PA Admissions Exam Blueprint: Content Outline & Subject Percentages for PA Exam, Lecture notes of Genetics

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Sample Questions and

Exam Blueprint

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Physician Assistant

College Admissions Test

PA -

CAT

PA Admissions Exam Blueprint All PA Admissions Examinations are constructed from a pre-established content outline, reviewed annually and updated as needed. The primary subject areas of the PA Admissions Exam are shown below in Table 1, with the percentage assigned to each for a typical exam^1. Subject Percentage Number of Items Anatomy 16% 39 Physiology 16% 39 Chemistry 16% 38 General Biology 11% 26 Microbiology 11% 26 Genetics 11% 26 Biochemistry 5% 12 Behavioral Sciences 9% 22 Statistics 5% 12 Total 100% 240 Table 1 PA-CAT Content Categories Tables 2-10 show the detailed content objectives for each of the subjects assessed on the PA Admissions Exam. These detailed lists represent examples of material that may be covered on the PA-CAT^2. While not all the listed content objectives are included in every PA Admissions Exam, overall content coverage is equivalent among the various examination forms that will be taken by different examinees. (^1) Percentages are subject to change at any time. (^2) It is not possible to include all topics on a single exam, and it may be possible that some questions on the exam cover objectives that are not listed in the examples.

Physiology Content Objectives The Cell Renal Physiology Functions of the Cellular Organelles Fluid Balance Regulation Translation and Transcription Glomerular Filtration and Renal Blood Flow Blood and Clotting Renal Tubular Reabsorption and Secretion Hemostasis and Blood Coagulation Renal Ion Regulation Circulation Renal Acid/Base Regulation Basics of Flow, Pressure, and Resistance Respiratory Physiology Microcirculation Basics of Pulmonary Ventilation Mechanisms of Blood Flow Control Basics of Gas Exchange Cardiac Output and Venous Return Pulmonary Circulation and Edema The Lymphatic System Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Transport in Blood Coronary Blood Flow Regulation of Respiration Endocrinology Reproduction Hypothalamus Hormones Mitosis and Meiosis Pituitary Hormones Spermatogenesis Thyroid Hormones Oogenesis Parathyroid Hormones Pregnancy and Lactation Endocrine Hormones Basics of Fetal Physiology Adrenocortical Hormones The Heart Gastrointestinal Physiology Heart Structure Valves, and Valve Sounds Paristalsis, Segmentation, and Defecation Cardiac Cycle Chemical Digestion, Absorption, and Regulation Electrical Activity of the Heart Membrane Physiology Coronary Blood Flow Diffusion and Osmosis Heart Defects Membrane Transport (Active and Passive) The Special Senses Basics of Membrane Potential Vision, Hearing, Taste, and Smell The Actions Potential The Muscular Contraction Metabolism Carbohydrate, Protein, and Lipid Metabolism Nervous System Nerve Physiology, Conduction, and Transmission Basics of Somatic Sensations Basics of Motor and Cerebral Circuits Basics of the Autonomic Nervous System Table 3 PA-CAT Physiology Blueprint

Chemistry Content Objectives Acids and Bases Bronsted Lowry Acids and Bases Measuring Acidity and Basicity Strengths of Acids and Bases Atoms, Ions, and Molecules Atomic Theory Ions and Molecules Chemical Bonding and Molecular Geometry VSEPR Theory Chemical Reactions Balancing Solubility Rules Types of Reactions Electrochemistry Oxidation and Reduction Gases Gas Laws; Dalton’s Laws of Partial Pressures Dalton’s Laws of Partial Pressures Ideal vs. Real Gases Liquids, Solids, and Gases Colligative Properties of Solutes Factors Affecting Solubility Stoichiometry Conversion and Conservation of Matter and Energy Reactant and Product Calculations Thermochemistry and Energy Energy and Chemical Changes/Reactions Organic Chemistry Alkanes Cycloalkanes Bond Properties Resonance Hybridization/LCAO Stereochemistry Spectroscopy Table 4 PA-CAT Chemistry Blueprint

