Human Performance and Limitations – 39 Questions

What is the percentage of Oxygen in the atmosphere?

a) 2%
b) 12%
c) 21%
d) 30%
A.c)

What are alveoli?

a) Small air sacs at the ends of the lungs.
b) Capillaries at the ends of the lungs.
c) The linings of the small intestine.
d) Hairs inside the semi-circular canals
A.a)

What altitude should a healthy individual be able to ascend to without noticeable

symptoms?
a) 8000 ft.
b) 10000 ft.
c) 12000 ft.
d) 14000 ft.
A.b)

What “lifestyle” factors could affect the ability to perform at altitude?

a) Age, smoking, alcohol and fitness.
b) Height & Weight.
c) Gender.
d) Diet
A.a)

What blood vessels carry blood away from the heart?

a) Arteries.
b) Veins.
c) Capillaries.
d) Lymphatic System
A.a)

What is a typical resting heart rate for a healthy male?

a) 30 beats per min.
b) 70 beats per min.
c) 100 beats per min.
d) 120 beats per min.
A.b)

Where are the semi-circular canals?

a) In the brain.
b) In the heart.
c) In the ear.
d) In the eye.
A.c)

Which part of the eye detects colour?

a) Rods.
b) Cones.
c) Cornea.
d) Pupil
A.b)

Which part of the eye best detects movement?

a) Rods.
b) Cones.
c) Lens.
d) Pupil
A.a)

What is the Eustachian tube?

a) Joins middle ear to the throat.
b) Joins mouth to lungs.
c) Joins heart to lungs.
d) Joins mouth to stomach.
A.a)

Which of the following is equal to one unit of alcohol?

a) Half pint of beer.
b) One pint of beer.
c) Two pints of beer.
d) Four pints of beer.
A.a)

How long does the body take to remove the effects of one unit of alcohol?
a) Half an hour.
b) One hour.
c) Two hours.
d) Four Hours
A.b)

What is considered to be the greatest stress causing event?

a) Divorce.
b) Moving house.
c) Death of a spouse.
d) Examinations.
A.c)

How long should you not drink for before flying?

a) 4 hours.
b) 8 hours.
c) 12 hours.
d) 24 Hours.
A.b)

Where is the cochlea?

a) The eye.
b) The ear.
c) The gut.
d) The stomach.
A.b)

At 6000 ft a balloon passenger suddenly starts breathing quickly, they have blurred
vision and muscle spasms. What is the likely problem?
a) Hypoxia.
b) Hypertension.
c) Hyperventilation.
d) Hyperactivity.
A.c)

At 12000 feet a balloon passenger becomes giddy cannot answer questions quickly
and their lips appear blue. What is the likely problem?
a) Hyperactivity.
b) Hypertension.
c) Hyperventilation.
d) Hypoxia.
A.d)

How high would you have climbed if the atmospheric pressure had dropped by 1
millibar?
a) 30 ft.
b) 100 ft.
c) 200 ft.
d) 500 ft
A.a)

For how long should you not fly after scuba diving to less than 10 metres?
a) 2 hours.
b) 6 hours.
c) 12 hours.
d) 24 hours.
A.c)

What gas is breathed out during respiration?

a) Nitrous Oxide.
b) Hydrogen
c) Carbon Monoxide.
d) Carbon Dioxide
A.d)

A pilot requires oxygen when flying. Which of the following is correct?

a) From sea level to 10,000 ft there is no measurable difference in human
performances.
b) Above 33,700 ft oxygen must be delivered under pressure.
c) Higher mental processes are affected from 8000ft.
d) Higher mental processes are affected above 18,000ft.
A.c)

When considered the reduction in the uptake of oxygen into the human being, which
of the following is correct:
a) Hypoxia is a state of zero oxygen in the human being.
b) Anoxia is the reduction of oxygen in the Human being.
c) Anoxia can trigger hyperventilation.
d) Hypoxia results from the reduction of the alveoli partial pressure of oxygen.
A.d)

It is advised that pilots should NOT dive using compressed air within certain time
periods before flight. Which of the following is correct?
a) Do not fly within 18 hours of diving.
b) Do not fly for 24 hours if a depth of 30 feet has been exceeded.
c) Do not fly within 10 hours after diving.
d) Do not fly for 24 hours if a depth of 40 feet has been exceeded.
A.b)

With regards to the anatomy of the human eye, which of the following is correct?
a) The rods are more sensitive to light than the cones.
b) The fovea contains a high concentration of rods.
c) The rods are more sensitive to colour than the cones.
d) The fovea does not have rods or cones.
A.a)

