FCPS Part 1 Anesthesia MCQs by Subject: Anatomy, Physiology & Physics

Sample MCQs from Anatomy, Physiology and Physics — three of the basic-science subjects behind clinical anesthesia — covering airway/spinal anatomy, oxygen-delivery physiology and the gas-law physics tested in FCPS Part 1 Anesthesia, each with the answer explained.

FCPS Part 1 Anesthesia leans on the basic sciences as heavily as any Part 1 paper — but Physics is unique to this specialty among HighYield's FCPS banks, alongside the usual Anatomy and Physiology. This is a rarer combination than the more copied "Anatomy, Pathology & Pharmacology" trio, so here's a sample across the three, with an anesthesia-relevant lean.

Anatomy

1. The spinal cord (conus medullaris) terminates at approximately which vertebral level in a healthy adult — the anatomical basis for choosing a safe spinal needle insertion point?

A) T10
B) L1–L2 ✅
C) L3–L4
D) S2

2. The recurrent laryngeal nerve supplies all intrinsic muscles of the larynx except one, whose injury (as in difficult intubation or thyroid surgery) does not cause hoarseness. Which muscle is this?

A) Posterior cricoarytenoid
B) Lateral cricoarytenoid
C) Cricothyroid ✅
D) Transverse arytenoid

Physiology

3. A rightward shift of the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve — meaning hemoglobin releases oxygen to tissues more readily — is produced by which of the following (the Bohr effect)?

A) Decreased temperature
B) Decreased 2,3-DPG
C) Increased CO2 / decreased pH ✅
D) Increased pH

4. Reduced blood flow to poorly ventilated areas of the lung, redirecting perfusion toward better-ventilated alveoli to preserve ventilation-perfusion matching, describes which reflex?

A) Bainbridge reflex
B) Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction ✅
C) Bohr effect
D) Haldane effect

Physics

5. According to Poiseuille's Law, doubling the internal radius of an IV cannula — all else constant — increases the maximum flow rate by a factor of approximately:

A) 2
B) 4
C) 8
D) 16 ✅

6. Boyle's Law, which governs the oxygen remaining in an anesthesia machine's cylinder, states that at constant temperature:

A) Pressure and volume are directly proportional
B) Pressure and volume are inversely proportional ✅
C) Pressure is independent of volume
D) Volume is independent of pressure

7. The Pin Index Safety System on an anesthesia machine's cylinder yokes exists primarily to prevent:

A) Cylinder overpressure
B) Accidental attachment of the wrong gas cylinder to a yoke ✅
C) Gas leaks at the flowmeter
D) Cylinder corrosion

Why These Three Together

Anatomy and Physiology are tested in every FCPS Part 1 paper, but Physics — gas laws, flow dynamics, safety systems — is specific to Anesthesia among HighYield's specialty banks. Candidates who revise it alongside the anatomy and physiology of airway and cardiovascular physiology, rather than as an afterthought, cover the paper's basic-science third more efficiently.

Prepare with HighYield

HighYield's FCPS Part 1 Anesthesia bank covers Anatomy, Physiology and Physics alongside Pharmacology and Clinical Anesthesia, with every question explained. Try the first 20 questions free, no sign-in required, from the FCPS Part 1 Anesthesia question bank page.

Looking for the clinical side of the paper? See FCPS Part 1 Anesthesia: Clinical Anesthesia MCQs.