1Formulas and methods
Biology for nursing entrance exams
Method
- Name the topic of the question: cell parts, transport, division, DNA and protein synthesis, inheritance, biomolecules, microorganisms or experimental design.
- Recall the key rule: A–T and G–C, diffusion from high to low, water moves towards more solute, mitosis keeps and meiosis halves the chromosome number.
- For crosses, write the parents’ genotypes, list the gametes and fill a Punnett square before counting.
- For experiments, label the independent, dependent and controlled variables, and ask whether the evidence supports or only suggests the conclusion.
- Check each option against the question asked, not just whether it is a true statement.
Chemistry for nursing entrance exams
Method
- Identify what is given and asked: particles, a formula, a state change, a concentration, a pH or a mass.
- Use the periodic table: the atomic number gives protons, the group gives valence electrons and the usual ion charge.
- Balance equations with coefficients only, element by element, oxygen and hydrogen last.
- For amounts, go mass → moles → mole ratio → moles → mass, and for solutions use M = mol/L and C₁V₁ = C₂V₂.
- Remember that pH is logarithmic: one unit is a factor of 10.
2Practice problems
1.Human anatomyMedium
Where does fertilisation most commonly take place?
- AOvary
- BBody of the uterus
- CAmpulla of the uterine tube
- DCervix
2.Human anatomyHard
Why can an inflamed gallbladder that irritates the diaphragm cause pain at the tip of the right shoulder?
- ABile travels up the lymphatics to the shoulder
- BThe vagus nerve supplies the skin of the shoulder
- CThe phrenic nerve shares spinal segments C3–C5 with the skin of the shoulder
- DThe gallbladder is attached to the right clavicle
3.Human physiologyMedium
Which protein forms the mesh that stabilises a blood clot?
- AFibrin
- BAlbumin
- CCollagen
- DThrombin
4.Human physiologyHard
A patient has taken high-dose prednisolone for a year. What is the state of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis?
- AThe adrenal medulla has stopped making adrenaline and noradrenaline
- BACTH is normal and cortisol production is increased
- CACTH is high and the adrenal cortex is enlarged
- DACTH is suppressed and the adrenal cortex has atrophied
5.Biology for nursing entrance examsMedium
An organism is multicellular, makes its own food by photosynthesis and has cell walls of cellulose. Which kingdom does it belong to?
- APlants
- BAnimals
- CBacteria
- DFungi
6.Biology for nursing entrance examsHard
Why can standard DNA profiling not tell identical twins apart?
- AOnly one twin inherits the father's DNA
- BTwins always share the same fingerprints on their hands
- CIdentical twins have no non-coding DNA
- DIdentical twins come from one zygote and have the same DNA
7.Chemistry for nursing entrance examsMedium
What is the name of the molecular compound CO?
- ACarbon monoxide
- BCarbon oxide
- CMonocarbon oxide
- DCarbon dioxide
8.Chemistry for nursing entrance examsHard
In terms of bonds, why is a reaction exothermic?
- AMore energy is absorbed breaking old bonds than is released forming new ones
- BForming bonds always absorbs energy
- CMore energy is released forming new bonds than is absorbed breaking old ones
- DNo bonds are broken in exothermic reactions
3Solutions
1.Human anatomy
Answer: C · Ampulla of the uterine tube
Why this is the answer
Fertilisation usually occurs in the ampulla of the uterine (fallopian) tube. The embryo then travels to the uterus to implant.
C · Ampulla of the uterine tube
2.Human anatomy
Answer: C · The phrenic nerve shares spinal segments C3–C5 with the skin of the shoulder
Why this is the answer
Diaphragmatic irritation is carried by the phrenic nerve (C3–C5). The brain refers it to skin supplied by the same segments, via the supraclavicular nerves over the shoulder.
C · The phrenic nerve shares spinal segments C3–C5 with the skin of the shoulder
3.Human physiology
Answer: A · Fibrin
Why this is the answer
Thrombin converts soluble fibrinogen into insoluble fibrin strands, which bind the platelet plug and trap red cells to form a stable clot.
4.Human physiology
Answer: D · ACTH is suppressed and the adrenal cortex has atrophied
Why this is the answer
Exogenous glucocorticoid suppresses CRH and ACTH, so the adrenal cortex atrophies. Stopping the drug suddenly can cause an adrenal crisis, so it is tapered.
D · ACTH is suppressed and the adrenal cortex has atrophied
5.Biology for nursing entrance exams
Answer: A · Plants
Why this is the answer
Multicellular organisms that photosynthesise and have cellulose walls are plants. Fungi absorb food and have chitin walls, animals have no walls and bacteria are prokaryotes.
6.Biology for nursing entrance exams
Answer: D · Identical twins come from one zygote and have the same DNA
Why this is the answer
Identical twins develop from a single zygote that split, so their DNA sequences are almost exactly the same. DNA profiles therefore match, even though their fingerprints on the skin differ.
D · Identical twins come from one zygote and have the same DNA
7.Chemistry for nursing entrance exams
Answer: A · Carbon monoxide
Why this is the answer
For molecular compounds, prefixes give the number of atoms: CO has one oxygen, so it is carbon monoxide. "Mono-" is not used for the first element.
8.Chemistry for nursing entrance exams
Answer: C · More energy is released forming new bonds than is absorbed breaking old ones
Why this is the answer
Breaking bonds is always endothermic and forming bonds is always exothermic. If the bonds formed release more energy than the bonds broken required, the overall reaction releases energy.
C · More energy is released forming new bonds than is absorbed breaking old ones
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