AQA GCSE Combined Science: Biology: Homeostasis and Response
6 exam-style questions with full mark schemes and model answers. Write your own answer and the AI examiner marks it against the mark scheme.
After a meal high in carbohydrate, the concentration of glucose in the blood rises. The body must return it to normal. The hormones insulin and glucagon, made by the pancreas, control blood glucose concentration.
Explain how the body responds to lower the blood glucose concentration when it has risen too high, and how it raises the concentration when it has fallen too low. (6 marks)
A student measured a partner's reaction time using the "ruler drop" test: a ruler is dropped between the partner's fingers and the distance it falls before being caught is recorded (a shorter distance means a faster reaction time). The test was repeated five times.
| Attempt | Distance ruler fell / cm |
|---|---|
| 1 | 18 |
| 2 | 15 |
| 3 | 14 |
| 4 | 13 |
| 5 | 13 |
(a) Calculate the mean distance the ruler fell over the five attempts. Show your working. (2 marks)
(b) The distance fell over the first few attempts, then levelled off. Suggest one reason why the distances got shorter during the test. (1 mark)
(c) Suggest one variable the student should control to make the comparison between different people fair. (1 mark)
If a person touches a sharp pin, they pull their hand away very quickly without thinking. This is a reflex action, controlled by a reflex arc.
(a) Put the following parts of the reflex arc in the correct order, from detecting the pin to moving the hand: effector, sensory neurone, receptor, motor neurone, relay neurone. (2 marks)
(b) Explain one advantage of a reflex action being automatic (not involving conscious thought). (1 mark)
Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes are two different conditions that both affect the control of blood glucose.
(a) Explain what causes Type 1 diabetes and how it is usually treated. (2 marks)
(b) State one risk factor for developing Type 2 diabetes. (1 mark)
Hormones control the changes that happen in the body during puberty and the menstrual cycle.
Name the main male reproductive hormone and state where in the body it is produced. (2 marks)
Homeostasis keeps conditions inside the body roughly constant.
Define the term homeostasis. (1 mark)