Question

critical thinking questions (3 - 4 of these will be found on each unit exam)
these questions are for you, the student, to answer. i will not help you answer the questions; i will help clarify any questions however. all of these questions can be answered using your notes and your text book. if necessary, informal groups of students could be organized to help you answer these questions. however, you should not ask other professors, tutors, or other professionals to answer these questions for you. i will consider this cheating and you will receive a zero for the exam. please do not research these topics. the purpose of these questions is to help you think through the material and apply what you are learning.

exam 1
chapter 1. introduction.

1. a person has a terrible accident and has permanently lost his \conscious\ brain function. he is still capable of breathing and maintaining cardiovascular function without assistance, but he will not respond to auditory, visual, pain or touch stimuli. using the five characteristics of life (as we discussed them in our lecture notes) discuss if this person is alive or dead. i want you to discuss each characteristic. there can be more than one answer here, but you need to justify your position.

1. suppose two individuals have benign tumors that produce symptoms because they occupy space and crowd adjacent organs. if one of these persons has a tumor in her ventral cavity and the other has a tumor in his dorsal cavity, which patient would be likely to develop symptoms first? discuss why?

1. if a person has complained of a stomach ache and points to the umbilical region (belly button) as the site of discomfort, which organ(s) located in this region might be the source of pain? see the figure in the book to find out the answer.

1. a car accident victim is trapped inside a car with bodily injuries. he is suspended upside down from his seatbelt. explain why anatomical position is so helpful when describing the wounds on this persons back when a paramedic calls the hospital.

chapter 2. chemistry.

1. how would you explain the importance of amino acids and proteins in a diet to a person who primarily consumes carbohydrates?

1. when analyzing a persons blood chemistry, where should a patients blood ph fall? use your knowledge of both the ph scale and enzymes to explain why a blood ph shift from 7.45 to 6.45 is very detrimental but not a shift from 7.45 to 7.35. why is the shift of 7.45 to 6.45 unlikely in the body? see also chapter 4 in the discussion of enzymes.

1. you see the following chemical formula: c9h18o9. what type of molecule is this? can you ingest this molecule without harming you? what does the body do with this molecule? what is the atomic mass for this molecule? how many elements are found in this molecule? how many total atoms are found in this molecule? you may use the periodic table of elements.

Explanation:

1. For the first question in Chapter 1, the five characteristics of life typically include cellular organization, metabolism, responsiveness, growth and development, and reproduction. The person can breathe and maintain cardiovascular function (metabolism - related), but lacks responsiveness to stimuli. One could argue they are alive based on basic metabolic functions, or dead due to lack of higher - order life characteristics like consciousness and responsiveness. Justification would depend on which characteristics are weighted more.
2. In the second question of Chapter 1, the ventral cavity contains more vital organs (such as heart, lungs, digestive organs) compared to the dorsal cavity (which contains mainly the brain and spinal cord). So the person with a tumor in the ventral cavity is likely to develop symptoms first as the vital organs are more crowded.
3. In the third question of Chapter 1, organs in the umbilical region include parts of the small intestine, transverse colon, and omentum, which could be sources of pain.
4. In the fourth question of Chapter 1, the anatomical position provides a standard reference. When describing wounds on the back of an upside - down person, using the anatomical position helps medical staff accurately understand the location of the wounds regardless of the actual body orientation at the time of injury.
5. For the first question in Chapter 2, amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Proteins are essential for growth, repair, and maintenance of body tissues, enzyme production, and immune function. A diet lacking in them can lead to various health issues despite sufficient carbohydrate intake.
6. In the second question of Chapter 2, a patient's blood pH should fall between 7.35 - 7.45. A shift from 7.45 to 6.45 is very detrimental as enzymes in the body work optimally within a narrow pH range. A large pH shift can denature enzymes. A shift from 7.45 to 7.35 is less harmful as it is still within the normal range. A shift to 6.45 is unlikely as the body has buffer systems to maintain pH balance.
7. In the third question of Chapter 2, the chemical formula $C_9H_{18}O_9$ represents a carbohydrate (specifically a monosaccharide or a related molecule). It can be ingested and broken down for energy. The atomic mass can be calculated by adding the atomic masses of each atom (carbon: 12, hydrogen: 1, oxygen: 16). There are 3 elements (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen) and 36 total atoms (9 + 18+9).

Answer:

1. Answers may vary. Justification based on life characteristics.
2. The person with a tumor in the ventral cavity is likely to develop symptoms first due to more vital organs in that cavity.
3. Organs like parts of the small intestine, transverse colon, and omentum could be the source of pain.
4. Anatomical position provides a standard reference for accurately describing wound locations regardless of body orientation.
5. Amino acids are building blocks of proteins which are essential for growth, repair, enzyme production, etc.
6. Blood pH should be between 7.35 - 7.45. Large shift to 6.45 is detrimental as it can denature enzymes and is unlikely due to buffer systems.
7. Carbohydrate - related molecule, can be ingested for energy, atomic mass calculated by adding individual atomic masses, 3 elements, 36 total atoms.