The Human Nervous System Quiz

1. What are the two main divisions of the human nervous system?

1. Brain and spinal cord only
2. Central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS)
3. Sensory system and motor system
4. Voluntary system and involuntary system

2. What are neurons?

1. Blood cells that carry oxygen
2. Cells that store memories
3. Hormones released by the brain
4. Specialised cells that carry electrical signals (impulses) through the nervous system

3. What are the three types of neuron?

1. Fast, slow, and medium neurons
2. Input, processing, and output neurons
3. Sensory, relay (interneuron), and motor neurons
4. Upper, middle, and lower neurons

4. What is a synapse?

1. The fatty sheath around an axon
2. The gap between two neurons where chemical neurotransmitters pass the signal across
3. The junction between two bones
4. The receptor at the end of a sensory neuron

5. What is a reflex action?

1. A learned behaviour repeated over time
2. A rapid, automatic, involuntary response to a stimulus that does not require conscious thought
3. A response controlled directly by the brain
4. A slow, conscious response to a stimulus

6. What is the correct order of a reflex arc?

1. Brain → motor neuron → receptor → sensory neuron
2. Effector → spinal cord → receptor → muscle
3. Receptor → sensory neuron → relay neuron → motor neuron → effector
4. Stimulus → brain → motor neuron → muscle

7. What is the function of the cerebrum?

1. Connects the brain to the spinal cord
2. Controls balance and muscle coordination
3. Controls heart rate and breathing automatically
4. The largest part of the brain responsible for conscious thought, memory, learning, personality, and voluntary movement

8. What is the cerebellum responsible for?

1. Balance, coordination, and fine motor control
2. Conscious thought and reasoning
3. Processing emotions
4. Regulating heart rate and breathing

9. What does the myelin sheath do?

1. Connects neurons at synapses
2. Insulates the axon and speeds up the transmission of nerve impulses
3. Produces neurotransmitters
4. Stores neurotransmitters

10. What is the difference between the nervous system and the endocrine (hormonal) system?

1. The nervous system controls growth; hormones control movement
2. The nervous system is slower; hormones are faster
3. The nervous system uses electrical impulses for rapid responses; the endocrine system uses hormones in blood for slower, longer-lasting effects
4. They are identical in function

11. What is a receptor in the nervous system?

1. A gland that releases hormones
2. A muscle that responds to nerve signals
3. A neuron in the spinal cord
4. A specialised cell or organ that detects stimuli and converts them into electrical impulses

12. What is the medulla oblongata responsible for?

1. Controlling involuntary vital functions like heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure
2. Higher cognitive functions
3. Memory formation
4. Processing visual information

13. What does the pupil reflex demonstrate?

1. An involuntary reflex where pupil size adjusts automatically to changes in light intensity
2. How the eye moves to track objects
3. Learned behaviour in response to light
4. The brain's conscious control of vision

14. What is a neurotransmitter?

1. A chemical messenger released at a synapse that transmits signals between neurons
2. A hormone produced by the pituitary gland
3. A type of nerve impulse
4. An electrical signal in a neuron

15. Why do reflexes bypass the brain?

1. Reflexes only work during sleep
2. The brain cannot process pain signals
3. The brain is too busy to respond
4. To produce a faster response — routing signals only through the spinal cord reduces response time

16. What is the function of the hypothalamus?

1. Controls voluntary movements
2. Coordinates balance
3. Links the nervous system to the endocrine system; regulates body temperature, hunger, thirst, and sleep
4. Processes language

17. What is the peripheral nervous system divided into?

1. Cerebrum and cerebellum
2. Sensory and CNS systems
3. Somatic (voluntary) and autonomic (involuntary) nervous systems
4. Upper and lower motor neurons

18. How do drugs like caffeine affect the nervous system?

1. They alter the action of neurotransmitters at synapses, affecting nerve impulse transmission
2. They destroy neurons permanently
3. They increase the number of neurons
4. They slow the speed of light-detecting cells in the eye

19. What is the function of the spinal cord?

1. Only to support the backbone structurally
2. To produce cerebrospinal fluid only
3. To relay nerve signals between the brain and the body, and to coordinate spinal reflexes
4. To store memories

20. What happens at the synapse when a nerve impulse arrives?

1. Calcium ions flow directly between neurons
2. The electrical signal jumps directly across the gap
3. The neurons physically touch and the signal passes by contact
4. Vesicles release neurotransmitters into the cleft; they bind to receptors on the next neuron and generate a new impulse