Lesson 3.6.2.2.1

3.6.2.2.1 Synapses and the neuromuscular junction Quiz: AQA Biology, Unit 6

20 questions

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Lesson 3.6.2.2.1, Synapses and the neuromuscular junction: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Biology (7402), Unit 6: Organisms respond to changes in their internal and external environments, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which structures make up a chemical synapse?

    • Alveolus, capillary and basement membrane
    • Axon hillock, myelin sheath and nodes of Ranvier
    • Sarcomere, Z-line and sarcoplasm
    • Presynaptic knob, synaptic cleft and postsynaptic membrane

  2. Which neurotransmitter is used at a cholinergic synapse?

    • Insulin
    • Acetylcholine
    • Adrenaline
    • Glucagon

  3. What triggers the release of acetylcholine from the presynaptic knob?

    • Sodium ions leaving the postsynaptic membrane
    • Calcium ions entering the presynaptic knob
    • Oxygen diffusing into the knob
    • Potassium ions entering the cleft

  4. Why is transmission across a cholinergic synapse unidirectional?

    • Neurotransmitter is released only from the presynaptic knob, and receptors are only on the postsynaptic membrane
    • Acetylcholine can be made only in the postsynaptic neurone
    • Calcium only moves across the synapse in one direction
    • Synaptic clefts are wider in one direction

  5. What is the role of acetylcholinesterase in a cholinergic synapse?

    • It stores acetylcholine in vesicles
    • It releases acetylcholine into the cleft
    • It produces calcium ions for the presynaptic knob
    • It breaks down acetylcholine in the synaptic cleft so that the synapse can reset

  6. What is temporal summation?

    • The process by which an inhibitory synapse stops firing
    • Several impulses arriving in quick succession from one presynaptic neurone build up enough depolarisation to reach threshold
    • The movement of acetylcholine across the cleft
    • Impulses from several presynaptic neurones arriving at the same time

  7. What is spatial summation?

    • Impulses from several presynaptic neurones arriving together at the same postsynaptic neurone add up to reach threshold
    • The spread of an impulse along the length of one axon
    • The breakdown of acetylcholine in the cleft
    • The release of acetylcholine from all presynaptic knobs in a row

  8. How do inhibitory synapses reduce the chance of an action potential in the postsynaptic neurone?

    • They make the neurone fire at a higher frequency
    • They cause sodium channels to open and depolarise the membrane
    • They cause hyperpolarisation, making the inside more negative, so threshold is harder to reach
    • They stop the release of calcium into the knob

  9. How does a neuromuscular junction differ from a cholinergic synapse between neurones?

    • The neuromuscular junction releases adrenaline instead of acetylcholine
    • The postsynaptic membrane is a muscle fibre membrane that is folded and has many receptors, and it always produces excitation
    • The neuromuscular junction is always inhibitory
    • The neuromuscular junction has no synaptic cleft

  10. A drug prevents acetylcholine from being broken down in the synaptic cleft. What is the most likely effect?

    • Increased breakdown of the neurone's myelin sheath
    • Reduced depolarisation of the postsynaptic membrane
    • Continued stimulation of the postsynaptic membrane, leading to prolonged depolarisation
    • Immediate blockage of all impulses in the neurone

  11. A drug blocks the acetylcholine receptors on the postsynaptic membrane. What is the predicted effect on transmission?

    • The presynaptic knob is destroyed
    • Acetylcholine is released in greater quantities
    • Impulses travel faster in the presynaptic neurone
    • The postsynaptic membrane cannot be depolarised by acetylcholine, so the signal is not passed on

  12. A drug stops calcium ions entering the presynaptic knob. What is the most likely result?

    • The postsynaptic membrane becomes permanently hyperpolarised
    • No acetylcholine is released, so the impulse is not transmitted across the synapse
    • Acetylcholine is released in larger amounts
    • The sodium pump in the knob speeds up

  13. Why is it important that acetylcholine is removed quickly from the synaptic cleft?

    • It increases the speed of conduction along the axon
    • It prevents continuous stimulation, so each impulse produces a separate response
    • It stops the presynaptic knob from making new vesicles
    • It allows the neurone to enter the refractory period more slowly

  14. A muscle does not contract when its motor neurone fires. Which cause is most likely at the neuromuscular junction?

    • The neurone is hyperpolarised permanently at the cell body
    • Acetylcholine receptors on the muscle membrane are blocked or absent
    • The axon has too many myelin sheaths
    • The muscle has too much ATP

  15. A drug mimics acetylcholine and binds strongly to receptors on a postsynaptic membrane. What is the predicted effect?

    • Prolonged stimulation of the postsynaptic membrane
    • Complete inhibition of the postsynaptic membrane
    • No effect because the drug is not acetylcholine
    • Permanent destruction of the presynaptic knob

  16. A single impulse arrives at a synapse and produces a small depolarisation below threshold. What is the most likely result?

    • A full action potential is produced immediately
    • No action potential is produced in the postsynaptic neurone unless further input adds up
    • Acetylcholine is destroyed before it is released
    • The postsynaptic neurone becomes hyperpolarised

  17. Which statement distinguishes temporal summation from spatial summation?

    • Temporal summation involves repeated impulses from one neurone, whereas spatial summation involves simultaneous impulses from several neurones
    • Spatial summation only occurs in inhibitory synapses
    • Temporal summation involves several neurones, whereas spatial summation involves one neurone
    • Temporal summation only occurs at neuromuscular junctions

  18. If excitatory and inhibitory inputs arrive at the same postsynaptic neurone, what determines whether it fires?

    • Only the inhibitory input, because it arrives last
    • Only the excitatory input, because inhibition is ignored
    • The colour of the synapse
    • The net balance of the depolarising and hyperpolarising effects compared with threshold

  19. Why is the synaptic cleft important for transmission?

    • It is where the presynaptic knob is stored
    • It is the site where myelin is produced
    • It is the gap across which neurotransmitter diffuses to reach receptors on the postsynaptic membrane
    • It is a channel that carries electrical impulses across the synapse

  20. Which feature of the neuromuscular junction helps it produce a strong response?

    • The motor neurone has no myelin, so it is very slow
    • The folded postsynaptic membrane has many receptors, so a large response is produced
    • The junction releases glucagon into the muscle
    • The muscle membrane has no sodium channels

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