Exercise 1 : HUMAN HEART

1. State the function of human heart.

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2. Everything in heart seems to come in fours:

There are four main blood vessels in the heart. Name the blood vessels labelled A, B, C
and D in the diagram, and state their functions.

A: _____________________________________________________________________
B: _____________________________________________________________________
C: _____________________________________________________________________
D: _____________________________________________________________________

3. There are four chambers: left atrium, right atrium, left ventricle and right ventricle.
Explain why the left ventricle has the thickest muscle wall.
(Tip: Where does it pump its blood to? Does it undergo high pressure?)
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4. There are four main valves: bicuspid valve, tricuspid valve and two semi-lunar valves.
State their function.
(Tip: All valves ensure a one-way flow of blood)
o Bicuspid valve
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o Tricuspid valve
-  ________________________________________________________________
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“The future depends on what we do in the present.”
 o Semi-lunar valves
-  ________________________________________________________________
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5. There are four structures involved in the beating of the heart: sinoatrial node (SAN),
atrio-ventricular node (AVN), bundle of His and Purkinje fibres. State the functions of
the SAN and AVN.
(Tip: The two nodes act like batteries and generate electrical impulses that cause the
cardiac muscles to contract)
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6. The pacemaker of a patient's heart fails to function. An electronic pacemaker is used to

replace the original pacemaker. Explain how this works.
(Tip: Think about the function of the SAN - the electronic pacemaker has the same
function)
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7. Compare the rate of blood flow in blood vessels A and D.

(Tip: Which of the blood vessels is an artery or a vein? Which undergoes more pressure?
So, in which of them will blood flow more and at a greater speed?)
o A, the aorta,
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o D, the vena cava, 
o _________________________________________________________________
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“The future depends on what we do in the present.”
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“The future depends on what we do in the present.”