BMAT Case Studies & Practical Application 4 ā Questions and Answers
Question 1: A BMAT maths problem gives a population that grows by 10% each year. Starting at 1000, what is the population after 3 years?
- 1300
- 1330
- 1331 (Correct answer)
- 1300
Correct answer: 1331
Population = 1000 Ć 1.1Ā³ = 1000 Ć 1.331 = 1331.
Question 2: A clinical vignette describes a 60-year-old smoker with haemoptysis, weight loss, and a lung mass on imaging. Which investigation should be prioritized?
- Peak flow measurement
- CT-guided biopsy for histological diagnosis (Correct answer)
- Skin prick allergy testing
- Spirometry alone
Correct answer: CT-guided biopsy for histological diagnosis
A suspected lung malignancy requires tissue biopsy for histological typing to guide staging and treatment planning.
Question 3: In an ethics scenario, a competent adult patient refuses a life-saving blood transfusion citing religious beliefs. What should the doctor do?
- Override the refusal because life preservation overrides autonomy
- Respect the refusal after confirming capacity, documenting the decision (Correct answer)
- Seek court permission to transfuse immediately
- Discharge the patient without further discussion
Correct answer: Respect the refusal after confirming capacity, documenting the decision
A competent adult has the legal and ethical right to refuse treatment even if it results in death; the doctor must confirm capacity and document the informed refusal.
Question 4: A graph shows enzyme activity peaking at pH 7.4 and dropping sharply above or below. Which enzyme is most likely being described in a body-temperature assay?
- Pepsin
- Salivary amylase
- A typical human blood enzyme such as catalase (Correct answer)
- Lysozyme acting in the stomach
Correct answer: A typical human blood enzyme such as catalase
An enzyme optimally active at pH 7.4 (physiological blood pH) and body temperature is consistent with enzymes found in blood, such as catalase.
Question 5: A BMAT physics problem describes a transformer with 500 primary turns and 100 secondary turns connected to 230 V AC. What is the output voltage?
- 23 V
- 46 V (Correct answer)
- 1150 V
- 115 V
Correct answer: 46 V
Output voltage = (secondary turns / primary turns) Ć input voltage = (100/500) Ć 230 = 46 V.
Question 6: A case study shows that a new screening test correctly identifies 90 of 100 true disease cases but also flags 50 of 900 healthy individuals as positive. What is the specificity?
- 90%
- 94.4% (Correct answer)
- 64.3%
- 47.4%
Correct answer: 94.4%
Specificity = true negatives / (true negatives + false positives) = 850 / (850 + 50) = 850/900 ā 94.4%.
Question 7: A biology case describes a cell in metaphase I of meiosis. Which statement is correct?
- Sister chromatids separate at this stage
- Homologous pairs align at the metaphase plate (Correct answer)
- DNA replication occurs here
- Cells are haploid at this point
Correct answer: Homologous pairs align at the metaphase plate
During metaphase I of meiosis, homologous chromosome pairs (bivalents) align at the metaphase plate before separation in anaphase I.
BMAT Case Studies & Practical Application 4
A BMAT maths problem gives a population that grows by 10% each year.
Starting at 1000, what is the population after 3 years?