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Anatomy practice questions

23 questions from the phlebotomy technician practice test.

Anatomy practice test

10 questions, graded as you go, with the reason for every answer. No sign-up.

What this covers

Sample questions

Which structural feature is found in veins but not in arteries?

  1. A thick muscular middle layer
  2. A wall only one cell thick
  3. A pulse that can be felt
  4. Valves that prevent backflow
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D. Valves that prevent backflow

Veins work at low pressure and have valves that keep blood moving toward the heart. A thick muscular wall and a palpable pulse belong to arteries, and a one-cell wall describes capillaries.

Reference: Circulatory system anatomy: vessel structure

Where does the exchange of oxygen, nutrients and wastes between the blood and the tissues take place?

  1. Arterioles
  2. Capillaries
  3. Venules
  4. Arteries
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B. Capillaries

Capillary walls are a single cell thick, thin enough for gases, nutrients and wastes to pass between blood and tissue. Arterioles and venules connect the capillary bed to larger vessels but have thicker walls.

Reference: Circulatory system anatomy: capillaries

Blood obtained by a fingerstick is best described as which of the following?

  1. A mixture of arterial, venous and tissue fluid
  2. Venous blood only, from the small skin venules
  3. Arterial blood only, from the skin arterioles
  4. Plasma only, since the cells stay in the vessels
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A. A mixture of arterial, venous and tissue fluid

A skin puncture cuts through the capillary bed, so the sample contains blood from arterioles, venules and capillaries along with some tissue fluid. That is why some reference values differ from venous blood and why the source is noted on the specimen.

Reference: Capillary puncture: specimen composition (CLSI GP42)

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