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Biology 30 · Worksheets

Mixed review · Nervous system and the senses

Ten questions of mixed difficulty, covering Nervous and endocrine, the senses. Print it, or work through it on screen — the answer key starts on its own page.

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Mixed review · Nervous system and the senses

Biology 30 · maddyhelps.com

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  1. A thyroid tumour produces too much thyroxine. What would you expect the person's TSH level to be?

    1. a) normal
    2. b) low
    3. c) zero, because the pituitary is destroyed
    4. d) high

  2. Damage to the medulla oblongata would most likely affect:

    1. a) vision
    2. b) balance and coordination
    3. c) breathing and heart rate
    4. d) memory and reasoning

  3. What are the three small bones of the middle ear?

    1. a) malleus, incus and stapes
    2. b) atlas, axis and stapes
    3. c) tympanum, pinna and cochlea
    4. d) cochlea, vestibule and canals

  4. Which photoreceptors in the retina detect colour?

    1. a) cones
    2. b) the optic nerve
    3. c) the iris
    4. d) rods

  5. Why does a myelin sheath make an impulse travel faster?

    1. a) Myelin stores sodium ions for the impulse
    2. b) The impulse jumps from one node of Ranvier to the next
    3. c) Myelin produces extra neurotransmitter
    4. d) Myelin makes the axon shorter

  6. What does the Eustachian tube do?

    1. a) Detects rotation of the head
    2. b) Amplifies sound vibrations
    3. c) Equalizes air pressure on both sides of the eardrum
    4. d) Carries impulses to the brain

  7. Which part of the brain coordinates balance and muscle movement?

    1. a) cerebellum
    2. b) cerebrum
    3. c) medulla oblongata
    4. d) hypothalamus

  8. Taste and smell are detected by which type of receptor?

    1. a) mechanoreceptors
    2. b) thermoreceptors
    3. c) chemoreceptors
    4. d) photoreceptors

  9. You stop noticing the feel of your clothes soon after getting dressed. This is called:

    1. a) the refractory period
    2. b) sensory adaptation
    3. c) accommodation
    4. d) a reflex arc

  10. An inner ear infection damages the semicircular canals but not the cochlea. What is most likely?

    1. a) Hearing loss, but normal balance
    2. b) Both deafness and balance loss
    3. c) Loss of taste
    4. d) Dizziness and balance problems, but normal hearing

Answer key · Mixed review · Nervous system and the senses

Biology 30 · maddyhelps.com

  1. b) low — High thyroxine feeds back to the hypothalamus and pituitary and switches TSH release down. The tumour ignores that signal, so thyroxine stays high while TSH is low.
  2. c) breathing and heart rate — The medulla oblongata, in the brainstem, controls automatic functions like breathing, heart rate and blood pressure. That is why brainstem injuries are so dangerous.
  3. a) malleus, incus and stapes — The malleus (hammer), incus (anvil) and stapes (stirrup) pass vibrations from the eardrum to the oval window, amplifying them along the way.
  4. a) cones — Cones detect colour and work best in bright light. Rods work in dim light but only in shades of grey.
  5. b) The impulse jumps from one node of Ranvier to the next — Myelin insulates the axon, so the action potential only happens at the gaps — the nodes of Ranvier. Jumping between them is called saltatory conduction.
  6. c) Equalizes air pressure on both sides of the eardrum — It connects the middle ear to the throat. Yawning or swallowing on a plane opens it, which is why your ears "pop".
  7. a) cerebellum — The cerebellum fine-tunes movement and posture. The cerebrum handles thinking and voluntary action; the medulla runs breathing and heart rate.
  8. c) chemoreceptors — Both senses respond to chemicals dissolved in saliva or in the mucus of the nose. Mechanoreceptors respond to touch and sound; photoreceptors to light.
  9. b) sensory adaptation — Receptors respond less and less to a steady, unchanging stimulus, so the brain can focus on changes that matter.
  10. d) Dizziness and balance problems, but normal hearing — The semicircular canals handle balance and the cochlea handles hearing. Damage to only one affects only its job.