Study Questions 01 – Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology 1
Test questions may be asked on class material that is not covered in the
study questions.
1. Define “anatomy”.
the form and structure of organisms. “what it looks like, how it is
made”.
2. Define “physiology”.
the study of the function of the body and its parts. “how it works”.
3. What is “gross anatomy”?
body form and structure visible to the naked eye.
4. What is “microscopic anatomy”?
body form and structure too small to be seen with the naked eye –
need to see tissue slides under a microscope to examine. histology.
5. What do we mean by “systemic anatomy”?
study of anatomy by systems – for example, studying the skeletal
system as a unit, then the muscular system, and so on.
6. A dog has an abrasion on his side. Which is the most useful way to
describe the location of the abrasion, and why?
“The abrasion on the dog is to my left”. not useful – depends on the
relative position of you and the dog.
“The abrasion on the dog is on top of the dog.” not useful – depends
on the dog’s relative position to gravity.
“The abrasion is on the dog’s left side.” is useful – is independent
of the dog’s position in relation to you or gravity.
7. Why do we have different terms to describe location on the body for
human anatomy and for animal anatomy?
because people stand on two legs (biped) and animals stand on four
legs (quadruped). for example, the “back” of a person (posterior)
does not correspond to the “back” of an animal (dorsal).
8. Define the following terms.
cranial – toward the head.
caudal – toward the tail.
median plane – divides body into left and right sides.
transverse plane – divides body into cranial and caudal segments.
medial – toward the median plane.
lateral – away form the median plane – to the side.
dorsal – toward the back.
ventral – away from the back, toward the belly.
proximal – on the limb, toward the body.
distal – on the limb, away from the body.
palmar – flexor surface of forelimb, distal to carpus.
plantar – flexor surface of rear limb, distal to hock.
anterior – the “front” side, usually refers to people or eyes.
posterior – the “back” side, usually refers to people or eyes.
deep – toward the center.
superficial – toward the outside.
rostral – on the head, toward the nose.
lumen - the cavity inside a hollow organ.
9. Is the shoulder cranial to or caudal to the hip?
the shoulder is cranial to the hip.
10. Does “plantar” refer to a location on the fore limb or the rear limb?
rear limb
11. Which of the following terms can also be used for the “palmar” or
“plantar” surface of a horse’s leg – anterior, posterior, medial or
lateral?
posterior, also caudal
12. Which of the following terms can also be used for the “palmar” or
“plantar” surface of a horse’s leg – cranial or caudal?
caudal, also posterior
13. What terms can be used for the “front” of a limb (the opposite side
from “palmar” or “plantar”)?
dorsal, cranial, anterior
14. Look at your left ring finger. It has 3 bones in it. Is your
fingernail on the proximal or the distal finger bone? Which bone would
a wedding ring go on?
fingernail is on the distal one. ring is on the proximal one.
15. Is the eye caudal to, rostral to, or cranial to the ear?
the eye is rostral to the ear.
16. In anatomy, what is “tissue”?
“a group or layer of similarly specialized cells that together
perform certain special functions.” the cells of a tissue look alike
and work together. example – muscle tissue. NOT “Kleenex”.
What is an “organ”?
a recognizable, functional group of tissue. example – heart, liver.
What is a “system”?
a group of organs that work together to perform a function.
example - digestive system consists of stomach, intestines, etc.
17. List the 4 major groups of tissue in the body.
epithelial tissue, connective tissue, muscle, nervous tissue.
18. What is epithelial tissue – where is it located?
epithelial tissue is the tissue that covers the internal and
external surfaces of the body. gland tissue is derived from
epithelial tissue, so it is epithelial tissue also.
when epithelial tissue covers a surface, it is generally a
relatively thin layer of tissue. when epithelial tissue is in the
form of a gland, it can be a larger, thicker mass of tissue.
19. Give some examples of “internal surfaces of the body”.
inner lining of blood vessels. inner lining of abdomen. inner lining
of stomach. inner lining of bladder.
20. Give an example of the “external surface of the body”.
the epidermis of the skin.
