Which of the following organs is responsible for the mechanical breakdown of food into smaller pieces?

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The correct answer is D: Mouth. The mouth is responsible for the mechanical breakdown of food through chewing and mixing with saliva. This process is essential for breaking down food into smaller, more digestible pieces before swallowing. The esophagus (choice A) is a muscular tube that transports food from the mouth to the stomach and does not participate in the mechanical breakdown of food. The stomach (choice B) primarily functions to further break down food using acids and enzymes, rather than mechanical means. The small intestine (choice C) is responsible for absorbing nutrients from the digested food, not for the mechanical breakdown of food.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Volume is the measure of the total amount of space occupied by an object. Mass refers to the amount of matter in an object, density is the mass per unit volume, and weight is the force of gravity acting on an object. When determining the space occupied by an object, volume is the appropriate measurement to consider. Therefore, the correct answer is D. Choices A, B, and C are incorrect as they do not directly indicate the total amount of space occupied by an object. Mass, density, and weight are relevant in different contexts and measurements compared to volume.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: When unpolarized light passes through a polarizing filter, the filter only allows light waves oscillating in a specific direction to pass through while blocking light waves oscillating in other directions. Since unpolarized light consists of light waves oscillating in all possible directions, when it passes through a polarizing filter, only half of the light waves (those oscillating in the direction allowed by the filter) are transmitted. As a result, the intensity of the transmitted light is reduced by half. Choice A is incorrect because the light is not completely absorbed; choice C is incorrect because the polarizing filter affects the transmitted light; and choice D is incorrect because the intensity does not double, but rather decreases by half due to the selective transmission of light waves in a specific direction by the polarizing filter.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Kwashiorkor is a severe acute malnutrition condition resulting from insufficient dietary protein intake. It is characterized by symptoms such as edema, skin lesions, an enlarged liver with fatty infiltrates, and notably, muscle wasting. Muscle wasting occurs as the body breaks down muscle tissue to obtain essential amino acids for vital functions. Night blindness (option B) is associated with vitamin A deficiency, scurvy (option C) results from a lack of vitamin C, and rickets (option D) is caused by a deficiency in vitamin D, calcium, or phosphate.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Refraction is the change in direction of light as it moves from one medium to another, such as air to water or glass. This change occurs due to variations in the speed of light in each medium, causing the light rays to bend. When light passes through different mediums, it changes its path, a phenomenon known as refraction. Choice A, Diffraction, refers to the bending of waves around obstacles and the spreading of waves when passing through small openings, not the change in direction of light when moving between mediums. Choice B, Reflection, is the bouncing back of light rays from a surface into the same medium, not the change in direction when transitioning between different mediums. Choice D, Dispersion, involves the separation of light into its constituent colors based on their different wavelengths, not the change in direction of light when passing through different mediums.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Ionic bonds involve electron transfer, where one atom completely donates an electron to another, resulting in discrete molecules. On the other hand, metallic bonds are non-directional and strong, formed by a 'sea' of delocalized electrons shared among all metal atoms. This shared electron cloud allows for strong bonding throughout the entire material, making metallic bonds non-directional and strong compared to the directional and weaker nature of ionic bonds. Choice A is incorrect because metallic bonds do not involve electron sharing but rather the sharing of a sea of delocalized electrons. Choice C is incorrect as metallic bonds can also exist between metal atoms, not just between metals and non-metals. Choice D is incorrect because metallic bonds do not form discrete molecules but rather extended structures due to the sharing of electrons among all metal atoms.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: A) Diffusion is the movement of molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration, which does not require energy input. B) Osmosis is the movement of water molecules across a selectively permeable membrane from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration. C) Active transport is the process of transporting molecules across the cell membrane against a concentration gradient, requiring energy in the form of ATP to move substances from an area of lower concentration to an area of higher concentration. D) Facilitated diffusion is a type of passive transport that involves the use of transport proteins to move molecules across the cell membrane from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration, without the need for energy input.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The Gram stain is a differential staining technique that categorizes bacteria into two groups based on their cell wall composition: Gram-positive and Gram-negative. Gram-positive bacteria have a thick layer of peptidoglycan in their cell walls, which retains the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining procedure. Consequently, Gram-positive bacteria appear purple under the microscope after staining. On the other hand, Gram-negative bacteria possess a thinner peptidoglycan layer and an outer membrane that can be penetrated by the counterstain safranin, leading them to appear pink or red. Blue is not typically used to describe the color of bacteria in a Gram stain, making it an incorrect choice.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: When a car is traveling at a constant speed on a straight road, it indicates that the forces acting on the car are balanced. In this scenario, there is no acceleration or deceleration, meaning the net force on the car is zero. If there was a net force present, it would cause the car to either accelerate or decelerate. Choices A, B, and C are incorrect because in a situation where a car is moving at a constant speed, the forces are balanced, and there is no unbalanced force acting in any specific direction.