Visual defects can be corrected with a suitable lens. Which of the following is
correct?
a) Long sightedness can be corrected with a concave lens.
b) Near sightedness can be corrected with a convex lens.
c) Farsighted eyes can be corrected with a convex lens.
d) Short-sighted eyes can be corrected with a convex lens.
A.c)

The essential differences between a fit and a faint are

a) A fit can be induced by a reduction in oxygen intake.
b) A faint is due to a form of epilepsy.
c) A fit can be induced by psychological stress.
d) A faint is due to a sudden reduction in the blood supply to the brain.
A.d)

The synergistic effect on the human body has the following effects. Which one is
correct?
a) The synergistic effect of drugs is the reduction of effectiveness due to taking another
non-related drug.
b) Self-medication, i.e. phenacetin, has the synergistic effect of enhancing epoxia.
c) The synergistic effect of drugs is the reduction of effectiveness due to taking another
related drug.
d) The synergistic effect of taking antihistamines (common cold compounds) is the
reduction of effectiveness due to lower arterial saturation of oxygen at altitude.
A.b)

The body must have an adequate concentration of glucose to serve as an energy

source. Which of the following statements is correct?
a) The liver stores glucose and releases glycogen into the bloodstream.
b) If the blood sugar level falls too low, a condition called hyperglycaemia prevails.
c) Hypoglycaemia and hypoxia are closely related.
d) Hyperglycaemia can cause weakness and in severe cases fainting.
A.c)

Attention is required for “Decision Making” and to “Execute a Response”. However,

the human brain is limited in its ability to distribute attention between these two
items. Which of the following is correct?
a) Selective attention is the process by which we attend in order to complete a task
successfully.
b) Focused attention is the process, which determines the way in which we sample the
inputs arriving at the sensory store.
c) Increasing age and experience is associated with quicker but less accurate
responses.
d) Divided attention can be improved if there are multiple sensory inputs.
A.d)

In the process of looking for another aircraft at night, which of the following would be
the most effective:
a) Moving the head with the eyes fixed at some distant point in space.
b) Slowly scan small sector of the sky.
c) Concentrate your areas of search on distant objects.
d) Search for distant lights, focus on them and then randomly scan the sky.
A.b)

In the process of looking out for another aircraft by day, which of the following would
prove the most effective method of searching?
a) Moving the head with the eyes fixed at some distant point in space.
b) Moving the eyes only when the head is fixed.
c) Moving the head and eyes at the same time.
d) Moving the eyes a bit quicker than head.
A.c)

Which of the following requires “Knowledge Based Behaviour” to perform the

associated task effectively?
a) Landing a balloon in light winds.
b) Pilot light failure.
c) Setting altimeter before flight.
d) Landing in thermic conditions.
A.d)

In consideration of levels of stress, attention and performance, which is correct?

a) As the level of stress, increases, so does an individual’s performance.
b) Easy tasks are better performed at lower levels of stress.
c) As the level of stress becomes high, the level of arousal will become less.
d) If an individual is “over-aroused”, he will be able to perform more complex tasks, but
only for a short time.
A.a)

The effects of stress on the human being can be classified into distinct, well-defined
arrears. Which of the following could be classified as “Cognitive Effects”?
a) Headache, asthma, allergies.
b) Nervous laughter, trembling, neurosis.
c) Forgetfulness, lack of concentration, inability to make decisions.
d) Anxiety, depression fatigue.
A.c)

The ideal professional pilot, in his behaviour

a) “Goal directed” rather than “person directed”.
b) “Person directed” rather than “goal directed”.
c) Neither “person” nor “goal” directed.
d) Both “Person” and “goal” directed.
A.d)

Which of the following effects does smoking have on the oxygen transport system of
the human body?
a) Reduces available haemoglobin.
b) Increases available haemoglobin.
c) Decreases oxygen dissolved in the blood.
d) No significant effect.
A.a)

The Fluid filled part of the inner ear is

a) The otolith.
b) The eardrum.
c) The semi-circular canal.
d) The cochlea.
A.d)

Using the Body Mass Index relating height to weight, what is the lowest score at
which a man is considered obese?
a) Over 20.
b) Over 25.
c) Over 30.
d) Over 35.
A.c)

Weekly intake of alcohol for a man should not exceed the following number of units –
(1 unit = ½ pint beer or standard glass of wine or spirit).
a) 20
b) 25
c) 30
d) 35
A.c)