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Nervous System and the Senses — HS Anatomy & Physiology practice questions

10 multiple-choice questions and 68 flashcards on Nervous System and the Senses, about 7% of the HS Anatomy & Physiology bank. Every one carries a written rationale.

Written and maintained by Nick Burton · last updated 2026-08-22 · how we write and review questions

What this chapter covers

Nervous System and the Senses is one of 13 chapters in CoStudy's HS Anatomy & Physiology bank, and it holds 10 of the bank's 150 multiple-choice questions — roughly 7% of the total. That proportion is not arbitrary: chapters follow the certifying body's published exam outline, and the number of questions in each is set by that domain's published weight, so the share of your practice time this chapter takes matches the share of the real exam it accounts for.

Studying by chapter is worth doing once you have a diagnostic score. A single overall percentage tells you whether you are close; it does not tell you which domain is dragging. Working a weak chapter in isolation, and re-testing it in isolation, is the fastest way to move a score that has stalled — and it is why the mock exams in CoStudy report by domain rather than as one number.

Free Nervous System and the Senses practice questions

4 questions drawn from this chapter, with the full rationale shown — the controlling principle behind the right answer, and why each wrong option tempts and fails.

In a reflex arc, the signal travels in which order?

  1. Sensory neuron → interneuron (spinal cord) → motor neuron → effector
  2. Motor neuron → spinal cord → sensory neuron → effector
  3. Effector → motor neuron → spinal cord → sensory neuron
  4. Sensory neuron → brain → motor neuron → effector

Answer: A — Sensory neuron → interneuron (spinal cord) → motor neuron → effector

A) Standard reflex-arc order; brain is bypassed for speed. B/C) Reverse the directions. D) Routing through brain would not be a true spinal reflex.

The functional unit of the kidney is the:

  1. Neuron
  2. Nephron
  3. Alveolus
  4. Hepatocyte

Answer: B — Nephron

Nephrons filter blood and produce urine; each kidney contains about 1 million nephrons.

Most nutrient absorption occurs in the:

  1. Stomach
  2. Small intestine
  3. Large intestine
  4. Esophagus

Answer: B — Small intestine

The small intestine (especially the jejunum) has villi and microvilli that vastly increase surface area for nutrient absorption.

The sliding-filament theory describes how which structures interact during muscle contraction?

  1. Bones and ligaments
  2. Actin and myosin filaments within a sarcomere
  3. Neurons and synapses
  4. Glucose and insulin

Answer: B — Actin and myosin filaments within a sarcomere

Myosin heads bind to actin filaments and pull them inward (with ATP energy), shortening the sarcomere and contracting the muscle fiber.

Nervous System and the Senses flashcards

4 cards from the 68 in this chapter.

Cochlea?

Inner ear. Converts sound waves to neural signals. Snail-shaped.

Neuron parts?

Dendrites (receive), cell body (soma), axon (sends), terminals (release neurotransmitters).

Blood types?

ABO system (A, B, AB, O) + Rh factor (+/-). Type O- universal donor; AB+ universal recipient.

Brain regions?

Cerebrum (thinking), cerebellum (coordination), brainstem (vital functions), thalamus (relay), hypothalamus (homeostasis).

Practise the full chapter

These are a sample. The full Nervous System and the Senses chapter runs 78 items with per-chapter progress tracking, on the web and in the iOS app.

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