AEA Memorandum 2007
Questions
MCQs
1. With regard to the sliding filament theory of muscles, which of the
following is correct?
a. Myosin cross-bridges interact with specific sites on actin molecules.
b. Cross-bridges have an unlimited range of movements.
c. Cross-bridges are activated once every cycle.
d. 2 ATP molecules are used per cycle.
e. 4 ATP molecules are used per cycle
2. Meniere’s disease is a disorder that can affect hearing and balance,
increased pressure and volume of endolymph in middle ear causes hearing
loss due to excess fluid in endolymph. Which of the following is MOST
CORRECT?
a. Increased Na+ in endolymph is responsible for symptoms.
b. Onset of symptoms is over a few days.
c. Progressive hearing loss occurs
d. Vertigo means ringing in the ears.
e. Clinical symptoms are mediated by non-neural structures rather
than hair cells.
3. Regarding anti-inflammatory drugs, which of the following is MOST
CORRECT?
a. Aspirin is a selective inhibitor of COX-2.
b. Selective COX-1 inhibitors lead to increased GIT bleeding compared
to COX-2 inhibitors.
c. Serious liver damage is a class effect cyclo-oxygenase.
d. The anti-inflammatory effects of corticosteroids are partly due to the
stimulation of aldosterone in the juxta-glomerular apparatus.
e. Corticosteroids are useful in early stages of osteoarthritis
4. Which of the following is TRUE about opioids?
a. Methadone is used in patient-controlled infusion systems because it
has a short duration of action.
b. They act directly on G-protein receptors to inhibit the activity of
adenylate cyclase.
c. μ opioids are less likely to cause dependence than kappa opioids.
d. The short duration of action of fentanyl is due to its low lipid
solubility.
e. Administration of high therapeutic doses of morphine results in
diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting.
5. According to the NSW Registry, which of the following regarding cancer
epidemiology is TRUE?
a. Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality among
men.
b. Melanoma is the leading cause of cancer mortality among women.
c. Colon cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality for both men
and women.
d. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality for both men
and women.
e. Pancreatic cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality for men.
6. A 35-year-old male presents to your general practice with bright red
bleeding in his stool and diarrhoea. After an examination, he is only found
to have haemorrhoids, and he has no family history of colorectal cancer.
What is the best course of action?
a. Reassure him that it is only haemorrhoids and to return if the
symptoms persist.
b. Refer him for assessment with colonoscopy.
c. Barium meal.
d. Barium enema.
e. Advise him to take his anti-diarrhoeal medications.
7. You have an elderly patient who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer
but the family asks you not to tell them because they think it’ll be too
much for them to deal with. As the doctor, what do you do?
a. Tell patient anyways
b. Follow family’s wishes.
c. Tell patient only if they ask.
d. Talk to family about advantages and disadvantages of telling patient
but final decision is theirs.
e. Talk to family about advantages and disadvantages of telling patient
but remind them that your responsibility is to the patient.
8. An elderly man has severe pain from a terminal illness. What is the best
course of action?
a. Twice daily paracetamol is for optimum effect.
b. Paracetamol is already given too much.
c. NSAIDs should be used.
d. Strong opioids should be used.
9. Which one of the following best describes the effect on sensorimotor
function as one ages?
a. It changes in linear fashion.
b. Sensorimotor function has less variability in elderly as compared to
young adults.
c. Underlying diseases may increase risk of falling in the elderly more
than impaired sensorimotor function.
d. Sensorimotor function decreases exponentially and increases in
variability as we age.
e. Underlying diseases doesn’t affect the risk of falling in the elderly.
10. Which ONE of the following statements is MOST CORRECT?
a. Sharpey’s fibres connect the periosteum to the bone especially at
the ligaments and tendons.
b. Periosteum covers all of bone including the hyaline cartilage.
c. Periosteum is not involved in bone repair from injury.
11. Which is true of the deltoid muscle?
a. It is involved in all shoulder movements.
b. It is a scapular depressor.
c. It acts unaided in arm abduction.
d. It is innervated by a branch of the posterior cord of the brachial
plexus.
e. It attaches to the coracoid process of the scapula.
