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In preparing for the MCAT, I've come across some words that are seemingly straightforward, but after going through the answer explanations, turn out to be critical to choosing or ignoring an answer choice.
Just for clarity, please do not post here with any Verbal (VS) words which identify writer intent. This post is specifically about vocabulary used in biological experiments or in the explanation of physiology which may be unfamiliar to some of us.
(we all know that bacterial growth clouds the surface of the agar, but not knowing what turbidity meant, I missed this question)
Attenuate - This means that the degree to which something occurs is lessened. For example, an increase in some trend can be atteunuated. The example the test used was effects as a result of higher dosage. As dose kept increasing, there were diminishing returns, or attenuated gains. Again, simple, but not knowing this word turned out to be critical.
Distensible - To become distended is to become enlarged or stretched. This word was used in a comparison between all of the blood vessels in the body. This word feels so at home with the concept of elasticity its easy to get the two confused. While something elastic will stretch, it quickly regains its original conformation, and because it is elastic, it will stretch less, as in the case of the systemic arteries. On the other hand, something distensible becomes stretched or enlarged and remains so until the stress causing the distension is alleviated. Ergo, veins are more distensible than arteries. When I approached this question, I was fresh out of reading about the elastic mechanism by which arteries maintain blood pressure between Systole and Diastole, and I decided that systemic arteries were distensible. Not so much. Wrong Answer.
In addition to the few I've discovered already, I will update as I encounter more, and I encourage you all to do the same.
Just for clarity, please do not post here with any Verbal (VS) words which identify writer intent. This post is specifically about vocabulary used in biological experiments or in the explanation of physiology which may be unfamiliar to some of us.
EXAMPLES:
Turbidity - This means cloudiness, but it specifically relates to bacterial culture growth in a medium. Turbidity can be used as a quantitative indicator of bacterial reproduction in a culture. (we all know that bacterial growth clouds the surface of the agar, but not knowing what turbidity meant, I missed this question)
Attenuate - This means that the degree to which something occurs is lessened. For example, an increase in some trend can be atteunuated. The example the test used was effects as a result of higher dosage. As dose kept increasing, there were diminishing returns, or attenuated gains. Again, simple, but not knowing this word turned out to be critical.
Distensible - To become distended is to become enlarged or stretched. This word was used in a comparison between all of the blood vessels in the body. This word feels so at home with the concept of elasticity its easy to get the two confused. While something elastic will stretch, it quickly regains its original conformation, and because it is elastic, it will stretch less, as in the case of the systemic arteries. On the other hand, something distensible becomes stretched or enlarged and remains so until the stress causing the distension is alleviated. Ergo, veins are more distensible than arteries. When I approached this question, I was fresh out of reading about the elastic mechanism by which arteries maintain blood pressure between Systole and Diastole, and I decided that systemic arteries were distensible. Not so much. Wrong Answer.
In addition to the few I've discovered already, I will update as I encounter more, and I encourage you all to do the same.
