MCAT practice questions with correct
answers
A nnstroke nnpatient nncomprehends nnspeech nnbut nncannot nnmove nnher nnmouth nnto nnform nnwords. nnWhich nnof
nnthe nnfollowing nnbrain nnareas nnis nnlikely nnaffected?
■Broca's nnarea
■Wernicke's nnArea
■Arcuate nnfasciculus
■Superior nntemporal nngyrus nn- nnANSWER: nn✔ nnBroca's nnarea nn(Broca's nnarea nngoverns nnthe nnmotor
nnfunction nnof nnlanguage. nnA nnstroke nnthat nnaffects nnBroca's nnarea nnwill nnleave nnreceptive nnlanguage nnintact,
nnbut nnword nnformation nnwill nnbe nnaffected. nnA nnstroke nnaffecting nnWernicke's nnarea, nnchoice nn(B), nnwill
nnmake nnit nnso nnthe nnindividual nnis nnunable nnto nncomprehend nnspeech. nnA nnstroke nnaffecting nnthe nnarcuate
nnfasciculus, nnchoice nn(C), nnwill nnresult nnin nnan nninability nnto nnrepeat nnwords nnheard nnbut nnspontaneous
nnlanguage nnproduction nnis nnintact. nnThe nnsuperior nntemporal nngyrus, nnchoice nn(D), nnis nnwhere nnWernicke's
nnarea nnis nnlocated.)
Each nnindividual nnin nna nngroup nnof nnteenagers nnis nnasked nnto nnestimate nnthe nnheight nnof nna nntree. nnOne
nnindividual nnestimates nnthe nnheight nnto nnbe nn25 nnfeet, nnbut nnafter nndiscussing nnwith nnthe nngroup nnis
nnconvinced nnthat nnthe nnheight nnis nnlikely nncloser nnto nn40 nnfeet. nnWhich nntype nnof nnconformity nnis nnseen
nnhere?
■Obedience
■Identification
■Internalization
■Compliance nn- nnANSWER: nn✔ nnInternalization nn(Internalization nnrefers nnto nnthe nntype nnof nnconformity nnin
nnwhich nnan nnindividual nnchanges nnher nnoutward nnopinion nnto nnmatch nnthe nngroup nnand nnalso nnpersonally
nnagrees nnwith nnthose nnideas.)
Which nnof nnthe nnfollowing nnneurotransmitters nnis nnassociated nnwith nnboth nnschizophrenia nnand nnParkinson's
nndisease?
■GABA
■Serotonin
■Dopamine
,■Enkephalins nn- nnANSWER: nn✔ nnDopamine nn(Schizophrenia nnis nnassociated nnwith nnhigh nnlevels nnof
nndopamine, nnor nnhigh nnsensitivity nnto nndopamine. nnParkinson's nndisease nnis nnassociated nnwith nndestruction
nnof nnthe nndopaminergic nnneurons nnin nnthe nnbasal nnganglia.)
Primary nngroups nndiffer nnfrom nnsecondary nngroups nnin nnthat:
■A) nnprimary nngroups nnare nnshorter-lived nnthan nnsecondary nngroups.
■B) nnprimary nngroups nnare nnlarger nnthan nnsecondary nngroups.
■C) nnprimary nngroups nnare nnformed nnof nnstronger nnbonds nnthan nnsecondary nngroups.
■D) nnprimary nngroups nnare nnassigned nnwhile nnsecondary nngroups nnare nnchosen. nn- nnANSWER: nn✔ nnC
nn(Primary nngroups nnhave nndirect nnand nnclose nnbonds nnbetween nnmembers, nnproviding nnwarm, nnpersonal,
nnand nnintimate nnrelationships nnto nnits nnmembers. nnSecondary nngroups, nnin nncontrast, nnform nnsuperficial
nnbonds nnand nntend nnto nnlast nnfor nna nnshorter nnperiod nnof nntime.)
A nnstudent nnis nnvolunteering nnin nna nnhospital nnwith nna nnstroke nncenter. nnWhen nnasked nnwhat nnhe nnbelieves nnis
nnthe nnprevalence nnof nnstroke nnamong nnthose nngreater nnthan nn65 nnyears nnold, nnthe nnstudent nnstates nnthat nnit
nnis nnprobably nnabout nn40% nneven nnthough nndata nnanalysis nnindicates nnthat nnit nnis nnsignificantly nnlower.
nnWhat nnaccounts nnfor nnthis nnerror?