12. Which structures contribute most to the stability of the shoulder joint?
a. Capsule tightens.
b. Glenohumeral ligaments.
c. Muscle attachments.
d. Glenoid labrum.
13. With regard to the knee joint, which ONE is the MOST CORRECT?
a. Lateral meniscus tightly adheres to the fibular collateral ligament.
b. Popliteus muscle involved in ‘locking’ the knee joint.
c. Cruciate ligaments are contained within the synovial cavity.
d. Collateral ligaments are tightened/stretched when the knee is
flexed.
14. (Practical question) Which of the following concerning the carpal tunnel
practical is MOST CORRECT?
a. Motor neurons are faster than sensory neurons.
b. Electric currents in digital nerves excite motor and cutaneous cells.
c. Direction of the electrodes affect the graph/experiment.
15. (Practical question) Which type of contraction was used to investigate the
influence of the length of muscle on the force of the toad leg muscle?
a. Isotonic.
b. Isometric.
c. Isokinetic.
d. Eccentric.
e. Shortening.
16. In the skeletal practical, increase in grade of stimulation in the sciatic nerve
resulted in the consequent increase in grade of muscle contraction. Which
of the following best describes why?
a. Increase in stimulation = increase in muscle contraction force.
b. Increase in stimulation = more muscle fibres recruited.
c. Increase in stimulation = muscles of fatigue recruited.
d. Something about 10 volts and 100 Hz.
e. Something about spindle bundles.
17. Which of the following statements are TRUE?
a. Stability of the joint mainly depends on the muscles that attach to
the tubercles of the humerus.
18. Which of the following about the gluteus maximus muscles is MOST
CORRECT?
a. It attaches to the iliotibial tract.
b. It is supplied by sciatic nerve.
c. Paralysis of the muscle results in inability to extend the thigh.
d. It is an important stabilizer of the pelvis in walking.
e. It arises from the surface of the ilium between the anterior and
posterior gluteal lines.
19. Which statement on axoplasmic transport is MOST CORRECT?
a. Anterograde and retrograde transport both use actin-based
transport system.
b. Retrograde transport utilizes ATP.
c. Anterograde transport is used to transport exogenous trophic
factors back to the soma.
d. Both fast anterograde and retrograde uses the same mechanism.
e. Anterograde transport is used to transport acetylcholine to fill the
vesicles to be released at the NMJ.
20. Which statement BEST describes the time period that corresponds to a
situation where the most Na+ voltage gated channels are open?
a. The time period is 2 and it is repolarizing.
b. The time period is 2 and it is hyperpolarizing.
c. The time period is 2 and it is depolarizing.
d. The time period is 3 and it is repolarizing
e. The time period is 3 and it is hyperpolarizing.
21. Management and diagnosis of cancer patients include all of the following
EXCEPT:
a. Clinical assessment.
b. Staging with imaging techniques.
c. Biopsy of tumour tissues.
d. Biopsy of normal tissues.
e. Case discussion with a multidisciplinary team.
22. Treatment of a non-metastatic rectal cancer patient may include all the
following EXCEPT:
a. Surgery with temporary ileostomy.
b. Adjuvant chemotherapy.
c. Adjuvant radiotherapy.
d. Surgery with permanent colostomy.
e. Brachytherapy (intracavity).
23. Which of the following concerning the carpal tunnel practical is MOST
CORRECT?
a. It affects all nerves in the palm and fingers.
b. It is caused by an autoimmune demyelinated disease.
c. Has increased conduction velocity compared to the ulnar nerve.
d. Only affects sensory neurons and not motor neurons.
e. Can cause paradoxical effects of sensory afferents leading to
paresthesia.
24. (Practical question) Which of the following concerning the carpal tunnel
practical is MOST CORRECT?
a. Motor neurons are faster than sensory neurons.
b. Electric currents in digital nerves excite motor and cutaneous cells.
c. Direction of the electrodes affect the graph / experiment.
25. Which one of these statements concerning pain is INCORRECT?
a. Pain is a subjective experience resulting from activation of
nociceptors.
b. Pain nociceptors are unmyelinated axons with free nerve endings
and small cell bodies
c. Descending inhibition of pain involves the diencephalon, the pons,
the periaqueductal gray.
d. One of the other answers.
