HESI A2 A&P Exam Study
Guide – Practice Questions
with Verified Answers. GRADED
A+. Latest 2026/2027 Update.
Which is an anterior muscle?
A. Gluteus maximus
B. Quadriceps femoris
C. Biceps femoris
D. Adductor magnus - Answer✔✔-B. An anterior muscle is located near the
front of the body. Of those listed, the quadriceps( frontal thigh muscle) is the
most anterior.
How might the headrest on a car prevent traumatic injury?
A. By limiting hyperflexion of the neck
B. By limiting hyperextension of the neck
C. By reducing vertebral compression
D. By preventing disc degeneration - Answer✔✔-B. The headrest prevents the
head from moving too far backward, or hyperextending the neck beyond its
normal range.
Which might you expect to see in a whiplash injury?
,A. Cardiopulmonary problems
B. Side-to-side spinal curvature
C. Eventual herniation of discs
D. Traumatic injury to ligaments - Answer✔✔-D. Because of the hyperflexion
and hyperextension caused by such a collision, it is not uncommon to find tears
or stretching of the ligaments of the spine. The injury is front-to-back, making
choice B unlikely, and a herniated disc (choice C) is more of a compression
injury.
Muscle contractions that normally move food along the human digestive
system are known as ________.
A. defecation
B. osmosis
C. peristalsis
D. circulation - Answer✔✔-C. Defecation(choice A) is the elimination of waste.
Osmosis (choice B) is the movement of molecules across a membrane.
Circulation (choice D) is the movement of blood through the body. Peristalsis
(choice C) is the involuntary, wavelike movement of muscles in the intestine
and elsewhere that pushes food along.
Which type of nutrient does not provide the body with energy?
A. Vitamin
B. Carbohydrate
C. Fat
D. Protein - Answer✔✔-A. Some nutrients supply energy, and others support
metabolism. Nutrients in the first set include carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
Those in the secound set include vitamins, minerals, and water.
,Where would you be likely to find a Schwann cell?
A. In the digestive system
B. In the nervous system
C. In the skeletal system
D. In the muscular system - Answer✔✔-B. Schwann cells wrap around the
nerve fibers and form the myelin sheath in the peripheral nervous system.
How does the nervous system work with the muscular system?
A. The muscles of the body produce chemicals that feed the nerves.
B. The nervous system tells the muscles how to respond to the environment.
C. The nervous system releases chemicals that remove excess waste from the
muscles.
D. The muscular system provides input that allows the nerves to make
decisions. - Answer✔✔-B. The nervous system is made up of the brain, spinal
cord, and nerves. It receives and transmits signals from the environment that
regulate voluntary and involuntary movement.
Which part of the nervous system includes the femoral , radial, and ulnar
nerves?
A. Somatic
B. Autonomic
C. Sympathetic
D. Parasympathetic - Answer✔✔-A. The symphathetic and parasympathetic
systems (choice C and D) are part of the autonomic nervous system (choice B),
which controls involuntary actions of the smooth muscles, glands, and heart.
The somatic nervous system (choice A) has to do with reception of external
stimuli and voluntary control of the muscles.
, Where might a herniated lumbar disc be most likely to create pain?
A. Along the radial nerve
B. Within the spinal cord
C. Along the sciatic nerve
D. Along the tibial nerve - Answer✔✔-C. Damage to a disc in the lower back
will most likely cause pain radiating downward along the sciatic nerve.
What is the name of the bone in the human thigh?
A. Ulna
B. Femur
C. Radius
D. Humerus - Answer✔✔-B. The ulna (choice A), radius (choice C), and
humerus (choice D) are arm bones.
The ovaries are part of the ___________.
A. skeletal system
B. nervous system
C. lymphatic system
D. reproductive system - Answer✔✔-D. The ovaries are the egg-producing
reproductive organs.
Of the following processes, which one is a different level of defense from the
others?
