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 part of the brainstem contains the main cardiovascular and respiratory centres?
- AMedulla oblongata
- BMidbrain
- CCerebellum
- DPons
2.Human anatomyHard
After axillary lymph node surgery, a patient's scapula sticks out from the chest wall when pushing against a wall. Which nerve has been damaged?
- AThoracodorsal nerve
- BAxillary nerve
- CLong thoracic nerve
- DSuprascapular nerve
3.Human physiologyMedium
Where does the final activation step of vitamin D (1-alpha hydroxylation) take place?
- ASmall intestine
- BLiver
- CSkin
- DKidney
4.Human physiologyHard
After a head injury, a patient passes large volumes of very dilute urine and plasma sodium rises. What is the most likely cause?
- AExcess aldosterone
- BExcess ADH release (SIADH)
- CLack of ADH release (cranial diabetes insipidus)
- DUncontrolled diabetes mellitus
5.Biology for nursing entrance examsMedium
What is the difference between an epidemic and a pandemic?
- AA pandemic spreads across many countries or continents
- BA pandemic affects only one town
- CAn epidemic is caused only by bacteria
- DAn epidemic affects the whole world at once
6.Biology for nursing entrance examsHard
In a trial, 20% of patients improve on a new drug and 18% improve on a placebo. What is the best conclusion?
- AThe placebo was harmful to the patients
- BThe drug works well, because 20% of patients improved
- CThe drug is ten times better than the placebo
- DThe drug adds little benefit beyond the placebo
7.Chemistry for nursing entrance examsMedium
Vinegar contains acetic acid, CH₃COOH. Which functional group makes it an acid?
- AThe methyl group, –CH₃
- BThe carboxyl group, –COOH
- CThe amino group, –NH₂
- DThe hydroxyl group of an alcohol, –OH
8.Chemistry for nursing entrance examsHard
Why is Dmitri Mendeleev's early periodic table regarded as such a success?
- AHe left gaps and correctly predicted the properties of elements not yet discovered
- BHe arranged the elements by atomic number, which he had discovered
- CHe discovered the noble gases and placed them in group 18
- DHe proved that the atoms of every element contain electrons
3Solutions
1.Human anatomy
Answer: A · Medulla oblongata
Why this is the answer
The medulla oblongata contains the vital centres that regulate heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rhythm.
2.Human anatomy
Answer: C · Long thoracic nerve
Why this is the answer
The long thoracic nerve supplies serratus anterior, which holds the scapula against the chest wall. Damage causes a winged scapula.
3.Human physiology
Answer: D · Kidney
Why this is the answer
Vitamin D is made in the skin or eaten, hydroxylated in the liver, and then activated to calcitriol in the kidney. Kidney failure therefore causes vitamin D deficiency.
4.Human physiology
Answer: C · Lack of ADH release (cranial diabetes insipidus)
Why this is the answer
Without ADH the collecting ducts stay impermeable to water, so dilute urine is produced and the patient loses free water, raising plasma sodium.
C · Lack of ADH release (cranial diabetes insipidus)
5.Biology for nursing entrance exams
Answer: A · A pandemic spreads across many countries or continents
Why this is the answer
An epidemic is a sharp rise in cases in a particular region or population. A pandemic is an epidemic that has spread over a very wide area, across several countries or continents.
A · A pandemic spreads across many countries or continents
6.Biology for nursing entrance exams
Answer: D · The drug adds little benefit beyond the placebo
Why this is the answer
The effect of the drug is the difference between the groups, here only 2 percentage points. Statistical testing would be needed to tell whether such a small difference is more than chance.
D · The drug adds little benefit beyond the placebo
7.Chemistry for nursing entrance exams
Answer: B · The carboxyl group, –COOH
Why this is the answer
Carboxylic acids contain the –COOH group, which can release H⁺ from its O–H. Acetic (ethanoic) acid is a weak acid, so vinegar is only mildly acidic.
B · The carboxyl group, –COOH
8.Chemistry for nursing entrance exams
Answer: A · He left gaps and correctly predicted the properties of elements not yet discovered
Why this is the answer
Mendeleev grouped elements by similar properties and left gaps for unknown elements, predicting their properties. When gallium and germanium were found, they matched his predictions. Ordering by atomic number came later, after Moseley's work.
A · He left gaps and correctly predicted the properties of elements not yet discovered
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