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 carpal bone is most commonly fractured, typically after a fall on an outstretched hand?
- APisiform
- BScaphoid
- CHamate
- DLunate
2.Human anatomyHard
After a difficult delivery with traction on the neck, a baby's arm hangs by the side, internally rotated with the forearm pronated ("waiter's tip"). Which part of the brachial plexus is injured?
- APosterior cord
- BMedial cord
- CUpper trunk (C5–C6)
- DLower trunk (C8–T1)
3.Human physiologyMedium
Why do myelinated axons conduct action potentials faster than unmyelinated ones?
- AMyelin releases neurotransmitter along the axon
- BMyelin contains more sodium channels
- CMyelin makes the axon thinner
- DThe impulse jumps between nodes of Ranvier
4.Human physiologyHard
During exercise, blood flow to active skeletal muscle rises greatly. What is the main cause?
- AThe heart pumps blood only to the muscles
- BSympathetic stimulation constricts the muscle arterioles via alpha receptors
- CThe parasympathetic system dilates all arteries
- DLocal metabolites such as CO₂, H⁺, K⁺ and adenosine dilate the arterioles
5.Biology for nursing entrance examsMedium
In a food chain, which organisms are the producers?
- AFungi that break down dead material
- BPlants and algae that make food by photosynthesis
- CPredators at the top of the chain
- DAnimals that eat only plants, such as rabbits and deer
6.Biology for nursing entrance examsHard
Which evidence supports the theory that mitochondria came from bacteria that lived inside an ancient cell?
- AThey are found in all prokaryotic cells
- BThey have their own circular DNA, ribosomes and a double membrane
- CThey have a cell wall made of peptidoglycan
- DThey make the proteins used by the whole cell, including the nucleus
7.Chemistry for nursing entrance examsMedium
What does a buffer solution do?
- AIt keeps the temperature of a solution constant
- BIt speeds up neutralisation reactions so that the pH quickly reaches exactly 7
- CIt turns any acid into a strong base
- DIt resists pH changes when a little acid or base is added
8.Chemistry for nursing entrance examsHard
Why does drinking seawater make dehydration worse?
- ASeawater is hypertonic, so the body loses extra water getting rid of the salt
- BSeawater is isotonic, so it cannot be absorbed
- CSeawater contains no water molecules the body can use
- DSeawater is hypotonic, so water rushes into cells and makes them burst
3Solutions
1.Human anatomy
Answer: B · Scaphoid
Why this is the answer
The scaphoid is the most often fractured carpal bone. Tenderness in the anatomical snuffbox is a key clinical sign.
2.Human anatomy
Answer: C · Upper trunk (C5–C6)
Why this is the answer
Erb's palsy follows stretching of the upper trunk (C5–C6), paralysing deltoid, the external rotators and biceps. Lower trunk injury (Klumpke's) affects the small hand muscles instead.
3.Human physiology
Answer: D · 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.
D · The impulse jumps between nodes of Ranvier
4.Human physiology
Answer: D · Local metabolites such as CO₂, H⁺, K⁺ and adenosine dilate the arterioles
Why this is the answer
Active hyperaemia: metabolites produced by working muscle relax arteriolar smooth muscle locally, overriding sympathetic vasoconstriction in that tissue.
D · Local metabolites such as CO₂, H⁺, K⁺ and adenosine dilate the arterioles
5.Biology for nursing entrance exams
Answer: B · Plants and algae that make food by photosynthesis
Why this is the answer
Producers (autotrophs) make their own food using light energy. Herbivores are primary consumers, predators are higher consumers and fungi and bacteria are decomposers.
B · Plants and algae that make food by photosynthesis
6.Biology for nursing entrance exams
Answer: B · They have their own circular DNA, ribosomes and a double membrane
Why this is the answer
The endosymbiotic theory is supported by mitochondria having circular DNA, bacteria-like ribosomes, a double membrane and division by a process like binary fission. Chloroplasts show the same features.
B · They have their own circular DNA, ribosomes and a double membrane
7.Chemistry for nursing entrance exams
Answer: D · It resists pH changes when a little acid or base is added
Why this is the answer
A buffer, usually a weak acid with its conjugate base, absorbs added H⁺ or OH⁻ and keeps the pH nearly constant. Blood stays near pH 7.4 this way.
D · It resists pH changes when a little acid or base is added
8.Chemistry for nursing entrance exams
Answer: A · Seawater is hypertonic, so the body loses extra water getting rid of the salt
Why this is the answer
Seawater has a much higher salt concentration than body fluids. The kidneys must use more water to excrete the extra salt than the seawater supplied, so the body ends up losing water.
A · Seawater is hypertonic, so the body loses extra water getting rid of the salt
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