Which part of the brain contains centers for the control of respiration, heart-beat and blood pressure?
- (A) Medulla oblongata
- (B) Medulla
- (C) Cerebellum
- (D) Cerebrum
- (A) Medulla oblongata
- The medulla oblongata is located at the end of the brain stem and controls our automatic, involuntary functions. It controls breathing, the beating of the heart, blood pressure, and the function of swallowing and coughing. All of these happen without us having to think about them
- Medulla – It can also refer to the inner part of other organs, such as the adrenal medulla or renal medulla.
- Cerebellum – It is responsible for balance and coordination.
- Cerebrum – It is responsible for thinking, memory, and voluntary actions.
The structure in a cell which contains the genes is called:
- (A) Genetics
- (B) Saliva
- (C) Marrow
- (D) Chromosome
- (D) Chromosome
A chromosome is a thread-like thread that is found in the cell nucleus of animals and plants. A chromosome is made up of proteins and one DNA molecule that contains the exact instructions or genes that make each living organism unique. In a human body, 23 pairs of chromosomes are found in most cells.
Who coined the term gene?
- (A) John Dalton
- (B) Mendel
- (C) William Johannsen
- (D) Andrew Fleming
- (C) William Johannes
The term “gene” was coined by Danish botanist and geneticist Wilhelm Johannsen in 1909. Johannsen derived the term gene from the word genealogy. Apart from coining the term “gene,” Johannsen also coined two other terms: genotype and phenotype. These terms helped to distinguish the characteristics of an organism from its genetic makeup.
Vitamin A is essential for:
- (A) Skeletal growth
- (B) Preventing night blindness
- (C) Healthy epithelial tissue
- (D) All of these
- (D) All of these
Vitamin A is necessary for (D) All of these. It is a key nutrient in skeletal growth and development, prevents night blindness and maintains vision, and is required for the integrity of epithelial tissues (skin, mucous membranes).
Which vitamin prevents haemorrhaging?
- (A) Vitamin B12
- (B) Vitamin B1
- (C) Vitamin E
- (D) Vitamin K
- (D) Vitamin K
Vitamin K is very important in preventing bleeding. It assists the liver in making the clotting factors that help in the formation of a firm clot so that the blood can clot. If there is a lack of vitamin K, the blood will not clot easily, and thus easy bruising and bleeding can occur.
How much blood does a normal adult person have in the body?
- (A) About 2 to 3 liters
- (B) About 3 to 4 liters
- (C) About 4 to 5 liters
- (D) About 5 to 6 liters
- (D) About 5 to 6 liters
The average amount of blood in an adult is about 1.2 to 1.5 gallons, which is approximately 4.5 to 5.7 liters. This amount of blood typically constitutes 7% to 8% of the body weight. There is a slight variation in the amount of blood between the two sexes, which is about 4.5 liters in females and 5.5 liters in males, but the standard amount used in medical terms is 5 to 6 liters.
Hydrochloric acid is necessary for easy digestion of:
- (A) Fats
- (B) Carbohydrates
- (C) Enzymes
- (D) Proteins
- (D) Proteins
Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is an important component of protein digestion in the stomach. Its mechanisms include enzyme activation, where it converts the inactive zymogen pepsinogen to pepsin, the chief enzyme responsible for the breakdown of proteins into smaller peptides.
Which vitamin is provided by sunlight to the human body?
- (A) Vitamin D
- (B) Vitamin C
- (C) Vitamin E
- (D) Vitamin A
- (A) Vitamin D
Vitamin D is nicknamed the “sunshine vitamin” because our bodies can produce it by themselves when the skin is exposed to sunlight. The trick is that the UVB rays from the sun start a photochemical reaction in the skin. This reaction converts a compound in the skin called 7-dehydrocholesterol into vitamin D3.
When was HIV identified?
- (A) 1987
- (B) 1985
- (C) 1983
- (D) 1980
- (C) 1983
In 1983, researchers identified HIV as the cause of AIDS. A team at the Institut Pasteur in France, under the leadership of Luc Montagnier and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, isolated a new retrovirus from a patient whose lymph nodes were enlarged. They initially named it LAV, which stands for Lymphadenopathy-Associated Virus. This discovery would later earn the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2008.
Which disease causes difficulty in breathing?
- (A) Asthma
- (B) Pneumonia
- (C) Astigmatism
- (D) Autism
- (A) Asthma
Asthma is a breathing problem that causes the air passages in the lungs to become inflamed and swollen, making it difficult to breathe and often causing wheezing, coughing, and a feeling of tightness in the chest. Pneumonia is also a breathing problem, but when a question is asked about a problem that is most directly related to breathing difficulties, the answer is asthma.