■Deductive nnreasoning
■Representativeness nnheuristic
■Base nnrate nnfallacy
■Confirmation nnbias nn- nnANSWER: nn✔ nnBase nnrate nnfallacy nn(The nnbase nnrate nnfallacy nnoccurs nnwhen
nnprototypical nnor nnstereotypical nnfactors nnare nnused nnfor nnanalysis nnrather nnthan nnactual nndata. nnBecause
nnthe nnstudent nnis nnvolunteering nnin nna nnhospital nnwith nna nnstroke nncenter, nnhe nnsees nnmore nnpatients nnwho
nnhave nnexperienced nna nnstroke nnthan nnwould nnbe nnexpected nnin nna nnhospital nnwithout nna nnstroke nncenter.
nnThus, nnthis nnexperience nnchanges nnhis nnperception nnand nnresults nnin nnbase nnrate nnfallacy. nnDeductive
nnreasoning, nnchoice nn(A), nnrefers nnto nndrawing nnconclusions nnby nnintegrating nndifferent nnpieces nnof
nnevidence. nnThe nnrepresentativeness nnheuristic, nnchoice nn(B), nninvolves nncategorization nnand nnclassification
nnbased nnon nnhow nnwell nnan nnindividual nnexample nnfits nnits nncategory. nnConfirmation nnbias, nnchoice nn(D),
nnoccurs nnwhen nna nnperson nnonly nnseeks nninformation nnthat nnreinforces nnhis nnor nnher nnopinions.)
Why nnare nntriacylglycerols nnused nnin nnthe nnhuman nnbody nnfor nnenergy nnstorage?
■A) nnThey nnare nnhighly nnhydrated, nnand nntherefore nncan nnstore nnlots nnof nnenergy.
■B) nnThey nnalways nnhave nnshort nnfatty nnacid nnchains, nnfor nneasy nnaccess nnby nnmetabolic nnenzymes.
■C) nnThe nncarbon nnatoms nnof nnthe nnfatty nnacid nnchains nnare nnhighly nnreduced, nnand nntherefore nnyield nnmore
nnenergy nnupon nnoxidation.
, ■D) nnPolysaccharides, nnwhich nnwould nnactually nnbe nna nnbetter nnenergy nnstorage nnform, nnwould nndissolve nnin
nnthe nnbody. nn- nnANSWER: nn✔ nnC nn(Triacylglycerols nnare nnhighly nnhydrophobic nnand nntherefore nnnot nnhighly
nnhydrated nn(which nnwould nnadd nnextra nnweight nnfrom nnthe nnwater nnof nnhydration, nntaking nnaway nnfrom nnthe
nnenergy nndensity nnof nnthese nnmolecules), nneliminating nnchoice nn(A). nnThe nnfatty nnacid nnchains nnproduce
nntwice nnas nnmuch nnenergy nnas nnpolysaccharides nnduring nnoxidation nnbecause nnthey nnare nnhighly nnreduced.
nnThe nnfatty nnacid nnchains nnvary nnin nnlength nnand nnsaturation.)
Prolonged nnvitamin nnB12 nndeficiency nncan nnbe nnassociated nnwith nnsubacute nncombined nndegeneration nnof
nnthe nnspinal nncord. nnPatients nnwith nnthis nndisease nnhave nndifficulty nnwalking nnbecause nnthey nnlose nnthe
nnability nnto nnfeel nnwhere nntheir nnfeet nnare nnin nnspace. nnThis nnrepresents nna nnloss nnof:
■vestibular nnsense.
■kinesthetic nnsense.
■parallel nnprocessing.
■feature nndetection. nn- nnANSWER: nn✔ nnKinesthetic nnsense nn(Kinesthetic nnsense, nnor nnproprioception,
nnrefers nnto nnthe nnability nnto nntell nnwhere nnbody nnparts nnare nnin nnthree-dimensional nnspace. nnThe nnsensors
nnfor nnproprioception nnare nnfound nnpredominantly nnin nnthe nnmuscles nnand nnjoints. nnLoss nnof nnvestibular
nnsense, nnchoice nn(A), nnwould nnalso nncause nndifficulty nnwalking, nnbut nnthis nnwould nnbe nndue nnto nna nnsense nnof
nndizziness nnor nnvertigo, nnnot nnan nninability nnto nnfeel nnone's nnfeet.)
Which nnof nnthe nnfollowing nnis/are nnfunction(s) nnof nnNADPH nnin nnthe nncell?
►I. nnAntimicrobial nnresistance nnvia nnbacterial nndestruction nnby nnbleach nnwithin nnlysosomes.
►II. nnInvolvement nnin nnthe nnproduction nnof nnthe nnprecursors nnto nnsteroid nnhormones.
►III. nnFunctional nncarriage nnof nnenergy nnacross nnorganelle nnmembranes nnfor nnuse nnwithin nnthe
nnmitochondria
A) nnI nnonly
B) nnI nnand nnII nnonly
C) nnII nnand nnIII nnonly
D) nnI, nnII, nnand nnIII nn- nnANSWER: nn✔ nnB nn(NADPH nnhas nnthree nnprimary nnfunctions: nninvolvement nnin
nnbiosynthesis nnof nnlipids nnand nncholesterol nn(the nnprecursor nnto nnsteroid nnhormones), nnproduction nnof
nnbactericidal nnbleach nnin nnthe nnlysosomes nnof nncertain nnwhite nnblood nncells, nnand nnmaintenance nnof nna
nnsupply nnof nnreduced nnglutathione nnfor nnprotection nnagainst nnfree nnradical nndamage. nnEnergy nncarriage nnis
nnan nnimportant nnfunction nnof nnNADH, nnnot nnNADPH.)