21. Are glands derived from epithelial, connective, muscle, or nervous
tissue?
epithelial
22. List 4 general functions of epithelial tissue.
protection, secretion, excretion, absorption.
23. Define secretion, excretion, and absorption as relating to the
cells of a tissue.
secretion – a useful product is made inside the cell and passed
outside of the cell to affect another part of the body. example –
digestive enzymes.
excretion – waste products form inside a cell, are passed to the
outside to get rid of them. example – carbon dioxide.
absorption – a substance outside of the cell is taken into the cell.
example – nutrients are absorbed from the intestinal lumen into the
cells lining the intestines.
24. List 2 ways that epithelial tissue can be classified.
by cell shape, and by number of layers of cells.
25. List and briefly describe the 3 shapes that epithelial cells come in.
squamous – flat, round, plate-like, like a fried egg.
cuboidal – like a box or cube.
columnar – tall and cylindrical.
26. List and briefly describe the 3 types of layers that epithelial cells
come in.
simple – one cell layer deep.
stratified – more than one cell layer deep.
pseudostratified – is one cell layer deep, but the cells are
irregular and look like more than 1 layer.
27. What is the function of simple squamous epithelial tissue? Give an
example of where it is located.
smooth, reduces friction. thin, good for diffusion. located at
inner lining of blood vessels, lining of body cavities – peritoneum.
28. What is the function of simple cuboidal epithelial tissue? Give an
example of where it is located.
specialized for diffusion and secretion. located in some glands,
kidney tubules.
29. What is the function of simple columnar epithelial tissue? Give an
example of where it is located.
secretion. if ciliated, moves material past the free cell surface.
located lining respiratory tract, oviducts, some glands.
What are “cilia”?
hair-like projections from the free surface of the cell. for
example, the free surface of a cell lining the trachea is the
surface in contact with the air in the lumen of the trachea.
30. What is the function of stratified squamous epithelial tissue? Give an
example of where it is located.
for protection, wear and tear. located lining the mouth and
esophagus, and in the outer layer of the skin – epidermis.
31. What is the function of stratified cuboidal epithelial tissue? What is
another name for it? Give an example of where it is located.
is tough and stretchy. also called transitional epithelium. located
lining the urinary tract.
32. Give an example of where stratified columnar epithelial tissue is
located.
located in pharynx and salivary ducts.
33. Give an example of where pseudostratified columnar epithelial tissue
is located.
trachea, upper respiratory tract – is ciliated.
34. In general, what is the purpose of glands?
glands are specialized for production and secretion of useful
products, such as hormones, and for excretion of waste products,
such as sweat.
35. Name and briefly describe the 2 general types of glands, and give an
example of each.
endocrine glands – do not have ducts. secrete hormones, which are
passed from the cell into the blood or intercellular fluid.
example – thyroid gland.
exocrine glands – do have ducts, which carry the secretion to a
specific epithelial surface. example – salivary gland.
36. Which type of gland has ducts?
exocrine glands
37. Which type of gland secretes hormones?
endocrine glands
38. What are the general functions of connective tissue?
it does what it says it does. connects other tissues together,
gives form and support to the body, protection and leverage,
involved in healing.
Where is connective tissue located?
throughout the body
39. List 7 categories of connective tissue.
elastic, collagenous, reticular, adipose, cartilage, bone, blood.
40. What property of elastic connective makes it elastic? What color is
elastic connective tissue?
fibers are kinked, tend to return to original shape when stretched.
yellow.
41. Give an example of where elastic connective tissue is located.
ligamentum nuchae, large arteries, several other places where
elasticity is needed.
42. What color is collagenous tissue (collagen fibers)? Is collagen made
of fat, protein, carbohydrates, or minerals?
white, protein.
42. Are individual collagen fibers stretchy (elastic) or not? Are they
strong or weak?
inelastic – not stretchy. very strong.
43. What type of cell makes collagen? Where is collagen located?
fibroblasts. found throughout the body.
44. List the 3 main ways that collagen fibers can be arranged in tissue.
dense regular connective tissue
dense irregular connective tissue
loose irregular – areolar connective tissue
45. Describe dense regular connective tissue, and give an example of its
location in the body.
collagen fibers are arranged in parallel bundles – this arrangement
does not stretch. found in tendons and ligaments.