26. Calculate clearance for a 70kg man: half-life = 6.9, Vd = 0.7L/kg.
a. 0.4 L/hr.
b. 4.9 L/hr.
c. 1.58 L/hr.
d. 12.8 L/hr.
e. 58.7 L/hr.
27. Which of these features is consistent with Haversian systems?
a. Each blood vessel does not go between more than one Haversian
canal.
b. Osteoclasts in lacunae are surrounded by lamellar bone.
c. Osteoblast is in the canaliculi.
d. Interstitial lamellae wrap around all the Haversian systems.
e. One osteoblast per Haversian system.
28. Which of these is MOST CORRECT concerning the shoulder joint?
a. Stability of the joint mainly depends on the muscles that attach to
the tubercles of the humerus.
29. Which ONE of the following treatments are recommended for pain relief in
metastatic cancer?
a. NSAID + Panadol + weak opioid.
30. Which of the following is MOST CORRECT about C7?
a. Supply of the middle finger of the hand.
b. Supplies the upper trunk of the brachial plexus.
c. Contributes to the ulnar nerve.
31. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of cancer cells?
a. Self-sufficiency in growth factors.
b. Induction of apoptosis.
c. Insensitivity to anti-growth signals.
d. Sustained angiogenesis.
e. Tissue invasion and metastases.
SAQs
Question 4:
A 74-year-old woman presents to her local doctor with increasing pain and
stiffness in her right knee. Osteoarthritis of the knee was confirmed by X-ray.
Answer the following questions regarding this case. The times shown reflect the
weighting of marks that will be given to each part of the question.
I. Give an account of the anatomy of the knee joint, including its articular
surfaces, capsule, ligaments and movements. (17 minutes).
II. List three features that you would expect to see on this woman’s knee X-
ray that would provide evidence of osteoarthritis, and briefly explain how
these changes came about. (8 minutes).
Question 5:
I. Where in the body might the cancer spread?
II. Factors important in DETERMINING the likelihood of spread of the
carcinoma (5 marks)
Answers
MCQs
1. With regard to the sliding filament theory of muscles, which of the
following is correct?
a. Myosin cross-bridges interact with specific sites on actin molecules.
b. Cross-bridges have an unlimited range of movements.
c. Cross-bridges are activated once every cycle.
d. 2 ATP molecules are used per cycle.
e. 4 ATP molecules are used per cycle
2. Meniere’s disease is a disorder that can affect hearing and balance,
increased pressure and volume of endolymph in middle ear causes hearing
loss due to excess fluid in endolymph. Which of the following is MOST
CORRECT?
a. Increased Na+ in endolymph is responsible for symptoms.
b. Onset of symptoms is over a few days.
c. Progressive hearing loss occurs
d. Vertigo means ringing in the ears.
e. Clinical symptoms are mediated by non-neural structures rather
than hair cells.
3. Regarding anti-inflammatory drugs, which of the following is MOST
CORRECT?
a. Aspirin is a selective inhibitor of COX-2.
b. Selective COX-1 inhibitors lead to increased GIT bleeding compared
to COX-2 inhibitors.
c. Serious liver damage is a class effect cyclo-oxygenase.
d. The anti-inflammatory effects of corticosteroids are partly due to the
stimulation of aldosterone in the juxta-glomerular apparatus.
e. Corticosteroids are useful in early stages of osteoarthritis
4. Which of the following is TRUE about opioids?
a. Methadone is used in patient-controlled infusion systems because it
has a short duration of action.
b. They act directly on G-protein receptors to inhibit the activity of
adenylate cyclase.
c. μ opioids are less likely to cause dependence than kappa opioids.
d. The short duration of action of fentanyl is due to its low lipid
solubility.
e. Administration of high therapeutic doses of morphine results in
diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting.
5. According to the NSW Registry, which of the following regarding cancer
epidemiology is TRUE?
a. Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality among
men.
b. Melanoma is the leading cause of cancer mortality among women.
c. Colon cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality for both men
and women.
d. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality for both men
and women.
e. Pancreatic cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality for men.
