BIOL 252 Exam 2 Review Questions and 100% Correct Answers Latest 2026/27- UNC
1. Oxytocin and prolactin are two hormones involved in the production/letdown of milk during
lactation. One difference between them is that while oxytocin is an endocrine secretion, prolactin is
an exocrine secretion.
A) True B) False
Hormones travel in the blood. They are endocrine secretions. They can be involved in CAUSING
exocrine secretions (milk letdown is exocrine – comes out of the body, so both of these hormones
are involved in causing the exocrine secretion of milk), but since they’re hormones, you know that
they themselves have to both be endocrine secretions.
2. During muscle contraction, how many of the following regions of sarcomeres shorten?
I zone
H zone
distance between two Z discs
A band
A. Only one of these shortens
B. Two of these regions will shorten
C. Three of these regions will shorten
D. All four of these regions shorten
E. None of these will shorten
Everything but the A band shortens
3. Longitudinal growth of bones happens at the growth plate due to divisions of osteocytes within the
epiphyseal plate. When the growth plates close, longitudinal growth of bones ceases, though bones
continue to be remodeled throughout adult life.
A) True B) False
If it said chondrocytes instead of osteocytes, this would be correct.
4. How many of the following contain connective tissue/extracellular matrix?
I. bone II. cartilage III. blood IV. skeletal muscle V. glands
a) only one of the above
b) only two of the above
c) only three of the above
d) only four of the above
e) all of the above
Bone, blood, and cartilage are all types of connective tissue (see list on slide where we
discussed connective tissue, which contains ECM), and skeletal muscle has connective
tissue/ECM – perimysium, etc, as do glands (see slide with thyroid gland for an example –
connective tissue capsule). More generally, this is true for most organs/tissues.
BIOL 252 Exam 2
, 5. Hormones can do how many of the following?
a. Signal cells to change gene expression
b. Signal cells in distant organs to release other hormones
c. Trigger exocrine secretions from cells
d. Only two of the above (a-c)
e. All three of the above (a-c)
Hormones can do all of those things.
6. Iodine deficiency would be most likely to lead to which of the following combinations of
symptoms?
a) Increased urination and high blood glucose levels
b) Weight gain and drowsiness
c) Sweating and constipation
d) Decreased urination and fainting
e) Rapid heart rate and elevated blood pressure
Would mean you couldn’t make thyroid hormone
7. Epithelial, muscle, and nervous tissue all require blood supply via nearby capillaries to deliver
nutrients, but connective tissue cells like fibroblasts lack blood supply and are far away from
capillaries, so they must obtain their nutrients via diffusion through the gel-like extracellular matrix.
a) True b) False
Again, this would be true if it said chondrocytes and made it clear that only SOME connective tissue
lacks blood supply. Not ALL connective tissue lacks vasculature (bone has blood vessels, connective
tissue proper generally has blood vessels) – we only discussed cartilage as lacking blood vessels. See
picture of fibroblasts Lecture 15 slide 8 for visual representation of blood vessel proximity.
8. In the x-ray of a child’s hand, you would expect to see gaps/dark regions, indicating cartilage, near
both ends of each long bone where the growth plates are located, as well as gaps in between bones.
In the x-ray of an adult hand, you would expect to see no gaps at the ends of the long bones but you
would still expect gaps between the bones.
a) True b) False
This is true. You can see it on the X-rays we looked at in class, and remember that bones have
articular cartilage on them, which doesn’t show up on an X-ray, logic or memorization could
have worked for this question.
9. You are a chief physician at a field hospital, and soldiers bring in a civilian who they say has inhaled
sarin gas. You confirm this due to their tightened abdomen and chest wall muscles, as well as their
inability to breathe properly. You look over at some medicines you have sitting nearby. Medicine A
is a synthetic enzyme that can cleave Acetylcholine. Medicine B leads to the release of more
neurotransmitters at the neuromuscular junction. Medicine C is a ligand that can competitively bind
to the Ach receptor and temporarily block its function. Which of these medicines would be
appropriate to give your patient in this situation?
