Connor decides to celebrate his 21st birthday by drinking a few beers at a local sports bar. After a while, Connor notices that he is making many more trips to the men’s room than the week before, when he drank similar amounts of carbonated water. Why is that?

Question

A.  Alcohol stimulates secretion of ions into the nephron and water follows by osmosis.
B.  Alcohol stimulates filtration of the blood plasma by the glomeruli.
C.  Alcohol inhibits the secretion of ADH by the posterior pituitary gland, thereby decreasing water reabsorption.
D.  Alcohol inhibits reabsorption of sugars, amino acids and other small metabolites, which decreases reabsorption of water.
E.  Alcohol stimulates the insertion of aquaporins into the plasma membranes of cells that line the collecting ducts, thereby decreasing water reabsorption.


Clarify Question
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
What type of thinking is required?
 
Gather Content
What do you already know about the production of urine? What other information is related to the question?

Choose Answer
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?

Reflect on Process
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
 

Answer 1

C.  Alcohol inhibits the secretion of ADH by the posterior pituitary gland, thereby decreasing water reabsorption.

Clarify Question
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
        · This question is asking about the effects of alcohol on urinary output.
What type of thinking is required?
        · Apply level:
            o You are being asked to take what you already know and use, or apply, it to the effects of alcohol on urine volume.
 
Gather Content
What do you already know about the production of urine? What other information is related to the question?
        · Antidiuretic hormone normally causes the reabsorption of water, which concentrates the urine and prevents dehydration.

Choose Answer
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
        · Increasing the number of aquaporins in the collecting ducts would increase water reabsorption and lessen the volume of urine.
        · Alcohol does not directly influence ion secretion, absorption of metabolites, or glomerular filtration.
        · Since antidiuretic hormone is inhibited by the use of alcohol, the consequences of ingestion of alcohol include lack of water reabsorption and excessive urination.

Reflect on Process
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
        · Apply level:
            o Answering this question correctly depended on your ability to use reabsorption of water during urine production in a new situation. If you got an incorrect answer, did you remember that antidiuretic hormone cause reabsorption of water, or that alcohol inhibits the action of antidiuretic hormone? Did you have trouble extending the reabsorption of water during urine production to determine the correct answer?