Human Anatomy and Physiology

Development to Cancer Pretest

Twenty questions, twenty to thirty minutes. Most of these are about ideas you have not studied yet, and that is the point: this is a starting line, not a test you can fail. Answer what you think, and guess when you need to.

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0 of 20 answered

Question 1 of 20
Two skin cells contain the same pigment gene, but only one cell makes the pigment protein. Which explanation is best?
The active cell absorbed the finished protein from nearby blood.The cells regulate expression of the pigment gene differently.The inactive cell removed the pigment gene from its DNA.The two cells must have entirely different chromosome numbers.
Question 2 of 20
Two developing palates fail to fuse and look similar. In one, a signal is missing. In the other, cells cannot respond to the signal. What follows?
The similar appearance proves both cases have the same mutation.The visible outcome identifies which molecular step failed.The signal must be unrelated because both cases look alike.Two different mechanisms can produce the same visible outcome.
Question 3 of 20
Cells already committed to cartilage stop migrating when Signal X is removed. A different motility signal restores migration, and the cells still become cartilage. What role did Signal X most likely play?
It permitted the migration, and did not set cartilage identity.It permanently changed every gene in the cells.It instructed cartilage identity and nothing else.It served only as a structural part of the cartilage.
Question 4 of 20
A cell still contains a working growth-brake gene, but regulatory proteins keep the gene silent. Which statement is most accurate?
The brake gene is still present but is repressed.The brake gene has become an oncogene.The brake protein must be present at a high level.The cell deleted the brake gene from every chromosome.
Question 5 of 20
One cell line activates a growth pathway. Another loses a stop signal. Both divide too often. Which principle fits best?
The two cell lines must contain identical mutations.Different disrupted pathways can converge on the same outcome.A stop signal and a growth signal are always the same molecule.Only the activated growth pathway can produce excess division.
Question 6 of 20
What is differentiation?
A cell replaces its DNA with genes from a nearby tissue.A cell divides without any checkpoint or external signal.A cell develops a specialized identity through gene regulation.A tissue spreads from its original site to a distant organ.
Question 7 of 20
During normal development, cells between forming fingers undergo programmed death. What does this show?
The cells died because every developmental signal failed.Development can sculpt tissue through programmed cell removal.Development builds structures only by adding more cells.Programmed death is evidence that the embryo has cancer.
Question 8 of 20
Tumor cells reduce adhesion and move through a remodeled extracellular matrix into nearby tissue. What does this evidence support?
The cells changed every gene into an oncogene.The cells formed a benign tumor that cannot invade.The cells completed metastasis to a distant organ.These cells support a claim of local tissue invasion.
Question 9 of 20
The same signal promotes cell division early in development but promotes differentiation later. Which explanation is best?
The later cells must no longer contain receptors or genes.A signal has one fixed effect in every cell and at every time.The timing and the cell's context can change the response.The early and late signals cannot be the same molecule.
Question 10 of 20
Which description best defines cancer?
Any group of cells that divides faster than nearby tissue.An inherited condition that always appears in every family member.Diseases with lost growth control and possible invasion or spread.Any tumor that can be seen in a medical image.
Question 11 of 20
A biopsy shows abnormal cells crossing into nearby tissue. No distant sites were tested. Which conclusion stays within the evidence?
The tumor is benign because no distant tumor was measured.The biopsy proves which treatment will work best.The tumor is invasive, and metastasis remains unproven.The cancer has metastasized to every major organ.
Question 12 of 20
A targeted drug kills most cells in a tumor, but a small cell group lacks the target and survives. What is the best prediction?
The resistant group of cells may expand after treatment begins.All tumor cells will remain equally sensitive to the drug.The drug will add the missing target to every surviving cell.The surviving cells will automatically become normal tissue.
Question 13 of 20
Ciliated airway cells move mucus while muscle cells contract. What best explains the different functions?
Muscle cells contain no DNA.Airway cells replace their chromosomes daily.Both cell types have identical structures and proteins.Shared genomes can support different gene expression.
Question 14 of 20
Body temperature rises and sweating increases, which lowers temperature. What type of control is this?
Metastasis through the skinNegative feedback that opposes the changePositive feedback that amplifies the changeA mutation that permanently changes cell fate
Question 15 of 20
During palate formation, tissue shelves contact but their cells cannot adhere. What is the most direct expected result?
Every craniofacial bone fails to form.The shelves fuse more strongly than normal.The tissue automatically becomes a tumor.Contact occurs, but fusion is disrupted.
Question 16 of 20
A cleft palate can affect feeding and middle-ear function. Which explanation best links these outcomes?
The condition spreads from the mouth to the ear like an infection.Every cleft has an identical molecular cause.One structural change can affect connected functions.Feeding and hearing use the same organ.
Question 17 of 20
A developing tissue retains cells that normally undergo apoptosis. What is the most likely consequence?
Tissue meant for removal may remain.The tissue must immediately metastasize.The cells must have lost every growth gene.The body can no longer make any new cells.
Question 18 of 20
A tumor releases signals that cause nearby blood vessels to grow toward it. What process is occurring?
AngiogenesisDifferentiationOsmosisNegative feedback
Question 19 of 20
Which feature most clearly distinguishes a malignant tumor from a benign tumor?
It can be visible on an image.It uses oxygen and nutrients.It contains living cells.It can invade nearby tissue.
Question 20 of 20
Breast cancer cells form a tumor in the lung. What is the lung tumor called?
A benign lung growthMetastatic breast cancerA new primary lung cancer by definitionA respiratory infection

You will get a receipt, not a score.The two confidence questions are optional.