Microbiology Content Objectives Bacteria Intracellular Bacteria Gram-Positive Cocci Gram-Positive Rods Acid-Fast Bacteria Gram-Negative Cocci and Coccobacilli Fermentative Gram-Negative Rods Nonfermenting Gram-Negative Rods Anaerobic Bacteria Spiral-Shaped Bacteria Intracellular Bacteria Role in Disease Viruses Human Immunodeficiency Virus Human Herpesvirus Respiratory Viruses Hepatitis Viruses Gastrointestinal Viruses Role in Disease Fungi Classification Opportunistic Fungi Cutaneous and Subcutaneous Fungi Systemic Dimorphic Fungi Parasites Classification Protozoa Trematodes Nematodes Cestodes Arthropods Interaction between Microbe and Host Principles of Disease and Epidemiology Microbial Mechanisms of Pathogenicity Innate and Adaptive Immunity Pathology, Infection, and Disease Microorganisms and Human Disease Environmental Microbiology Table 6 PA-CAT Microbiology Blueprint

Genetics Content Objectives Molecular Structure and Replication of Genetic Material Molecular Structure of DNA and RNA Chromosome Organization and Molecular Structure DNA Replication Patterns of Inheritance Chromosome Transmission During Cell Division and Sexual Reproduction Mendelian and Non-Mendelian Inheritance Genetic Linkage and Mapping in Eukaryotes Genetic Transfer and Mapping in Bacteria and Bacteriophages Variation in Chromosome Structure and Number Molecular Properties of Genes Gene Transcription and RNA Modification Translation of mRNA Gene Regulation in Bacteria Gene Regulation in Eukaryotes Non-Coding RNAs Genetics of Viruses Gene Mutation and DNA Repair Recombination, Immunogenetics, and Transposition Genetic Technologies Molecular Technologies Biotechnology Genomics Genetic Analysis of Individuals and Populations Medical Genetics and Cancer Developmental Genetics Population Genetics Complex and Quantitative Traits Table 7 PA-CAT Genetics Blueprint

Behavioral Sciences Content Objectives Biological Bases of Behavior Neuroanatomy Human Genetics Neural Transmission History and Approaches Lifespan Development Memory Motivation and Emotion Emotion Hunger and Eating Personality Sensation and Perception Sensation vs. Perception Waves and Wavelengths Learning Classical and Operant Conditioning Thinking and Intelligence Cognition Language Social Psychology Dispositional Approach to Explaining Human Behavior Self-Presentation Stress, Lifestyle, and Health States of Consciousness Sleep and Dreaming Psychoactive Drug Effects Psychological Research Importance of Research Analyzing Research Findings Approaches to Research Statistics Sociology Culture Deviance and Conformity Social Change Social Inequalities Social Institutions Sociological Perspective Socialization Psychological Disorders Therapy and Treatment Table 9 PA-CAT Behavioral Sciences Blueprint

Statistics Content Objectives Anticipating Patterns Probability Combining Independent Random Variables The Normal Distribution Sampling Distributions Exploring Data Graphical Displays of Distributions Summarizing Distributions of Univariate Data Comparing Distributions of Univariate Data Exploring Bivariate Data Exploring Categorical Data Sampling Experimentation Methods of Data Collection Planning and Conducting Surveys Planning and Conducting Experiments Generalizability of Results and Types of Conclusions Statistical Inference Estimation Test of Significance Table 10 PA-CAT Statistics Blueprint

QID: 1029905 (2 of 2)

A 42-year-old man with a history of anxiety and peptic ulcer disease develops severe back pain.

An analysis reveals the presence of amylase, lipase, and peptidase in his stomach. This patient's

condition is caused by erosion of a peptic ulcer in what structure?

Answer Choices:

A. Left gastric artery

B. Pancreas

C. Peritoneal cavity

D. Pleural cavity

E. Splenic artery

Explanation:

This patient's sudden onset severe back pain suggests perforation of a peptic ulcer. The location

of his pain along with the presence of pancreatic enzymes in the stomach suggest that the ulcer

eroded into the pancreas. Since the pancreas is located directly posterior to the stomach, the

ulcer would be located on the posterior wall of the stomach.

