Here are the two final exam essay questions for the previous two years:

FINAL EXAM ESSAY, 1998: In a SPURS game against the Phoenix Suns last week, David Robinson made a break toward the basket. Seeing the move, Vinny del Negro yelled, "Alley", as David was one stride away from the basket. Instantaneously, David launched himself from the floor, turned his head to spot the ball, grabbed it, 'Ooped' it into the hoop for two points, and then victoriously shouted, "Yeeeaaah!" as he glided back down to the floor. Amazingly, from the "Alley" to the "Yeeeaaah" required less than one second. Write an essay in which you describe (in an appropriate sequence) the principal physiological and biochemical events that took place in David Robinson's body during that one-second interval. Include as many anatomical and molecular structures as you can in your essay. Use the backside of the exam pages as needed for more space for your essay. (50 points)

FINAL EXAM ESSAY, 1999: Let us pretend that last night before this final exam Mark McCauley and Suneal Jannapureddy decided to take a break and drive over to the IHOP on Broadway to see what was going around. As they pulled up to a red traffic light on Hildebrand, where it crosses over the 281 Expressway, they noticed Janie Healy stopped in the lane next to them in her new yellow Volkswagon Beetle on her way to buy some snacks at the HEB Central Market. Mark puts his red Mitsubishi 3000 in neutral, REVs his engine a few times and glances over at Janie. In the next instant, Suneal sees the light turn green and he hollers "GO!". In a flash, Mark presses the pedal to the metal--heading east toward IHOP. Based on the material that we covered toward the end of the semester, write an essay in which you sequentially cover all of the principal physiological and biochemical processes that occurred in both Suneal and in Mark during the brief moment from the time Suneal saw the green light to the instant Mark pressed on the accelerator. Incorporate as many molecular, cellular, and anatomical features as you can within your essay. (50 pts)