All Free Anatomy and Physiology for Nursing MCQs with Answers

• A. Corpus callosum
• B. Medulla oblongata
• C. Pituitary gland
• D. Cerebellar vermis

Explanation: The corpus callosum is a large bundle of nerve fibres linking the right and left cerebral hemispheres.

• A. Sympathetic division
• B. Parasympathetic division
• C. Somatic motor division
• D. Sensory division

Explanation: The parasympathetic division constricts the pupil through the oculomotor pathway.

• A. Somatic motor nerve
• B. Visceral sensory nerve
• C. Parasympathetic nerve
• D. Sympathetic sensory nerve

Explanation: Somatic motor nerves carry efferent commands to skeletal muscles and support voluntary movement.

• A. Loss of the outer fields of both eyes
• B. Loss of the inner fields of both eyes
• C. Loss of vision in the right eye only
• D. Loss of vision in the left eye only

Explanation: Nasal retinal fibres cross at the optic chiasm and carry information from the temporal, or outer, visual fields.

• A. Auditory ossicles
• B. Semicircular canals
• C. Eustachian tube
• D. Cochlear duct

Explanation: The malleus, incus, and stapes are the auditory ossicles, which transmit and strengthen sound vibrations toward the oval window.

• A. Semicircular canals
• B. Otolith organs
• C. Cochlea
• D. Auditory tube

Explanation: The semicircular canals detect angular acceleration, such as turning or nodding the head.

• A. Facial nerve
• B. Glossopharyngeal nerve
• C. Vagus nerve
• D. Hypoglossal nerve

Explanation: The glossopharyngeal nerve, cranial nerve IX, carries taste from the posterior one-third of the tongue.

• A. Optic nerve
• B. Oculomotor nerve
• C. Trigeminal nerve
• D. Facial nerve

Explanation: Retinal neurons transmit visual information through the optic nerve, cranial nerve II, toward the optic chiasm and visual centres.

• A. The postsynaptic membrane may change its ion permeability
• B. The presynaptic neuron immediately forms new myelin
• C. The neurotransmitter travels back into the spinal cord
• D. The axon permanently loses its resting potential

Explanation: Binding of a neurotransmitter changes ion channel activity in the postsynaptic membrane, producing an excitatory or inhibitory response.

• A. Somatic motor division
• B. Sensory or afferent division
• C. Autonomic motor division
• D. Sympathetic motor division

Explanation: The sensory, or afferent, division carries impulses from receptors to the brain and spinal cord.

• A. Cell body
• B. Synaptic cleft
• C. Myelin sheath
• D. Axon hillock

Explanation: The synaptic cleft is the narrow gap across which neurotransmitters diffuse between cells.

• A. Ascending sensory pathway
• B. Descending motor pathway
• C. Visceral sensory pathway
• D. Cranial sensory pathway

Explanation: Descending motor pathways carry commands from the brain toward spinal motor neurons and skeletal muscles.

• A. Slower heart rate and increased digestion
• B. Constriction of bronchioles and pupil constriction
• C. Increased heart rate and reduced gastrointestinal activity
• D. Increased salivation and intestinal movement

Explanation: Sympathetic activation prepares the body for immediate action by increasing heart rate and reducing digestive activity.

• A. Photoreceptor
• B. Mechanoreceptor
• C. Nociceptor
• D. Chemoreceptor

Explanation: Nociceptors detect potentially damaging mechanical, thermal, or chemical stimuli and initiate pain signals.

• A. Mechanoreceptor
• B. Thermoreceptor
• C. Photoreceptor
• D. Nociceptor

Explanation: Mechanoreceptors respond to physical distortion such as touch, pressure, vibration, and stretch.

• A. Relaying sensory signals to the cerebral cortex
• B. Producing cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles
• C. Maintaining balance through the semicircular canals
• D. Generating hormones from the adrenal medulla

Explanation: The thalamus relays and processes most sensory information before it reaches the cerebral cortex for conscious awareness.

• A. Proprioceptive system
• B. Auditory system
• C. Olfactory system
• D. Gustatory system

Explanation: Proprioception provides information about joint position, muscle stretch, and body movement.

• A. Organ of Corti
• B. Semicircular canals
• C. Auditory tube
• D. Tympanic membrane

Explanation: The organ of Corti contains hair cells that transduce vibrations in the cochlear fluid into electrical signals carried by the cochlear…

• A. Taste receptors detect all flavour sensations independently of smell
• B. Smell contributes significantly to flavour perception during eating
• C. The optic nerve carries flavour signals from the tongue
• D. The vestibular apparatus identifies food chemicals

Explanation: Flavour perception combines taste sensations from the tongue with olfactory information from the nasal cavity.

• A. Rods, which detect light intensity
• B. Cones, which detect light intensity
• C. Rods, which detect colour details
• D. Cones, which detect body position

Explanation: Rods are highly sensitive to low levels of light and support night or dim-light vision, but they do not provide colour vision.