A. A low pH in the stomach
B. Cilia present in the trachea
C. Body cells recognizing a pathogen
Guide – Practice Questions
with Verified Answers. GRADED
A+. Latest 2026/2027 Update.
Which is an anterior muscle?
A. Gluteus maximus
B. Quadriceps femoris
C. Biceps femoris
D. Adductor magnus - Answer✔✔-B. An anterior muscle is located near the
front of the body. Of those listed, the quadriceps( frontal thigh muscle) is the
most anterior.
How might the headrest on a car prevent traumatic injury?
A. By limiting hyperflexion of the neck
B. By limiting hyperextension of the neck
C. By reducing vertebral compression
D. By preventing disc degeneration - Answer✔✔-B. The headrest prevents the
head from moving too far backward, or hyperextending the neck beyond its
normal range.
Which might you expect to see in a whiplash injury?
,A. Cardiopulmonary problems
B. Side-to-side spinal curvature
C. Eventual herniation of discs
D. Traumatic injury to ligaments - Answer✔✔-D. Because of the hyperflexion
and hyperextension caused by such a collision, it is not uncommon to find tears
or stretching of the ligaments of the spine. The injury is front-to-back, making
choice B unlikely, and a herniated disc (choice C) is more of a compression
injury.
Muscle contractions that normally move food along the human digestive
system are known as ________.
A. defecation
B. osmosis
C. peristalsis
D. circulation - Answer✔✔-C. Defecation(choice A) is the elimination of waste.
Osmosis (choice B) is the movement of molecules across a membrane.
Circulation (choice D) is the movement of blood through the body. Peristalsis
(choice C) is the involuntary, wavelike movement of muscles in the intestine
and elsewhere that pushes food along.
Which type of nutrient does not provide the body with energy?
A. Vitamin
B. Carbohydrate
C. Fat
D. Protein - Answer✔✔-A. Some nutrients supply energy, and others support
metabolism. Nutrients in the first set include carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
Those in the secound set include vitamins, minerals, and water.
,Where would you be likely to find a Schwann cell?
A. In the digestive system
B. In the nervous system
C. In the skeletal system
D. In the muscular system - Answer✔✔-B. Schwann cells wrap around the
nerve fibers and form the myelin sheath in the peripheral nervous system.
How does the nervous system work with the muscular system?
A. The muscles of the body produce chemicals that feed the nerves.
B. The nervous system tells the muscles how to respond to the environment.
C. The nervous system releases chemicals that remove excess waste from the
muscles.
D. The muscular system provides input that allows the nerves to make
decisions. - Answer✔✔-B. The nervous system is made up of the brain, spinal
cord, and nerves. It receives and transmits signals from the environment that
regulate voluntary and involuntary movement.
Which part of the nervous system includes the femoral , radial, and ulnar
nerves?
A. Somatic
B. Autonomic
C. Sympathetic
D. Parasympathetic - Answer✔✔-A. The symphathetic and parasympathetic
systems (choice C and D) are part of the autonomic nervous system (choice B),
which controls involuntary actions of the smooth muscles, glands, and heart.
The somatic nervous system (choice A) has to do with reception of external
stimuli and voluntary control of the muscles.
, Where might a herniated lumbar disc be most likely to create pain?
A. Along the radial nerve
B. Within the spinal cord
C. Along the sciatic nerve
D. Along the tibial nerve - Answer✔✔-C. Damage to a disc in the lower back
will most likely cause pain radiating downward along the sciatic nerve.
What is the name of the bone in the human thigh?
A. Ulna
B. Femur
C. Radius
D. Humerus - Answer✔✔-B. The ulna (choice A), radius (choice C), and
humerus (choice D) are arm bones.
The ovaries are part of the ___________.
A. skeletal system
B. nervous system
C. lymphatic system
D. reproductive system - Answer✔✔-D. The ovaries are the egg-producing
reproductive organs.
Of the following processes, which one is a different level of defense from the
others?
A. A low pH in the stomach
B. Cilia present in the trachea
C. Body cells recognizing a pathogen
