A patient has come to you for a second opinion. "I have these mysterious lumps in my right armpit," he says, "The other doctor says we may have to remove them. What do you think?" You notice red scratches on the patient's right arm. "You must have a new kitten. Cat scratch disease, from the bacterium Bartonella ," you say, "And we certainly won't remove those lumps, they are really important! Those are your..."

Question

A.  "thymus glands, where naive B and T cells encounter antigens and become activated."
B.  "lymph nodes, where T-cell receptor genes are rearranged as T cells mature."
C.  "lymph nodes, where naive B and T cells encounter antigens and become activated."
D.  "spleen, where hematopoietic stem cells produce lymphoid and myeloid progenitors."


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 composition of tissue in the region of the armpit? 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.  "lymph nodes, where naive B and T cells encounter antigens and become activated."


Clarify Question
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
       · This question is asking you to identify the nature of inflamed structures in the armpit.
What type of thinking is required?
        · Evaluate level:
            o This question is asking you to weigh and judge, or evaluate, the presence of lumps in the armpit.
 
Gather Content
What do you already know about the composition of tissue in the region of the armpit? What other information is related to the question?
        · The armpit is one of the regions of the body in which lymph nodes are concentrated.
        · Lymph nodes become inflamed when infection is present nearby.
        · Lymph nodes are sites where lymph fluid is filtered.
        · When pathogens are filtered in lymph nodes, the immune response is perpetuated.
 
Choose Answer
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
        · The thymus is located in the chest, so this answer can be excluded immediately.
        · The spleen is located in the upper left abdominal cavity, under the ribcage, so this answer can also be excluded.
        · When pathogens are filtered in lymph nodes, B and T cells become activated and the immune response continues.

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?
        · Evaluate level:
            o Answering this question correctly depended on your ability to weight and judge, or evaluate, the presence of a bacterial infection and concurrent swellings in the armpit region. If you got an incorrect answer, did you remember that the armpit is one of the areas in which the lymph nodes are concentrated, or the lymph nodes become inflamed when pathogens are filtered within? Did you have trouble weighing the merits of the immune response to determine the correct answer?