6. A 35-year-old male presents to your general practice with bright red
bleeding in his stool and diarrhoea. After an examination, he is only found
to have haemorrhoids, and he has no family history of colorectal cancer.
What is the best course of action?
a. Reassure him that it is only haemorrhoids and to return if the
symptoms persist.
b. Refer him for assessment with colonoscopy.
c. Barium meal.
d. Barium enema.
e. Advise him to take his anti-diarrhoeal medications.
7. You have an elderly patient who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer
but the family asks you not to tell them because they think it’ll be too
much for them to deal with. As the doctor, what do you do?
a. Tell patient anyways
b. Follow family’s wishes.
c. Tell patient only if they ask.
d. Talk to family about advantages and disadvantages of telling patient
but final decision is theirs.
e. Talk to family about advantages and disadvantages of telling patient
but remind them that your responsibility is to the patient.
8. An elderly man has severe pain from a terminal illness. What is the best
course of action?
a. Twice daily paracetamol is for optimum effect.
b. Paracetamol is already given too much.
c. NSAIDs should be used.
d. Strong opioids should be used.
9. Which one of the following best describes the effect on sensorimotor
function as one ages?
a. It changes in linear fashion.
b. Sensorimotor function has less variability in elderly as compared to
young adults.
c. Underlying diseases may increase risk of falling in the elderly more
than impaired sensorimotor function.
d. Sensorimotor function decreases exponentially and increases in
variability as we age.
e. Underlying diseases doesn’t affect the risk of falling in the elderly.
10. Which ONE of the following statements is MOST CORRECT?
a. Sharpey’s fibres connect the periosteum to the bone especially at
the ligaments and tendons.
b. Periosteum covers all of bone including the hyaline cartilage.
c. Periosteum is not involved in bone repair from injury.
11. Which is true of the deltoid muscle?
a. It is involved in all shoulder movements.
b. It is a scapular depressor.
c. It acts unaided in arm abduction.
d. It is innervated by a branch of the posterior cord of the brachial
plexus.
e. It attaches to the coracoid process of the scapula.
12. Which structures contribute most to the stability of the shoulder joint?
a. Capsule tightens.
b. Glenohumeral ligaments.
c. Muscle attachments.
d. Glenoid labrum.
13. With regard to the knee joint, which ONE is the MOST CORRECT?
a. Lateral meniscus tightly adheres to the fibular collateral ligament.
b. Popliteus muscle involved in ‘locking’ the knee joint.
c. Cruciate ligaments are contained within the synovial cavity.
d. Collateral ligaments are tightened/stretched when the knee is
flexed.
14. (Practical question) Which of the following concerning the carpal tunnel
practical is MOST CORRECT?
a. Motor neurons are faster than sensory neurons.
b. Electric currents in digital nerves excite motor and cutaneous cells.
c. Direction of the electrodes affect the graph/experiment.
15. (Practical question) Which type of contraction was used to investigate the
influence of the length of muscle on the force of the toad leg muscle?
a. Isotonic.
b. Isometric.
c. Isokinetic.
d. Eccentric.
e. Shortening.
16. In the skeletal practical, increase in grade of stimulation in the sciatic nerve
resulted in the consequent increase in grade of muscle contraction. Which
of the following best describes why?
a. Increase in stimulation = increase in muscle contraction force.
b. Increase in stimulation = more muscle fibres recruited.
c. Increase in stimulation = muscles of fatigue recruited.
d. Something about 10 volts and 100 Hz.
e. Something about spindle bundles.
17. Which of the following statements are TRUE?
a. Stability of the joint mainly depends on the muscles that attach to
the tubercles of the humerus.
18. Which of the following about the gluteus maximus muscles is MOST
CORRECT?
a. It attaches to the iliotibial tract.
b. It is supplied by sciatic nerve.
c. Paralysis of the muscle results in inability to extend the thigh.
d. It is an important stabilizer of the pelvis in walking.
e. It arises from the surface of the ilium between the anterior and
posterior gluteal lines.
