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
Which of these organs is retroperitoneal?
- AKidney
- BStomach
- CTransverse colon
- DSpleen
2.Human anatomyHard
A stroke affecting the left middle cerebral artery in a right-handed person most likely causes:
- ARight-sided weakness and left visual neglect
- BIsolated loss of balance
- CRight-sided weakness and aphasia
- DLeft-sided weakness and aphasia
3.Human physiologyMedium
Why do myelinated axons conduct action potentials faster than unmyelinated ones?
- AMyelin makes the axon thinner
- BThe impulse jumps between nodes of Ranvier
- CMyelin contains more sodium channels
- DMyelin releases neurotransmitter along the axon
4.Human physiologyHard
A patient with diabetic ketoacidosis breathes deeply and rapidly. What pattern is expected on the blood gas?
- AHigh pH, low bicarbonate and low PaCO₂
- BLow pH, high bicarbonate and high PaCO₂
- CLow pH, normal bicarbonate and high PaCO₂
- DLow pH, low bicarbonate and low PaCO₂
5.Biology for nursing entrance examsMedium
Why is the ABO blood group system an example of multiple alleles?
- AThere are three alleles of the gene in the population
- BBlood type is controlled by many separate genes
- CEach person carries three different alleles of the ABO gene
- DThe gene is found on several chromosomes
6.Biology for nursing entrance examsHard
Pepsin works in the stomach, where the pH is about 2. What would happen to its activity in the small intestine, where the pH is about 8?
- AIt would drop, because the pH is far from its optimum
- BIt would turn into a different enzyme that digests fat
- CIt would not change, because pH does not affect enzymes
- DIt would rise, because enzymes prefer alkaline conditions
7.Chemistry for nursing entrance examsMedium
How does ionisation energy (the energy needed to remove an outer electron) generally change from left to right across a period?
- AIt first falls, then rises sharply
- BIt increases
- CIt stays the same
- DIt decreases
8.Chemistry for nursing entrance examsHard
When sugar dissolves in water, why is it not a chemical change?
- ASugar reacts with water to form a new compound
- BThe sugar is destroyed and replaced by water
- CHeat is always released when sugar dissolves
- DThe sugar molecules stay sugar and can be recovered
3Solutions
1.Human anatomy
Answer: A · Kidney
Why this is the answer
The kidneys lie behind the parietal peritoneum. The stomach, spleen and transverse colon are intraperitoneal and have a mesentery or ligaments.
2.Human anatomy
Answer: C · Right-sided weakness and aphasia
Why this is the answer
The left MCA supplies the left motor cortex (face and arm of the right side) and Broca's and Wernicke's areas, so right hemiparesis with aphasia is typical.
C · Right-sided weakness and aphasia
3.Human physiology
Answer: B · The impulse jumps between nodes of Ranvier
Why this is the answer
Myelin insulates the axon, so action potentials are only generated at the nodes of Ranvier. This saltatory conduction is much faster.
B · The impulse jumps between nodes of Ranvier
4.Human physiology
Answer: D · Low pH, low bicarbonate and low PaCO₂
Why this is the answer
Ketoacids consume bicarbonate, causing metabolic acidosis. Kussmaul breathing lowers PaCO₂ as respiratory compensation.
D · Low pH, low bicarbonate and low PaCO₂
5.Biology for nursing entrance exams
Answer: A · There are three alleles of the gene in the population
Why this is the answer
The ABO gene has three common alleles (Iᴬ, Iᴮ and i) in the human population. Each person inherits only two of them, which gives the six genotypes and four blood types.
A · There are three alleles of the gene in the population
6.Biology for nursing entrance exams
Answer: A · It would drop, because the pH is far from its optimum
Why this is the answer
Away from its optimum pH, an enzyme's active site changes shape and activity falls. Pepsin is adapted to the acid stomach, not the alkaline intestine.
A · It would drop, because the pH is far from its optimum
7.Chemistry for nursing entrance exams
Answer: B · It increases
Why this is the answer
Across a period the nuclear charge rises while the shell stays the same, so electrons are held more tightly and are harder to remove. Ionisation energy therefore increases.
8.Chemistry for nursing entrance exams
Answer: D · The sugar molecules stay sugar and can be recovered
Why this is the answer
Dissolving spreads intact sugar molecules among water molecules. No new substance forms, and evaporation recovers the sugar.
D · The sugar molecules stay sugar and can be recovered
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