Free Practice Quiz Question List

2 Nervous System Physiology Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 2 Nervous System Physiology, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions

True or false

1 point

True or false: Once an axon reaches threshold, a stronger stimulus makes each action potential larger.

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

A neuron receives signals from several other neurons. Which structure is specialized to receive many of these incoming signals?

A
The axon carries incoming signals toward the cell body.
B
Dendrites receive many incoming signals.
C
The cell body carries signals away from the neuron.
D
Axon terminals receive signals from the target cell.

Written response

1 point

What term describes pathways that carry sensory signals into the central nervous system?

Fill in the blank

1 point

In myelinated axons, action potentials are regenerated at gaps in the myelin, enabling .

Choose one

1 point

At a chemical synapse, an action potential reaches the axon terminal. Which event directly triggers neurotransmitter release?

A
Potassium leaves the target cell and directly releases neurotransmitter.
B
Sodium enters the synaptic cleft and binds to the target cell.
C
Calcium enters the axon terminal and triggers neurotransmitter release.
D
Neurotransmitter crosses the cleft and opens calcium channels in the target cell.

True or false

1 point

True or false: An inhibitory postsynaptic potential reduces the likelihood that the target neuron will fire.

A
True
B
False

Choose all

1 point

Select all correct matches between sensory receptor types and the stimuli they detect.

A
Mechanoreceptors respond to pressure or movement.
B
Chemoreceptors respond to pressure or movement.
C
Thermoreceptors respond to temperature.
D
Photoreceptors respond to chemicals.
E
Photoreceptors respond to light.

Fill in the blank

1 point

In a typical two-neuron autonomic pathway, the neuron running from the CNS to a ganglion is the . The neuron running from the ganglion to the target tissue is the .

Choose one

1 point

A person touches a hot surface and rapidly withdraws their hand before consciously registering the pain. Which explanation best accounts for this response?

A
The brain must consciously perceive the heat before any spinal response can begin.
B
Spinal cord circuits can initiate a rapid withdrawal response while other signals travel to the brain.
C
Motor commands travel to the hot surface through afferent pathways.
D
The withdrawal response is produced only by the autonomic nervous system.

Written response

1 point

Which neurotransmitter do sympathetic postganglionic neurons to most sweat glands release?

Choose all

1 point

Select all accurate descriptions of brain-region contributions to voluntary movement.

A
The cerebral cortex helps plan and initiate actions.
B
The basal ganglia contribute to selecting and regulating movements.
C
The cerebellum initiates all voluntary movement by directly activating skeletal muscle.
D
The cerebellum helps coordinate timing, precision, and balance.
E
The basal ganglia provide sensory feedback about muscle stretch and joint position.

Choose one

1 point

A stimulus becomes more intense while the same sensory pathway remains active. Which change can help encode the increase in intensity?

A
A stronger stimulus makes each action potential in a sensory neuron larger.
B
Stimulus intensity is encoded only by which receptor type is active.
C
Stimulus intensity can be represented by receptor-potential size and action-potential frequency.
D
A stronger stimulus prevents a sensory receptor from changing its membrane potential.

Open ended

1 point

Explain how spatial summation differs from temporal summation, and give one example of the pattern of inputs involved in each.

Choose one

1 point

A neuron receives a stronger stimulus after it has already begun firing action potentials. Which change is most consistent with the all-or-none property of action potentials?

A
Each action potential becomes larger as the stimulus gets stronger.
B
Action potentials remain all-or-none, but the neuron may fire more frequently.
C
The action potential changes from electrical to chemical as the stimulus gets stronger.
D
A stronger stimulus prevents the neuron from reaching threshold.

Written response

1 point

What is the process called in which a sensory receptor converts a physical or chemical stimulus into an electrical signal?

Choose one

1 point

A neuron has a myelinated axon. How does the action potential travel along it?

A
The signal travels continuously along every part of the axon membrane.
B
Myelin releases neurotransmitter that carries the signal between axon segments.
C
The signal is regenerated at gaps in the myelin as it travels along the axon.
D
The signal bypasses the axon and travels through the cell body.

Choose one

1 point

When an action potential reaches a chemical synapse, which event directly triggers neurotransmitter release from the axon terminal?

A
Calcium entry triggers neurotransmitter release from the axon terminal.
B
Potassium entry triggers neurotransmitter release from the target cell.
C
Sodium exit causes neurotransmitter to cross the synaptic cleft.
D
Chloride entry causes the axon terminal to release neurotransmitter.

True or false

1 point

True or false: An autonomic reflex responding to a change in blood pressure can adjust both heart activity and blood-vessel tone.

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

A neuron receives both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs. Which description correctly distinguishes their effects?

A
An EPSP moves the membrane farther from threshold; an IPSP moves it closer.
B
An EPSP moves the membrane closer to threshold; an IPSP reduces the chance of firing.
C
Both an EPSP and an IPSP necessarily trigger an action potential.
D
An EPSP and an IPSP are action potentials with different sizes.

Written response

1 point

What is the name of the extensive nervous system network in the digestive tract that can coordinate local digestive activity?