1.

Which word correctly completes the statement: “All motor neurons are…”
A. interneurons
B. multipolar
C. bipolar
D. unipolar
Answer is B: Motor neurones (that innervate muscles) are multipolar.
2. In the peripheral nervous system, which cells form the myelin sheath?
A. Ependymal cells
B. Schwann cells
C. Astrocytes
D. Oligodendrocytes
Answer is B: Schwann cells surround the axon to form the myelin sheath in
peripheral neurones. Oligodendrocytes perform a similar function for neurones
in the CNS.
3. A difference in the amount and type of ions between the two sides of a plasma
membrane or a charge difference that occurs when ions move along a membrane
is called an “electrical potential”. What does the term “action potential”
refer to?
A. The distribution of ions that results in the inside of the cell being at about
−70 mV compared to outside the cell.
B. A movement of sodium ions into the cell following a stimulus and the ions
spreading out along the inside of the cell membrane.
C. The rapid movement of sodium ions into the cell followed by potassium
ions moving out of the cell, with the movement being repeated along the
length of the neuron.
D. Sodium ions being pumped out of the cell, while potassium ions are moved
into the cell.
Answer is C: The infl ux of sodium ions followed by the effl ux of potassium
ions describes the action potential. Choice A describes the “resting potential”.
4. What is the gap between the plasma membranes of a neuron that conducts an
incoming signal and the cell that is going to receive the signal called?
A. neuromuscular junction
B. intercellular cleft
C. synaptic cleft
D. intercalated disc
Answer is C: The gap between cells at a synapse is called a synaptic cleft. A
neuromuscular junction is one type of synapse.

5. Which of the following substances CANNOT pass through the “blood-brain

barrier”?

A. steroid hormones

B. O 2 molecules

C. alcohol

D. potassium ions

Answer is D: Fat soluble molecules can pass the BBB, but most charged particles

cannot.

6. What name is given to the cells in the nervous system that produce nerve
impulses?

A. neurotransmitters

B. nerves

C. neurons

D. neuroglia

Answer is C: Neurons produce nerve impulses, Nerves are bundles of neurones.

Neuroglia are cells that support and protect neurones.

7. Which structure carries incoming impulses towards the nerve cell body?

A. axon hillock

B. axon

C. dendrite

D. synaptic knobs

Answer is C: Dendrites receive stimuli for nerve cells and transmit them

towards the cell body. An axon transmits a nerve impulse away from the neurone

cell body.

8. Which neurons are unipolar?

A. neurons in the central nervous system

B. neurons in the retina

C. sensory neurons

D. motor neurons

Answer is C: Most sensory neurones are unipolar, that is the axon and dendrites

are not separated by the cell body but are the one strand (are fused), with the

cell body attached to it by a single process.

9. Which glial cells are responsible for forming the myelin sheath around peripheral

nerve cells?

A. Astrocytes

B. Schwann cells

C. Satellite cells

D. Oligodendrocytes
Answer is B: The oligodendrocytes perform a similar function for neurones

within the CNS.

10. Inactive muscle and nerve cells maintain a resting membrane potential. This

potential results in:

A. the outside of the cell being negative

B. the inside of the cell being positive

C. the inside and outside of the cell having the same charge

D. the inside of the cell being negative

Answer is D: The resting potential has the inside of the cell at about −70 mV

compared to the outside.

11. When an action potential arrives at a synapse, what happens fi rst?

A. a neurotransmitter is released into the synaptic cleft

B. extracellular Na + crosses the post-synaptic membrane

C. Choline in the synaptic cleft enters the nerve cell and is converted to acetyl

choline

D. extracellular Ca ++ enters the nerve cell

Answer is D: As the axon terminal depolarises when the action potential arrives,

calcium channels open and extracellular calcium enters the axon terminal. This

stimulates the release of a neurotransmitter (e.g. ACh) into the synaptic cleft.

12. What is the last part of a nerve cell that is involved when a nerve impulse passes

to another cell?

A. synaptic knob

B. axon hillock

C. dendrite

D. axon

Answer is A: Synaptic knobs are at the distal end of an axon. The axon hillock

is at the proximal end.

13. Which of the following statements is true of neuroglia?

A. they are the cells that link motor neurons to sensory neurons
B. it is the non-cellular material that lies between neurons

C. they have only one dendrite and one axon

D. they produce the myelin sheath

Answer is D: Neuroglia refers to several types of cells of the nervous system

that are not neurones. Some of them form the myelin sheath.

