MMG 531 Practice Questions Introduction to Immunology

1. Which of the following cells is a component of the adaptive immune system?

a. B cell (B lymphocyte)
b. Dendritic cell
c. NK (natural killer) cell
d. Macrophage
e. Neutrophil

2. True or false: In order to stimulate an adaptive immune response, an innate immune

response is always required.

3. True or false: During an immune response, if a B cell (or a T cell) encounters an antigen it is
specific for, the B cell (or T cell) will differentiate, and then proliferate.

4. Identify the statement below that correctly describes primary and secondary immune
responses.
a. Primary immune responses involve T cells but the secondary immune responses
involve B cells.
b. Memory cells are produced at the end of the secondary immune response and not
after the primary immune response.
c. Primary immune responses occur in primary lymphatic organs and secondary immune
responses occur in secondary lymphatic organs.
d. Secondary immune responses occur more quickly than primary immune responses.
e. The feature of clonal expansion only occurs during a secondary immune response but
not during a primary immune response.

5. T cells develop in the _____________ and mature in the _______________.

a. bone marrow, bone marrow
b. thymus, bone marrow
c. thymus, spleen
d. bone marrow, thymus
e. thymus, lymph node

6. The common name for a group of molecules whose function it is to recruit leukocytes into
infected tissues are the:
a. cytokines
b. chemokines
c. immunokines
d. antibodies
e. complement proteins
7. In which of the following stages of the immune response does differentiation of B cells and T
cells take place?
a. antigen elimination
b. antigen recognition
c. contraction
d. memory
e. lymphocyte activation

8. In respect to the two arms of the immune system, identify the correct statement.
a. the adaptive immune response must take place first in order to generate an innate
immune response
b. B cells and T cells are components of the innate immune system whereas phagocytic
cells and epithelial barriers are components of the adaptive immune system
c. the innate immune response has memory but the adaptive immune system does not
d. the adaptive immune system is more specific than the innate immune system
e. the innate immune system is more diverse than the adaptive immune system

9. Identify the correct statement listed below which is a characteristic of passive immunity.
a. it is highly diverse and can recognize many pathogens
b. it lacks specificity for a wide variety of pathogens
c. it results in a memory B cell and memory T cell response
d. it stimulates an immune response of the host immune system
e. it uses products of an immunized individual to stimulate immunity

10. Of which of the following lymphoid organs would you expect to find developing B cells?
a. bone marrow
b. lymph node
c. spleen
d. MALT
e. GALT

11. A defect in which of the following cells would be most devastating for an individual with an
infection with an intracellular pathogen, such as a virus?
a. neutrophil
b. macrophage
c. dendritic cell
d. cytotoxic T cell
e. mast cell
12. The immune cell that is the primary link between the innate and adaptive immune systems
is the:
a. neutrophil
b. mast cell
c. dendritic cell
d. T lymphocyte
e. plasma cell
Correct Answers and Explanations:

1. a; B lymphocyte. Dendritic cells are the link between the innate and adaptive immune system
whereas natural killer (NK) cells, neutrophils, and macrophages are all parts of the innate
immune system.

2. true

3. false; proliferation (making many copies of the same cell these cells will all be identical)
always occurs in advance of differentiation (cells becoming more specialized and mature in
their effector functions)

4. d; Please refer to Figure 1-7 on page 8 of our Abbas textbook. The second response is always
quicker than the first, memory cells are produced after the first and second immune responses
however, the antibody titer is much higher than after the first immune response. In addition,
the type of antibody changes between the first and second antibody responses, as we will
continue to see throughout the course.

5. d

6.b; chemokines are chemoattractant cytokines that can recruit leukocytes to the site of an
infection using a number of specific mechanisms we will see in the innate defenses lectures.
Cytokines do not necessarily attract other leukocytes to tissues however, they do have a
number of other roles including increasing adhesion molecules on endothelial cells, inducing an
antiviral state in virally infected and neighboring cells, to name a few.

7. e; lymphocyte activation involves both proliferation and differentiation of the lymphocyte

activated by antigen.

8. d; for all other foils, the opposite is true.

9. e

10. a; please recall that cells of the adaptive immune cells are produced in the primary
lymphoid tissues/organs and are activated in the secondary lymphoid tissues/organs. The bone
marrow is the primary lymphoid tissue where B cells are produced whereas all other lymphoid
tissues/organs listed are where the B cells can be activated (we will learn about how they are
activated later in the semester).

11. d; recall that both cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) and natural killer (NK) cells can destroy tumor cells
as well as virally infected cells. The difference between these two cells is that NK cells are a part
of the innate immune system whereas the cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) are a part of the adaptive
immune system. It benefits the host to have multiple layers of protection by initially using the
first response (the innate immune system which is not very specific or diverse), followed by the
highly specific and diverse adaptive immune response. The advantage of bringing in the
adaptive immune response is the development of memory for potential subsequent exposures
to the exact same pathogen.

12. c; recall that the macrophages can often serve as a link between the innate and adaptive
immune systems however, we will primarily be talking about dendritic cells in this course.