ASVAB CampHuman Body Systems flashcards
8 cards with the formulas, rules and traps from this lesson. Answer in your head, then flip to check.
Fact · 1/8
Trace blood returning from the body through the heart and lungs.
Body veins to the venae cavae, right atrium, right ventricle, pulmonary artery, lungs, pulmonary vein, left atrium, left ventricle, then out the aorta. The left ventricle has the thickest wall because it pumps to the whole body.
Rule · 2/8
Arteries versus veins: what defines each?
Arteries carry blood away from the heart; veins carry it back. They are named for direction, not oxygen content: pulmonary arteries carry oxygen-poor blood, pulmonary veins oxygen-rich blood.
Fact · 3/8
Where does gas exchange occur in the lungs, and by what process?
In the alveoli, tiny air sacs wrapped in capillaries. Oxygen diffuses from air into blood and carbon dioxide diffuses from blood into air, across very thin walls with huge surface area.
Fact · 4/8
Where are most nutrients absorbed, and what increases its surface area?
The small intestine. Folds, finger-like villi and microvilli greatly increase surface area; sugars and amino acids enter capillaries, and most fats enter lacteals.
Common trap · 5/8
Liver versus gallbladder: which makes bile?
The liver makes bile; the gallbladder only stores and concentrates it. Bile is not an enzyme; it breaks fat into small droplets so lipase can work.
Fact · 6/8
What is the route of urine from where it is made to the outside?
Kidney (makes urine), ureter, urinary bladder (stores it), urethra, outside. A common trap swaps ureter and urethra.
Rule · 7/8
Insulin versus glucagon: what does each do to blood glucose?
Both come from pancreatic islets. Insulin (beta cells) lowers blood glucose after a meal; glucagon (alpha cells) raises it during fasting by releasing glucose from liver glycogen.
Term · 8/8
Tendon versus ligament
A tendon connects muscle to bone and passes the muscle's pull to the skeleton. A ligament connects bone to bone and stabilizes a joint.