What is a tendon? What is a ligament?
tendon – dense regular connective tissue attaching muscle to bone.
ligament – dense regular connective tissue attaching bone to bone.
46. Describe dense irregular connective tissue, and give an example of its
location in the body.
collagen fibers are arranged at random, forming a tightly packed
mat. like a piece of felt. this arrangement is elastic, stretchy.
found in skin – dermis.
47. Describe areolar connective tissue, and give an example of its
location in the body.
collagen fibers are loosely arranged at random. kind of like a dust
bunny. found between skin and muscles, between muscles, around blood
vessels, and in other places requiring cushioning and flexibility.
What is the function of areolar connective tissue?
connects but allows for movement, cushions.
48. Describe reticular connective tissue, and give an example of its
location in the body.
“reticular” means “net-like”. reticular connective tissue is very
fine fibers, forming the framework of certain small structures such
as lymph nodes and endocrine organs.
49. Describe adipose tissue, and give an example of its location in the
body.
adipose tissue is fat tissue. adipose cells store fat, which causes
the cell to become spherical and its other components to be pushed
to the periphery of the cell. found under the skin, around some
organs, and in far too many other places.
50. What is cartilage composed of?
chondrocytes, matrix
51. In anatomy, what is “matrix”?
the material between cells - non-living, protein in nature, includes
collagen and elastic fibers.
52. Name the 3 types of cartilage.
hyaline cartilage, elastic cartilage, fibrocartilage
53. Describe hyaline cartilage. Where is it located?
smooth, glassy, firm, flexible cartilage with few fibers in its
matrix. located on ends of long bones within joints, in growth
plates (epiphyses) of bones, nose, tracheal rings.
54. Describe elastic cartilage. Where is it located?
has elastic fibers in its matrix. found in external ear, epiglottis.
55. Describe fibrocartilage. Where is it located?
has collagen fibers in its matrix. semi-elastic, very strong. found
in intervertebral discs.
56. What is bone tissue composed of?
bone cells, calcified organic (protein) matrix.
56. Name the 2 types of bone tissue.
cancellous bone, compact bone.
57. Describe cancellous bone.
cancellous bone is arranged in a spongy, net-like lattice. the
spaces inside cancellous bone are filled with marrow in the living
animal.
58. Where is cancellous bone tissue located?
it is located inside bones – fills bones such as the ribs,
which do not have a marrow cavity, and fills the ends of long bones
such as the femur, which do have a marrow cavity.
59. Describe compact bone. Where is it located?
compact bone is hard and dense, with no big spaces in it. located on
the outside of bones, and is thickest in the shafts of long bones.
60. What is bone marrow, and where is it located?
bone marrow is tissue found within bones – in the marrow or
medullary cavity of long bones, and filling in the spaces in
cancellous bone.
61. List the 2 functions of bone marrow.
blood cell formation, fat storage.
62. What is vascular tissue?
blood
63. Is blood considered to be epithelial tissue, connective tissue, muscle
tissue, or nervous tissue?
connective tissue
64. What are the components of blood?
liquid matrix, cells, protein, electrolytes, oxygen carbon dioxide,
nutrients, wastes, etc.
65. Is the fluid now circulating in your heart and blood vessels
considered to be plasma or serum?
plasma
66. What is the difference between plasma and serum?
plasma contains clotting factors, serum does not.
What are clotting factors?
the assorted specialized protein molecules in the blood that cause
the blood to clot when a blood vessel is disrupted or the blood is
removed from the body.
67. If you took a blood sample from a patient, allowed it to clot, and
then spun the sample down and removed the fluid, would the fluid be
plasma or serum? Why?
serum – when the blood clotted, it used up all of the clotting
factors and incorporated them into the clot.
68. If you took a blood sample from a patient, prevented it from clotting,
and then spun the sample down and removed the fluid, would the fluid
be plasma or serum? Why?
plasma – no clot formed, so the clotting factors are still in the