19. Which statement on axoplasmic transport is MOST CORRECT?
a. Anterograde and retrograde transport both use actin-based
transport system.
b. Retrograde transport utilizes ATP.
c. Anterograde transport is used to transport exogenous trophic
factors back to the soma.
d. Both fast anterograde and retrograde uses the same mechanism.
e. Anterograde transport is used to transport acetylcholine to fill the
vesicles to be released at the NMJ.
20. Which statement BEST describes the time period that corresponds to a
situation where the most Na+ voltage gated channels are open?
a. The time period is 2 and it is repolarizing.
b. The time period is 2 and it is hyperpolarizing.
c. The time period is 2 and it is depolarizing.
d. The time period is 3 and it is repolarizing
e. The time period is 3 and it is hyperpolarizing.
21. Management and diagnosis of cancer patients include all of the following
EXCEPT:
a. Clinical assessment.
b. Staging with imaging techniques.
c. Biopsy of tumour tissues.
d. Biopsy of normal tissues.
e. Case discussion with a multidisciplinary team.
22. Treatment of a non-metastatic rectal cancer patient may include all the
following EXCEPT:
a. Surgery with temporary ileostomy.
b. Adjuvant chemotherapy.
c. Adjuvant radiotherapy.
d. Surgery with permanent colostomy.
e. Brachytherapy (intracavity).
23. Which of the following concerning the carpal tunnel practical is MOST
CORRECT?
a. It affects all nerves in the palm and fingers.
b. It is caused by an autoimmune demyelinated disease.
c. Has increased conduction velocity compared to the ulnar nerve.
d. Only affects sensory neurons and not motor neurons.
e. Can cause paradoxical effects of sensory afferents leading to
paresthesia.
24. (Practical question) Which of the following concerning the carpal tunnel
practical is MOST CORRECT?
a. Motor neurons are faster than sensory neurons.
b. Electric currents in digital nerves excite motor and cutaneous cells.
c. Direction of the electrodes affect the graph / experiment.
25. Which one of these statements concerning pain is INCORRECT?
a. Pain is a subjective experience resulting from activation of
nociceptors.
b. Pain nociceptors are unmyelinated axons with free nerve endings
and small cell bodies
c. Descending inhibition of pain involves the diencephalon, the pons,
the periaqueductal gray.
d. One of the other answers.
26. Calculate clearance for a 70kg man: half-life = 6.9, Vd = 0.7L/kg.
a. 0.4 L/hr.
b. 4.9 L/hr.
c. 1.58 L/hr.
d. 12.8 L/hr.
e. 58.7 L/hr.
27. Which of these features is consistent with Haversian systems?
a. Each blood vessel does not go between more than one Haversian
canal.
b. Osteoclasts in lacunae are surrounded by lamellar bone.
c. Osteoblast is in the canaliculi.
d. Interstitial lamellae wrap around all the Haversian systems.
e. One osteoblast per Haversian system.
28. Which of these is MOST CORRECT concerning the shoulder joint?
a. Stability of the joint mainly depends on the muscles that attach to
the tubercles of the humerus.
29. Which ONE of the following treatments are recommended for pain relief in
metastatic cancer?
a. NSAID + Panadol + weak opioid.
30. Which of the following is MOST CORRECT about C7?
a. Supply of the middle finger of the hand.
b. Supplies the upper trunk of the brachial plexus.
c. Contributes to the ulnar nerve.
31. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of cancer cells?
a. Self-sufficiency in growth factors.
b. Induction of apoptosis.
c. Insensitivity to anti-growth signals.
d. Sustained angiogenesis.
e. Tissue invasion and metastases.
SAQs
Question 4:
A 74-year-old woman presents to her local doctor with increasing pain and
stiffness in her right knee. Osteoarthritis of the knee was confirmed by X-ray.
Answer the following questions regarding this case. The times shown reflect the
weighting of marks that will be given to each part of the question.
III. Give an account of the anatomy of the knee joint, including its articular
surfaces, capsule, ligaments and movements. (17 minutes).
IV. List three features that you would expect to see on this woman’s knee X-
ray that would provide evidence of osteoarthritis, and briefly explain how
these changes came about. (8 minutes).
Question 5:
III. Where in the body might the cancer spread?
IV. Factors important in DETERMINING the likelihood of spread of the
carcinoma (5 marks)