If the ulcer had eroded into the peritoneal cavity, the leakage of stomach contents into the

peritoneal cavity would result in a generalized peritonitis, causing generalized severe abdominal

pain and rebound tenderness, not focal back pain. If the ulcer had somehow eroded into the

pleural cavity, we would expect to see pleuritic chest pain. If the ulcer had eroded into a blood

vessel, we might see blood in the stomach or peritoneum instead of pancreatic enzymes,

resulting in a much more serious clinical presentation. Two common blood vessels that a peptic

ulcer can erode into are the splenic artery, which carries blood to the spleen, or the left gastric

artery, which supplies blood to the lesser curvature of the stomach.

References:

1. Moore KL, Dalley AF, Agur AMR. Clinically Oriented Anatomy. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA:

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2014:255-7.

Physiology QID: 1049211 (1 of 2)

A patient sustains a myocardial infarction (heart attack) that damages the ventricular septum of

the heart. What effect on the heart is most likely to be seen immediately after the heart attack?

Answer Choices:

A. Blood flowing from the left side of the heart to the right

B. Changes in the electrical conduction of the heart

C. Damage to the valves of the heart

D. Reduction in blood pressure

Explanation:

The septum contains fibers that coordinate the beating of the ventricles. These are sensitive

and are damaged almost instantly in myocardial infarction. This damage can be seen via

changes in the conduction of electricity through the heart.

Damage to valves, left to right blood flow, and dramatic hypotension are common late

complications of myocardial infarction, generally occurring days to weeks following the initial

event. This is in contrast to electrical changes, which present near instantly.

References:

1. OpenStax, Anatomy & Physiology. OpenStax CNX. Jul 31, 2018.

https://cnx.org/contents/FPtK1zmh@11.1:Y5T_wVSC@5/Heart-Anatomy. Accessed

September 5, 2018.

General Biology QID: 1030510 (1 of 2)

Trace evidence retrieved in a crime scene revealed 2 distinct monosaccharides upon infrared

spectroscopic analysis. The victim was a scientist who was working with an enzyme that cleaves

disaccharides. The spectroscopic analysis from the crime lab exactly matched the last entry on

the victim's electronic notebook. During their investigation, the forensics team analyzed

carbohydrate samples from 4 suspects who had entered the crime scene in the past 24 hours.

Each of the suspects had a unique carbohydrate sample that they needed to analyze.

Based on this evidence, which of the following carbohydrates did the most likely suspect

possess?

Answer Choices:

A. Fructose

B. Maltose

C. Starch

D. Sucrose

Explanation:

The victim was working with an enzyme that cleaves disaccharides into its constituent

monosaccharides. The spectroscopic analysis revealed the presence of 2 different

monosaccharides. The most likely suspect must have been the person who possessed a

disaccharide made of 2 different monomers.

The suspect who possessed sucrose (glucose + fructose), is most likely to have seen the victim

the last.

Maltose is a disaccharide made of 2 glucose monomers and could not have been the relevant

disaccharide.

Fructose (a monosaccharide) and starch (a polysaccharide) cannot be cleaved by the enzyme in

question.

References:

1. Simon EJ, Dickey JL, Hogan KA, Reece JB. Essential Chemistry for Biology. In: Campbell

Essential Biology with Physiology. 5th ed. Harlow, UK: Pearson; 2016:22-35.

QID: 1030506 (2 of 2)

A graduate student received organellar fractions from 4 different sources. The student was

asked to extract DNA from each and was surprised to find 1 sample devoid of any genetic

material.

Given that the student was careful and there were no mistakes in the extraction procedure,

what source would be devoid of genetic material?