14. What can correctly be said about somatic motor neurons?

A. they are unipolar neurons

B. their cell bodies are in the dorsal root ganglia

C. their cell bodies are located in the central nervous system

D. they are bipolar neurons

1. Which of the lists of structures include all of the central nervous system?

A. cerebellum, cerebrum, spinal cord, diencephalon, brainstem

B. midbrain, spinal cord, autonomic nerves, pons, diencephalon

C. midbrain, cerebellum, special sense organs, medulla oblongata

D. cerebrum, sensory neurons, motor neurons, cerebellum

Answer is A: There are fi ve distinct structures in the CNS. Autonomic nerves,

motor and sensory neurones and special sense organs are not part of the CNS.

2. What are the three meninges and two named “spaces” that surround the brain,

in order from superfi cial to deep (outermost to innermost)?

A. pia, arachnoid, sub-arachnoid, dura, septa

B. sub-arachnoid, epidural, dura, pia, arachnoid

C. arachnoid, sun-arachnoid, pia, epidural, dura

D. epidural, dura, arachnoid, sub-arachnoid, pia

Answer is D: The dura mater, arachnoid mater and pia mater are the three

meninges in order.

3. Which of the following is NOT composed of “gray matter”?

A. spinothalamic tract

B. cerebral cortex
C. basal nuclei

D. post-central gyrus

Answer is A: Gray matter refers to cell bodies of neurons while white matter is

aggregations of myelinated axons. The spinothalamic “tract” is a bundle of

nerves (axons) carrying information to the brain.

4. Where in the brain is the “primary motor area”?

A. Midbrain

B. Thalamus

C. Basal nuclei

D. Pre-central gyrus

Answer is D: The pre-central gyrus of the frontal lobe is the primary motor area

of the brain and is separated from the primary sensory area (the post-central

gyrus), by the central sulcus.

5. The hypothalamus does ALL of the following EXCEPT one. Which one?

A. It is the autonomic control centre.

B. It directs lower CNS centres to perform actions.

C. It produces the rigidly programmed, automatic behaviours necessary for

survival

D. It performs many homeostatic roles.

Answer is C: Rigidly programmed automatic behaviours are controlled by the

brainstem (midbrain, pons, medulla oblongata) not the hypothalamus.

6. Which of the following structures together make up the brainstem?

A. medulla oblongata, pons, midbrain, cerebellum

B. medulla oblongata, pons, midbrain

C. medulla oblongata, pons, midbrain, thalamus

D. medulla oblongata, pons, midbrain, pineal gland

Answer is B: The cerebellum, thalamus and pineal gland are not part of the

brainstem.

7. In which of the following places would you NOT fi nd cerebrospinal fl uid?

A. the sub-arachnoid space

B. the third ventricle of the brain

C. the epidural space

D. the central canal of the spinal cord

Answer is C: The epidural space surrounds the dura mater of the spinal cord

and so is outside of the meninges and of the CNS. “Epi-” means on top of the

dura.

8. What is the name of the lobe of the brain that is immediately superior to the

cerebellum?

A. dorsal

B. occipital

C. posterior

D. parietal

Answer is B: The cerebellum nestles into the cerebrum immediately inferior to

the occipital lobe.

To what does the following description apply? “An unlearned and involuntary

but predictable motor response to a stimulus, that is rapid and does not involve

any processing by the brain.”

A. spinal refl ex

B. autonomic refl ex

C. cranial refl ex

D. learned refl ex

Answer is A: Spinal refl exes happen without the involvement of conscious or

unconscious decision-making by the brain.

4. Which statement about the sympathetic and/or parasympathetic divisions is

correct?

A. All sympathetic neurons release ACh as a neurotransmitter.

B. Sympathetic division fi bres emerge from brain & sacral spinal cord.

C. Parasympathetic division stimulates adrenal gland to release norepinephrine

& epinephrine.

D. Some organs are innervated by both sympathetic division and parasympathetic

division.

Answer is D: Indeed, some organs (e.g. heart) are innervated by both divisions.

In choices A, B, replace “sympathetic” with parasympathetic, and in choice C

replace “parasympathetic” with sympathetic, to get a true statement.

5. Which one of the following parts of the nervous system carries impulses

towards the brain?

A. peripheral nervous system

B. somatic nervous system

C. autonomic nervous system

D. parasympathetic division

Answer is A: The peripheral NS delivers sensory information to CNS as well

as carrying motor commands from CNS to peripheral tissues. The somatic NS

is part of the efferent division (carrying impulses away from the brain) of the

peripheral NS. The autonomic (and parasympathetic division) carry efferent

impulses.