HESI A2 › § Anatomy and Physiology
Free HESI A2 Anatomy and Physiology Practice Questions
The HESI A2 Anatomy and Physiology subtest, published by Elsevier, runs to 25 scored questions in 25 minutes, drawn from body systems, structure, and function across the human body. That is a question a minute, so speed and recall both count on the day.
The seven free questions below are original, written by RedRubric and mapped to the same published outline Elsevier uses, with a full rationale after every answer so you know exactly why a choice was right or wrong.
A patient recovering from a sprained ankle is told the injured structure connects bone to bone. Which connective tissue subtype is most likely involved?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Correct answer: D, Ligament
Ligaments are fibrous connective tissue that connect bone to bone, which is why a ligament is the structure typically strained or torn in an ankle sprain.
A patient sustains a severe brainstem injury but the rest of the brain still shows electrical activity. Why does this patient still need ventilator support?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Correct answer: B, The brainstem, not the cerebrum, drives the automatic drive to breathe
The brainstem runs functions a person cannot live without, including breathing and heart rate, so damage there removes automatic respiratory drive even if the cerebrum is intact.
A patient asks why the doctor said her gallbladder problem is affecting fat digestion when the gallbladder does not actually make bile. Which statement correctly describes the gallbladder's role?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Correct answer: A, It stores and concentrates bile made by the liver and releases it into the duodenum when fatty chyme arrives
The liver makes bile continuously, while the gallbladder only stores and concentrates that bile, releasing it into the duodenum once fatty chyme arrives.
A patient on long-term corticosteroids is found to have low bone density on a scan. This is best explained by which imbalance in bone cell activity?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Correct answer: B, Osteoclast activity outpacing osteoblast activity
Osteoclasts resorb bone tissue, and when their activity outpaces the bone building done by osteoblasts, bone is broken down faster than it is replaced, lowering bone density.
A surgical marker is placed on the forearm at a point closer to the elbow than to the wrist, on the palm side of the limb. Using anatomical terminology, which pair of terms together correctly describes this location?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Correct answer: D, Proximal and anterior
Proximal and distal are measured along a limb from its point of attachment to the trunk, so a point closer to the elbow than the wrist on the forearm is proximal. In anatomical position the palm faces forward, so the palm side of the forearm is anterior. Posterior would describe the opposite, back-facing side of the forearm.
Nearly every artery in the body carries oxygenated blood and nearly every vein carries deoxygenated blood. Which vessel is the exception, an artery that carries deoxygenated blood?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Correct answer: D, The pulmonary artery
The pulmonary artery is the one artery in the body that carries deoxygenated blood, since its job is to carry blood from the right ventricle to the lungs to pick up oxygen, not to deliver blood that is already oxygenated. The pulmonary vein is the matching exception on the venous side, returning oxygenated blood from the lungs, so it does not answer d question that specifically asks about an artery. The aorta and the coronary artery are both ordinary arteries in this respect, each carrying oxygenated blood away from the heart as the general rule predicts.
A medication blocks the action of luteinizing hormone (LH) in a male patient. Which direct effect would this most likely have?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Correct answer: D, Reduced testosterone production, because LH normally stimulates the interstitial (Leydig) cells to produce testosterone
LH stimulates the interstitial, or Leydig, cells to produce testosterone, so blocking LH would most directly reduce testosterone production. Sperm production in the seminiferous tubules is regulated by FSH, not LH, so option b describes the wrong hormone's target. Blocking LH would not increase sperm maturation in the epididymis or the fluid volume from the seminal vesicles, since LH does not drive either of those processes.
That is seven of hundreds.
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Practise all HESI A2 anatomy and physiologyquestions →What the HESI anatomy and physiology subtest covers, and how many questions.
What’s on the HESI A2 anatomy and physiology subtest
The HESI A2 Anatomy and Physiology subtest is 30 questions in 25 minutes, of which 25 are scored. It spans 5 content areas.
- Organization of the Body. Orient yourself with anatomical terms, planes and cavities, and the four tissue types.
- Support and Movement. Cover the skin, the skeleton and the muscles that move it.
- Regulation and Control. Follow how the nervous and endocrine systems keep the body coordinated.
- Circulation, Respiration and Maintenance. Trace the systems that deliver, exchange, absorb and clear: heart, lungs, gut and kidneys.
- Continuity. Cover the reproductive system and how the body carries life forward.
What students ask about HESI anatomy and physiology.
HESI A2 anatomy and physiology questions, answered.
How many anatomy and physiology questions are on the HESI A2?
Elsevier's HESI A2 Anatomy and Physiology subtest runs to 25 scored questions in 25 minutes, though the exact count can vary slightly by test package. That is roughly a question a minute, so build that pace into every practice run, not just the real thing.
Are these real HESI A2 questions?
No. Every question on this page is original, written by RedRubric and mapped to the official HESI A2 anatomy and physiology outline. Elsevier does not release its bank, so anyone offering exact past questions is not telling you the truth.
Which body systems come up most in this subtest?
Elsevier's outline weights the cardiovascular, respiratory, musculoskeletal, nervous, and digestive systems most heavily, with the rest spread across endocrine, urinary, and reproductive. Study those five systems first and the marginal systems second.