RT 230 - Radiation Biology Exam 2007
 

MULTIPLE CHOICE.

On the line to the left, place the letter of the choice that best answers the question. Three Points Each.
NOTE: "e" answers are never the correct answer.


1. Which is an example of hormesis?

_______   a. Once a cell takes a critical hit, additional exposure doesn't matter
                b. A glass of wine a day may help prevent cancer
                c. DNA is needed to make proteins, but proteins help make DNA
                d. A single diagnostic x-ray might cause leukemia
                e. Isn't that some sort of luncheon meat?
 


2. What happens at the dose-response threshold?

_______    a. Effects become linear                 b. Effects stop being linear                c. Effects appear
                d. Effects produce cell death                                e. Something grabs onto a thres and won't let go
 


3. Telomeres are most likely to degrade during

_______    a. Protein production                 b. Chemical damage                c. Radiation damage
                d. Chromosome duplication                                e. De marking period
 


4. A cell is most likely to be severely affected by radiation if the exposure is

_______    a. Mutated                 b. Ionized                c. Between divisions                 d. During a division                e. Particularly embarrassing
 


5. Cross-linking happens between

_______    a. Data and risk groups                 b. Molecules                c. Chromosomes and mutations
                d. Therapeutic beams                                e. The stuff I know and the stuff I'm confused about
 


6. Very energetic radiation may have a low LET because –

_______    a. It affects primarily DNA                                                    b. It does not penetrate very far
                c. It does not interact much with material in the cells                d. It gets absorbed by water
                                                                e. It lost it playing the lottery



7. Relative risk is relative to what?

_______    a. The exposed group's number                 b. The expected number                c. The maximum number
                d. Zero                                e. How much risk can a risk group have if a risk group must risk risk?

 


8. Of the various gene point mutations,

_______ a) Substitutions are worse than deletions                b) Insertions are worse than deletions
                c) Substitutions often have no effects                  d) Insertions often have no effects
                                                e) I don't remember the point


 

9. Which is not a statement from the Cell Theory?

_______    a. Cells always have membranes                                        b. Cells are more similar than different
                c. All living things are made up of at least one cell                d. Cells are the smallest things that are considered alive
                                                e. Cells may be the most boring things in existence
 


10. According to the mathematics of target theory, if a group of cells is hit with just enough radiation to theoretically hit every cell with a lethal dose,
                        how many will probably die?

_______    a. 100%                 b. 63%                 c. 37%                d. 0%                 e. Math...gack...sputter...ack...
 


11. An SED50 is a term applied to

_______    a. Serious effects                 b. Sperm effects                 c. Stomach effects                d. Skin effects                 e. Sudoku education
 


12. The higher the oxygenation level of an area,

_______    a) The greater the radiation effect                                    b) The lower the radiation effect
                c) The fewer free radicals                                                d) The more likely it is to be cancerous
                                                e) The bubblier it is, like champagne in your guts
 



Short Answer.

Pick SIX questions to answer in the spaces provided.
NOTE: if you answer MORE than six, only the first six will be corrected.
Four Points each. Partial credit is possible.

1. For radiation fractionation -
Definition-
 

 

Why effect may
be less-


 
2. Give two aspects of gastrointestinal syndrome that can actually bring about someone's death.
 

 

 

 
3. Of the five basic tissue types, which two are least sensitive to radiation damage?
 

 

 

 
4. What are two different types of problems that can be detected by inspecting a karyotype?
 

 

 

 
5. What are two factors that determine how much tissue damage radiation will do?
 

 

 

 
6. What two aspects of the prodromal period is used to guess how severe a radiation dose a person has received?
 

 

 

 
7. Give two organelles found between the nucleus and the cell membrane, and for each give a function.
 

 

 

 
9. What are two classes of gene types that can mutate and produce cancer?
 

 

 

 
10. Explain what all the parts of the term LD50/60 mean.
 

 

 

11. Briefly explain what happens in an atom during reradiation.
 

 

 

12. What are two features needed in a radioprotector?
 

 

 

 



Long Answer.

Select and answer completely any four of the following questions.
Note: if you answer more than four, only the first four will be corrected.
Ten Points Each. Partial credit is possible.
 

1. For each reproductive system, explain how radiation damage patterns differ and why those patterns differ.
MALE:

 

 

 

 

 

FEMALE:

 

 

 

 

2. What are five possible cellular effects from radiation damage?
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 
3. For hematologic / hemapoetic / bone marrow syndrome, the blood's cellular components disappear in a particular order. Put the components in that order, and explain why each takes longer / shorter times than the others
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. For five types of radiation-induced cancers that have been connected to a particular specific past exposure, give the cancer and the exposure type .
 

 

 
 

 

 
 

 

 
 

 

 
 

 

 
5. For the following life-time periods, rate the radiosensitivity (low, moderate, high) and give a brief explanation for why it has that sensitivity.
STAGE RADIOSENSITIVITY Explanation
Embryo  

 

 
Child  

 

 
Adult  

 

 
Elderly  

 

 
6. What are five different features that a malignant tumor
probably has that would not be found in the other body tissues?
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 
7. What are the cell characteristics for which the Law of Bergonie & Tribondeau apply?
 

 

 

 

 

LINK TO ANSWER KEY

BONUS QUESTIONS.

Answer as many as you are able. Wrong answers will not result in points being lost from the main exam. You can get partial credit on these answers.



Cell membranes are a close-to-waterproof barrier. Why does an internal body cell need such a barrier around it? Three Points.



If radiation damaged the stereospecificity of a receptor, what exactly might change? Three Points.



Why exactly are radicals so reactive? Three Points.



In radiation damage, what's a deterministic relationship? Three Points.



Why did the firefighters who responded to the Chernobyl reactor meltdown risk their lives to fight the fire? Three Points.




Give one reason why there is no way to really tell what effects the levels of radon in residences might have. Three Points.

 



Why is there reason to think that the radon will have no real effect? Three Points.
 




What is likely to happen to a quarter of any Mars mission astronauts? Three Points.

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 

Michael McDarby

 

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