BIOS 255 EXAM 1 2024/2025 Questions and
Answers (Verified Answers)
1. What are the two main cavities covered in lecture?
Dorsal and ventral
2. What is the function of the dorsal cavity and what two subdivisions does it
contain?
Protection of the nervous system; cranial cavity and vertebral cavity
3. What is the function of the ventral cavity and what two subdivisions does it
contain?
Encloses internal organs; Thoracic (above diaphragm) and abdominopelvic
4. What does the thoracic cavity contain?
Pleural cavity, mediastinum (surrounds remaining organs), and pericardial cavity
5. What does the abdominopelvic cavity contain?
Abdominal cavity (stomach, intestines, spleen, liver) and pelvic cavity (bladder,
reproductive organs, rectum)
6. What kind of serous membrane lines the cavity wall?
Parietal (remember serous membranes are continuous)
7. What kind of serous membrane lines the organ it's associated with?
Visceral (remember serous membranes are continuous)
8. What is meant by the term "anatomical variability"?
It means that humans vary slightly in their anatomy. Only about 90% of all anatomical
structures match the textbook