A. Medicine A only
BIOL 252 Exam 2
1. Oxytocin and prolactin are two hormones involved in the production/letdown of milk during
lactation. One difference between them is that while oxytocin is an endocrine secretion, prolactin is
an exocrine secretion.
A) True B) False
Hormones travel in the blood. They are endocrine secretions. They can be involved in CAUSING
exocrine secretions (milk letdown is exocrine – comes out of the body, so both of these hormones
are involved in causing the exocrine secretion of milk), but since they’re hormones, you know that
they themselves have to both be endocrine secretions.
2. During muscle contraction, how many of the following regions of sarcomeres shorten?
I zone
H zone
distance between two Z discs
A band
A. Only one of these shortens
B. Two of these regions will shorten
C. Three of these regions will shorten
D. All four of these regions shorten
E. None of these will shorten
Everything but the A band shortens
3. Longitudinal growth of bones happens at the growth plate due to divisions of osteocytes within the
epiphyseal plate. When the growth plates close, longitudinal growth of bones ceases, though bones
continue to be remodeled throughout adult life.
A) True B) False
If it said chondrocytes instead of osteocytes, this would be correct.
4. How many of the following contain connective tissue/extracellular matrix?
I. bone II. cartilage III. blood IV. skeletal muscle V. glands
a) only one of the above
b) only two of the above
c) only three of the above
d) only four of the above
e) all of the above
Bone, blood, and cartilage are all types of connective tissue (see list on slide where we
discussed connective tissue, which contains ECM), and skeletal muscle has connective
tissue/ECM – perimysium, etc, as do glands (see slide with thyroid gland for an example –
connective tissue capsule). More generally, this is true for most organs/tissues.
BIOL 252 Exam 2
, 5. Hormones can do how many of the following?
a. Signal cells to change gene expression
b. Signal cells in distant organs to release other hormones
c. Trigger exocrine secretions from cells
d. Only two of the above (a-c)
e. All three of the above (a-c)
Hormones can do all of those things.
6. Iodine deficiency would be most likely to lead to which of the following combinations of
symptoms?
a) Increased urination and high blood glucose levels
b) Weight gain and drowsiness
c) Sweating and constipation
d) Decreased urination and fainting
e) Rapid heart rate and elevated blood pressure
Would mean you couldn’t make thyroid hormone
7. Epithelial, muscle, and nervous tissue all require blood supply via nearby capillaries to deliver
nutrients, but connective tissue cells like fibroblasts lack blood supply and are far away from
capillaries, so they must obtain their nutrients via diffusion through the gel-like extracellular matrix.
a) True b) False
Again, this would be true if it said chondrocytes and made it clear that only SOME connective tissue
lacks blood supply. Not ALL connective tissue lacks vasculature (bone has blood vessels, connective
tissue proper generally has blood vessels) – we only discussed cartilage as lacking blood vessels. See
picture of fibroblasts Lecture 15 slide 8 for visual representation of blood vessel proximity.
8. In the x-ray of a child’s hand, you would expect to see gaps/dark regions, indicating cartilage, near
both ends of each long bone where the growth plates are located, as well as gaps in between bones.
In the x-ray of an adult hand, you would expect to see no gaps at the ends of the long bones but you
would still expect gaps between the bones.
a) True b) False
This is true. You can see it on the X-rays we looked at in class, and remember that bones have
articular cartilage on them, which doesn’t show up on an X-ray, logic or memorization could
have worked for this question.
9. You are a chief physician at a field hospital, and soldiers bring in a civilian who they say has inhaled
sarin gas. You confirm this due to their tightened abdomen and chest wall muscles, as well as their
inability to breathe properly. You look over at some medicines you have sitting nearby. Medicine A
is a synthetic enzyme that can cleave Acetylcholine. Medicine B leads to the release of more
neurotransmitters at the neuromuscular junction. Medicine C is a ligand that can competitively bind
to the Ach receptor and temporarily block its function. Which of these medicines would be
appropriate to give your patient in this situation?
A. Medicine A only
BIOL 252 Exam 2
