Structure of the heart

The adult human heart weighs about a kilogram and has four cavities inside it. These
'chambers' are divided into two at the top called the atria (each is called an atrium) and two
at the bottom, called the ventricles.
The diagram shows that the heart is in fact divided neatly in two down its middle so that
each side has one atrium and one ventricle. Both the left and right sides of the heart pump
blood. The only difference between them is where the blood arrives from and to where it is
pumped.
The muscle that makes up the heart is unusual as it doesn't get tired while it pumps. But it
can be damaged by drugs and poor diet leading to heart disease.
The heart in action
1. Blood fills the atria and the bicuspid and tricuspid valves are closed.
2. The atria gently contract and push their blood into the two ventricles.
3. The ventricles start to contract, this closes the atrioventricular valves (the bicuspid
and tricuspid valves) and pushes the blood out through the semi-lunar valves into the
pulmonary artery and the aorta.
Both sides of the heart beat in sequence together but the blood they pump goes to different
locations. The left ventricle pumps blood to all of the body whereas the right ventricle
pumps blood to the lungs from where it returns to the left side of the heart.
Each time the ventricles pump you can feel a great wave of blood moving along the arteries.
This can be felt and gives an idea about how the heart acts.
If you listen to the heart with a stethoscope you hear two sounds which are described as
being 'lub' and 'dub'. The first is the sound made by the two atrial valves closing, whilst the
second is caused by the two semi-lunar valves closing.

Question Excerpt
1.

Which heart chamber has the thickest muscle?

A.

Left atrium

B.

Left Ventricle

C.

Right Atrium

D.

Right Ventricle

2.

The correct order for the movement of blood through a heart is

A.

LA, LV, RV, RA

B.

RA, LV, LA, RV

C.

LV, RA, RV, LA

D.

RV, LA, RA, LV

3.

Which of the following substances leaves blood as it passes through capillaries in

organs like the liver or pancreas

A.

Oxygen

B.

Carbon Dioxide

C.

Starch

D.

Urea

4.

Anaerobic respiration in humans produces

A.

Ethanol

B.

Lactic Acid, Carbon Dioxide

C.

Lactic Acid

D.

Ethanol, Carbon Dioxide

5.

In distance running the best description of the type of respiration occurring is

A.

mostly aerobic

B.

mostly anaerobic

C.

equally aerobic and anaerobic

D.

no respiration until the oxygen deby is repaid

6.

If the volume of the left ventricle is 50cm3 and the resting heart rate is 70 beats
per minute what volume of blood (cm3) will leave the left ventricle of a resting
man in 10 minutes?

A.

350

B.

3500

C.

35000

D.

350000

7.

Which of the following is the correct order of blood vessels arranged from lowest
pressure to highest pressure

A.

vein, venule, capillary, artery

B.

venule, vein, artery, capillary

C.

vein, arteriole, venule, capillary

D.

artery, capillary, venule, vein

8.

Which of the following is an effect of regular exercise?

A.

Recovery takes longer

B.

Resting heart rate gets faster

C.

Lungs grow much larger

D.

Resting heart muscles contract harder

9.

More blood is delivered to leg muscles during exercise because

A.

more water is needed for sweating

B.

more oxygen is needed by muscle cells

C.

warmer muscles work faster

D.

active muscles need more lactic acid

10. The organ mainly responsible for removing lactic acid following vigorous exercise is
A.

Lungs

B.

Heart

C.

Liver

D.

Kidneys