Answer Choices:

A. Beetle leaf extract

B. Onion peel

C. Red blood cells

D. Semen sample

Explanation:

Red blood cells (RBCs) extracted from blood would be devoid of any genetic material. Typically,

a blood sample would contain all cellular components (lymphocytes, RBCs, and platelets) from

which DNA can be extracted, but RBCs specifically do not contain nuclei or any organelles (to

make room for packaging hemoglobin).

Beetle leaf extract and onion peel, both plant sources, and semen sample (human source)

would all contain DNA, as they contain nuclei and organelles (mitochondria and chloroplasts),

which house various amounts of DNA.

References:

1. The Princeton Review: Molecular Biology. In: Cracking the AP Biology Exam. New York,

NY: Penguin Random House; 2018:161-81.

2. The Princeton Review: Cells. In: Cracking the AP Biology Exam. New York, NY: Penguin

Random House; 2018:111-8.

QID: 1011381 (2 of 2)

The acetylation of 0.205 mol of p-aminophenol by acetic anhydride produced acetaminophen

and acetic acid. A side reaction resulting from moisture in the reaction vessel hydrolyzed an

unknown amount of acetic anhydride before the reaction was complete. After purification, only

29.47 g of acetaminophen was isolated. If 13.35 g of acetic acid was recovered from the

products, how much acetic anhydride was consumed in the acetylation reaction and how much

underwent hydrolysis?

Answer Choices:

A. Acetylation – 11.71 g and Hydrolysis – 1.39 g

B. Acetylation – 19.91 g and Hydrolysis – 1.39 g

C. Acetylation – 19.91 g and Hydrolysis – 1.64 g

D. Acetylation – 20.93 g and Hydrolysis – unknown

E. Acetylation – 19.91 g and Hydrolysis – unknown

Explanation:

The correct answer is Acetylation – 19.91 g and Hydrolysis – 1.39 g.

Since acetaminophen is the product of the acetylation reaction, the amount of acetaminophen

produced from the reaction is used to determine how much of the acetic anhydride was

consumed by the acetylation reaction. Using the molecular mass, we can determine that 0.

mol of acetaminophen was produced through acetylation. This would require 19.91 g of acetic

anhydride.

Calculate the amount of acetic acid produced as a side product of the acetylation reaction:

0.195 mol*60.05 g = 11.71 g. Now, subtract the mass of acetic acid produced as a result of

acetylation from the mass recovered after reaction to get the mass of acetic acid produced

through hydrolysis: 13.35 g – 11.71 g = 1.64 g acetic acid. The hydrolysis reaction proceeds as

follows:

(CH 3 CO) 2 O + H2O → 2CH 3 COH

Therefore, 1.64 g of acetic acid is produced by 1.39 g of acetic anhydride.

References:

1. Zumdahl SS, Zumdahl SA. Chemistry: An Atoms First Approach. 2nd ed. Bellmont, CA:

Cengage Learning; 2015:236.

Biochemistry QID: 1095679 (1 of 2)

What generally results from a point mutation, deletion, or insertion in the promoter region of a

proto-oncogene?

Answer Choices:

A. Increased transcription of protein product

B. Stimulation of cell mitosis

C. Transduction of continuous cell growth signals

D. Uncontrolled stimulation of kinase signaling pathway

Explanation:

A point mutation, deletion, or insertion in the promoter region of a proto-oncogene is an

activation mechanism that generally causes increased transcription.

Stimulation of cell mitosis is an example of a general process involving proteins encoded by

proto-oncogenes.

Transduction of continuous cell growth signals relates to a mutation within an oncogene

rather than a mutation to the promoter region; specifically, this refers to the mutated ras

oncogene, which causes a protein to remain in an active state and transduces continuous cell

growth signals.

Uncontrolled stimulation of kinase signaling pathway similarly relates to a mutation within an

oncogene rather than a mutation to the promoter region; specifically, this refers to the

mutated braf oncogene, which encodes for a protein with a modified kinase domain.

References:

1. Lowdon R, Wang T. Epigenomic annotation of noncoding mutations identifies mutated

pathways in primary liver cancer. PLoS One. 2017;12(3):e0174032.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5363827/.