SZABMU Part-I Paper I Anatomy & Physiology MCQs with Answers

Sample SZABMU Part-I Paper I MCQs in anatomy and physiology, the two subjects that carry 60 of the 100 marks, with the answers and explanations.

Anatomy (30%) and physiology (30%) make up 60 marks of SZABMU Part-I Paper I, common to all MD and MS disciplines. The questions are short and factual, with a clinical flavour. Here is a sample set from our bank, with the answer marked and a one-line reason.

Sample MCQs

1. The superficial palmar arch is located:

A) Deep to flexor tendons of flexor digitorum superficialis
B) Deep to palmar aponeurosis ✅
C) Deep to digital branches of median and ulnar nerves
D) Deep to lumbricals

The superficial palmar arch lies immediately deep to the palmar aponeurosis, superficial to the long flexor tendons.

2. The midbrain contains which of the following?

A) 4th ventricle
B) 3rd ventricle
C) Lateral ventricles
D) Cerebral aqueduct ✅

The cerebral aqueduct of Sylvius runs through the midbrain connecting the third and fourth ventricles.

3. The lateral pterygoid muscle causes which movement of the jaw?

A) Elevation
B) Depression ✅
C) Protrusion
D) Stabilisation

The lateral pterygoid is the only muscle of mastication that opens (depresses) the jaw, and it also protrudes the mandible.

4. Which muscle is loosely attached to the articular disc of the temporomandibular joint?

A) Lateral pterygoid ✅
B) Masseter
C) Temporalis
D) Medial pterygoid

The superior head of lateral pterygoid inserts into the articular disc and capsule of the temporomandibular joint.

5. Which molecule can be used to measure GFR the most accurately?

A) Glucose
B) Cystatin C
C) Creatinine
D) Inulin ✅

Inulin is freely filtered, neither secreted nor reabsorbed, and so its clearance gives the gold-standard measurement of GFR.

6. Which force squeezes molecules out and into the interstitial tissues?

A) Oncotic pressure
B) Colloid pressure
C) Ionic charge differences
D) Hydrostatic pressure ✅

Capillary hydrostatic pressure drives fluid out of the vessels into the interstitium, opposed by plasma oncotic pressure.

7. Oncotic pressure is important to keep the fluid balance in our bodies. This is carried out by which of the following?

A) Electrolytes
B) Plasma proteins ✅
C) Lymph tissue
D) Blood components

Plasma proteins, chiefly albumin, create the colloid osmotic pressure that retains fluid in capillaries.

8. A family goes mountain climbing. What do you expect in them?

A) Low CO2
B) High 2,3-BPG ✅
C) High pH
D) Decreased erythropoietin

At altitude, hypoxia raises red-cell 2,3-BPG, shifting the dissociation curve to the right to improve oxygen delivery.

What These Questions Have in Common

They test a single fact, so the wrong options are usually near neighbours: another nerve, another muscle, another hormone.
Clinical applications recur: nerve injuries, referred pain and surgical landmarks in anatomy, and reflexes and compensations in physiology.

Practise the full topic sets in the Anatomy and Physiology sections of the MD bank (the MS bank carries the same Paper I core). Read the Paper I weightage in the pattern guide, and for the other three Paper I subjects see pathology, pharmacology and biochemistry MCQs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many anatomy questions are in Paper I?

About 30 of 100, since anatomy carries 30% of the paper.

Is physiology weighted the same?

Yes. Physiology is also 30%, so anatomy and physiology together are 60 marks.

Practise With Explanations

The SZABMU MD QBank groups its MCQs by the official Paper I and Paper II topics, with an explanation for every question and topic analytics to show where marks are leaking. The first 20 questions are free, and the mock tests come included with the QBank. The MS bank shares the same Paper I core and swaps Paper II for applied surgery.