin
E cadherin
Desmoplakin
Proteoglycan

Question 8
In the electron micrograph below, the structure
labeled D primarily does which of the following?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Forms a spot weld

between cells
Interacts with actin in the
cytoplasm of the apical
cytosol
Facilitates communication
between adjacent cells
Seals membranes between
cells
Moves microvilli

Question 9
The epithelium lining the structure in the picture is
A.
B.
C.
D.

Pseudostratified columnar
with cilia
Pseudostratified columnar
with sterocilia
Simple columnar with microvilli
Simple columnar with cilia

Question 10
A pap smear from 45 year old female showed
increased immature cells, with a corresponding
decrease in the number and location of mature
cells. These immature cells had a reversed
cytoplasm nuclear ratio. The changes seen in
these cells would be defined by the term
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Metaplasia
Anaplasia
Dysplasia
Hyperplasia
Neoplasia

Question 11
A patient with a metastatic tumor in an organ has been
biopsied. The histological appearance of the organ is
as shown below in the picture. What is the possible
main function of the structure pointed by the arrow?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

secretion and absorption

transportation
distensibility and stretch
protection and active transport
absorption and protection

Question 12
A 40 year olf male has been diagnosed with a kidney
disease- glomerulonephritis. The disease subtype can
be diagnosed only when the kidney biopsy specimen is
stained and observed under the microscope. Which
special stain would you advise if the pathologist has to
observe the basement membrane of the glomeruli?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Elastin stain
H&E
PAS
Reticulin stain
Trichrome stain

Question 13
The source of light which allows the visualization of
labeled structures in the cell as seen in the
picture below is..
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

white light
ultraviolet light
infrared light
visible light
electron beams

Question 14
Basal striations are a unique feature in the
cells where there is secretion and
absorption of molecules. The cells with
this feature are found in the
A.
B.
C.
D.

lining of the vagina

endothelium of blood vessels
peritoneum lining of stomach
proximal tubule of kidney

Question 15
The triplet arrangement of
microtubules is found in which of
the following?
a. Centrioles
b. Cytoplasmic microtubules
c. Flagellae
d. Axonemes
e. Stereocilia

Question 16
The region labeled with the arrow in the accompanying
electron micrograph of the plasma membrane is
responsible for which of the following functions?

a. Creation of a barrier to water-soluble molecules

b. Specific cellular receptors for ligands
c. Catalyzing membrane-associated activities
d. Transport of small ions
e. Connections to the cytoskeleton

Question 17
The asymmetry of the cell membrane is
established primarily by which of the
following?
a. Membrane synthesis in the endoplasmic reticulum
b. Membrane modification in the Golgi apparatus
c. Presence of carbohydrates on the cytoplasmic
surface
d. The distribution of cholesterol
e. Flipping proteins between the leaflets of the lipid
bilayer

Question 18
A patient is diagnosed with a pleomorphic adenoma of the
submandibular gland. The pathologist uses anti-vimentin
antibodies with immunocytochemistry to stain the biopsy
tissue. One would expect to find vimentin staining in which
of the following structures?

a. Fibrous stromal connective tissue

b. Parasympathetic ganglia
c. Serous acini
d. Mucous acini
e. Striated ducts

Question 19
A 20-year-old man arrives in the emergency room by ambulance. He
has taken an overdose of goof balls (Phenobarbital) he obtained from
a drug dealer on the street. In a hepatocyte from this patient, what is
occurring in the organelle labeled with arrows in the accompanying
transmission electron micrograph?
a. Oxidative demethylation
b. Decreased P450 expression
c. Decreased solubility of the
phenobarbital
d. Increased synthesis of
enzymes for detoxification
e. Destruction of the phenobarbital
by acid hydrolases

Question 20
A 6 month-old boy is brought to the pediatric neurology clinic as a
referral from a pediatrician concerned about the childs developmental
delay, ataxia, hyperventilation, and repeated episodes of vomiting. The parents report one
seizure-like event. Your examination reveals hypotonia, some spasticity, and deafness.
You note mild choreoathetosis when the boy is attempting to move. Laboratory results
show high lactate in the cerebrospinal fluid, a muscle biopsy shows normal histology, but
tests reveal a deficiency in Cytochrome C Oxidase, complex IV. In the electron
micrograph below, where would you expect to find that enzyme localized?

a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
e. E

Question 21
A 22-year-old woman presents at the ophthalmology clinic. She describes an
initial inability to drive at night because of what she describes as night
blindness. She says that the deterioration of her vision has continued and
she is having difficulty seeing objects on the periphery of her vision. Visual
acuity, color, visual field, dark adaptation, and ERG testing is completed.
The tests show rod degeneration with limited peripheral vision. She has
pigment deposits in the mid-peripheral retina known as bone spicules She
also has attenuated vessels in the retina and paleness of the optic nerves.
An electroretinogram (ERG) is reduced in amplitude. The cause may be
related to a failure of opsin and other protein vesicle transport. This
transport would occur along which of the following?
a. Microfilaments (thin filaments)
b. Thick filaments
c. Microtubules
b. Intermediate filaments
e. Spectrin heterodimers

Question 22
Which of the following molecules forms the coating of
vesicles involved in transport of secretory vesicles from the
trans-Golgi network (TGN) to targets?
a. Clathrin
b. Spectrin
c. Ankyrin
d. Actin
e. Vimentin
f. COP I
g. COP II

Question 23
A 12 year old girl complains of repeated attacks of abdominal pain. She
also has symptoms that suggest jaundice that accompany these
attacks . Her spleen is enlarged and tender upon examination. A blood
analysis shows a mild anemia and small, spherical red cells which
show increased fragility in the osmotic fragility test. Which protein is
most likely to be missing from her red cells.

(A)tubulin
(B)dyenin
(C)vimentin
(D)actin
(E)spectrin

Question 24

Infantile acid maltase disease, or Pompe disease, is rapidly

progressive and usually has an onset in the first 6 months of life.
This manifestation is also characterized by macroglossia;
progressive cardiomegaly; and rapidly progressive motor weakness
with hypotonia, as indicated by feeding and respiratory difficulties.
During the process of identifying this disease, a section of the
biopsied liver tissue is being observed by electron microscopy
where they are observing the membrane bound vesicles which in
the normal person contain only the digestive enzymes. These are(A)residual bodies
(B)clathrin coated vesicles
(C)primary lysosomes
(D)secondary lysosomes
(E)autophagosome

Question 25
Transferrin is a blood plasma protein for iron ion
delivery. In a cell culture lab the researcher is
studying the plasma membrane receptors which
inhibits internalization of transferrin. What
process allows the cell to internalize this
protein?
(A)Phagocytosis
(B)Pinocytosis
(C)Simple diffusion
(D)Clathrin coated endocytosis
(E)Simple endocytosis

Question 26
The interstitial cells of Leydig synthesize
the hormone testosterone. Which of the
organelle in cell is more prominently
involved in synthesis of lipid related
structures which is also an organ for
detoxification of drugs?
(A)ribosome
(B)smooth endoplasmic reticulum
(C)lysosome
(D)mitochondrion