Free Practice Quiz Question List

2 The Nervous System Online Quiz Questions

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

20 questions

True or false

1 point

The enteric nervous system can coordinate digestive activity with substantial independence while still communicating with the CNS. True or false?

A
True
B
False

Written response

1 point

Which glial cell type produces myelin around axons in the CNS?

Fill in the blank

1 point

Complete the pathway descriptions: A sensory (afferent) pathway carries information the CNS, while a motor (efferent) pathway carries commands the CNS.

Choose one

1 point

A signal must travel from a neuron's cell body toward another cell. Which neuron part carries that signal onward?

A
The dendrites carry signals away from the neuron toward other cells.
B
The axon carries signals toward other cells.
C
The cell body receives input through its branching extensions.
D
The nucleus carries electrical signals along the neuron.

Choose all

1 point

A pathway receives information from a receptor, processes signals within the CNS, and then sends a command to a muscle. Select all accurate descriptions of the neuron roles involved.

A
Sensory neurons carry information from receptors toward the CNS.
B
Sensory neurons carry commands from the CNS to muscles.
C
Interneurons connect and process signals within the CNS.
D
Interneurons carry sensory information from receptors directly to glands.
E
Motor neurons carry commands from the CNS to muscles or glands.

Written response

1 point

What are the gaps between myelin segments along an axon called?

True or false

1 point

During some rapid protective reflexes, motor output can be activated before sensory information is fully processed for conscious perception. True or false?

A
True
B
False

Fill in the blank

1 point

A collection of neuron cell bodies in the CNS is called a ; a collection of neuron cell bodies in the PNS is called a .

Choose one

1 point

Incoming signals bring a neuron's axon trigger zone to threshold. What happens next to initiate an action potential?

A
Neurotransmitters bind to receptors at a target cell.
B
Myelin is produced by glial cells.
C
The membrane at the axon's trigger zone reaches threshold, opening voltage-gated ion channels.
D
The resting membrane potential is carried across the synaptic gap.

Choose all

1 point

Select all accurate statements about the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.

A
The somatic nervous system carries sensory information from the body and controls skeletal muscles.
B
The autonomic nervous system regulates involuntary functions by acting on smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands.
C
The somatic nervous system primarily regulates involuntary cardiac and gland activity.
D
The autonomic nervous system controls voluntary skeletal-muscle movement.
E
The sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions often have complementary effects that adjust body activity.

Choose one

1 point

A spinal cord injury could disrupt communication between the brain and much of the body, as well as some reflexes. Which description best explains why?

A
It produces all myelin in the PNS and links sensory receptors directly to glands.
B
It carries signals between the brain and much of the body and organizes many reflexes.
C
It is the site where all sensory information becomes conscious.
D
It connects only the brain to skeletal muscles and has no role in reflexes.

Open ended

1 point

Describe how a chemical synapse transmits a signal from an axon terminal to a target cell. Include what triggers neurotransmitter release, what happens across the synaptic gap, and how the target cell's activity may change.

Choose one

1 point

Before an incoming signal brings a neuron to threshold, which description identifies its resting membrane potential?

A
The electrical difference between the inside and outside of a neuron's membrane.
B
The neurotransmitter concentration in the synaptic gap after release.
C
The speed at which an action potential travels through a nerve.
D
The collection of neuron cell bodies in the CNS.

Choose one

1 point

A bundle of axons carries signals between regions of the brain. What is this bundle called?

A
Nerve
B
Tract
C
Ganglion
D
Nucleus

Written response

1 point

What is the singular term for a bundle of axons in the central nervous system?

True or false

1 point

A pathway can begin with a PNS sensory neuron, be processed in the CNS, and end with a PNS motor neuron. This illustrates that functional pathway categories are not separate from the anatomical divisions. True or false?

A
True
B
False

Written response

1 point

A damaged glial cell in the brain had been producing myelin around axons. What is the singular name of this cell type?

Choose one

1 point

A motor signal travels along a myelinated axon. Which feature helps the signal travel faster than it would along an unmyelinated axon?

A
The myelin releases neurotransmitters along the whole axon.
B
The axon no longer needs a membrane potential.
C
The action potential is regenerated at successive gaps in the myelin.
D
The signal travels through the myelin directly into the nucleus.

Choose one

1 point

At a chemical synapse, an arriving action potential causes a neuron to release a neurotransmitter. What can happen when the transmitter reaches the target cell?

A
It always makes the target cell fire an action potential.
B
It binds to target-cell receptors and may increase or decrease the likelihood of firing.
C
It becomes part of the target cell's nucleus.
D
It carries the electrical impulse across the gap without binding to the target.

Choose one

1 point

A pathway adjusts the activity of a person's cardiac muscle without conscious direction. Which functional division best describes this pathway?

A
Autonomic, because it regulates involuntary functions and acts on cardiac muscle.
B
Somatic, because it controls skeletal muscles.
C
Enteric, because it is a network in the digestive tract.
D
Sensory, because it carries information toward the CNS.