Question 1

Which of the following best describes the function of the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)?

Accepted Answer

It links the central nervous system (CNS) with the body and external environment, detecting sensory stimuli and delivering them to the CNS.

Question 2

A patient presents with loss of sensation in the anterior thigh and weakness in knee extension. Which nerve is most likely affected?

Accepted Answer

Femoral nerve

Question 3

Which cranial nerve is responsible for both facial expression and taste sensation from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue?

Accepted Answer

Facial nerve (VII)

Question 4

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the structure of a spinal nerve?

Accepted Answer

The perineurium surrounds each fascicle.

Question 5

A person experiences intense, brief facial pain triggered by light touch or chewing. Which condition is most likely?

Accepted Answer

Trigeminal neuralgia

Question 6

Which of the following best describes the function of the phrenic nerve?

Accepted Answer

It supplies the diaphragm muscle, driving ventilation.

Question 7

Which type of sensory receptor is responsible for detecting painful stimuli?

Accepted Answer

Nociceptor

Question 8

A patient is unable to abduct their arm at the shoulder and has numbness over the deltoid region. Which nerve is most likely damaged?

Accepted Answer

Axillary nerve

Question 9

Which of the following best explains why capsaicin cream can relieve pain from neuropathies?

Accepted Answer

Capsaicin opens ligand-gated ion channels in nociceptors, causing initial pain but desensitizing the receptors over time.

Question 10

Which of the following is a characteristic of rapidly adapting sensory receptors?

Accepted Answer

They respond rapidly with high intensity but stop sending signals after a certain period.

Question 11

Which of the following best describes the pathway of a simple stretch reflex, such as the patellar reflex?

Accepted Answer

A sensory neuron synapses directly on an alpha motor neuron in the spinal cord, causing contraction of the stretched muscle.

Question 12

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the Babinski sign?

Accepted Answer

It is an abnormal extension of the hallux and splaying of the other toes in response to stroking the bottom of the foot.

Question 13

Which of the following best describes the function of the autonomic nervous system (ANS)?

Accepted Answer

It carries motor signals to cardiac and smooth muscle and glands.

Question 14

A patient presents with paralysis of facial muscles, inability to close the eye, and loss of taste on the anterior tongue. Which cranial nerve is most likely affected?

Accepted Answer

Facial nerve (VII)

Question 15

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the organization of the brachial plexus?

Accepted Answer

The posterior cord gives rise to the axillary and radial nerves.

Question 16

Which of the following best explains why the fingertips have a higher two-point discrimination ability than the forearm?

Accepted Answer

The fingertips have smaller receptive fields and more sensory neurons.

Question 17

Which of the following is a function of the Golgi tendon organ?

Accepted Answer

It monitors muscle tension and inhibits contraction if tension is too high.

Question 18

Which of the following best describes the difference between the somatic and autonomic motor divisions of the PNS?

Accepted Answer

The somatic division controls skeletal muscle, while the autonomic division controls cardiac and smooth muscle and glands.

Question 19

A patient has difficulty extending the wrist and numbness on the posterior forearm and hand. Which nerve is most likely affected?

Accepted Answer

Radial nerve

The Peripheral Nervous System: Structure, Function, and Clinical Correlates

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