GCSE Biology Foundation Short Paper B
Covers Respiration and Exercise, The Nervous System and Reflexes, Hormones and Homeostasis and 3 more.
Questions
Question 1 [2 marks]
Hormones and Homeostasis
State what a hormone is, and state which system of the body produces hormones.
Question 2 [2 marks]
The Nervous System and Reflexes
State the function of a relay neurone, and state where in the body relay neurones are found.
Question 3 [2 marks]
Genetics and Inheritance
State what is meant by a gene, and state what a chromosome is made of.
Question 4 [2 marks]
Evolution and Natural Selection
State one source of genetic variation within a species, and state what is meant by natural selection.
Question 5 [3 marks]
Respiration and Exercise
During vigorous exercise, muscle cells may not receive enough oxygen.
Describe what happens to glucose in muscle cells under these conditions, and describe one effect this has on the muscles.
Question 6 [3 marks]
Evolution and Natural Selection
Describe how the Linnaean classification system organises living organisms into groups.
Question 7 [3 marks]
Ecosystems and Material Cycles
State the name of the process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere by plants, and state one process that returns carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
Question 8 [4 marks]
Genetics and Inheritance
Both parents are heterozygous carriers of the cystic fibrosis allele (Ff), where f is the recessive cystic fibrosis allele.
Use a genetic diagram (Punnett square) to calculate the probability that a child of these two parents has cystic fibrosis (ff). Give your answer as a percentage.
Question 9 [4 marks]
Hormones and Homeostasis
A patient's blood glucose concentration was 5.5 mmol/l at 08:00 and rose to 9.5 mmol/l at 08:30 after breakfast.
Calculate the mean rate of increase in blood glucose concentration, in mmol/l per minute, over this time.
Question 10 [5 marks]
Genetics and Inheritance
A family tree shows a genetic disorder. Every person with the disorder has at least one affected parent, and it appears in roughly half of the children of an affected parent with an unaffected partner.
Explain why this pattern suggests the allele causing the disorder is dominant rather than recessive, and state the most likely genotype of an affected parent, using D for the disorder allele and d for the normal allele.
Question 11 [5 marks]
The Nervous System and Reflexes
Describe what causes short-sightedness (myopia), and describe how glasses with a suitable lens correct this problem.
Question 12 [5 marks]
Respiration and Exercise
Yeast is a single-celled fungus that can respire anaerobically in the absence of oxygen, a process used in bread-making and brewing.
Describe the process of anaerobic respiration in yeast, including the word equation, and explain why this process is useful in bread-making.
Model solutions
| Question 1[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a hormone is a chemical messenger, produced by a gland and carried in the blood to a target organ, where it produces an effect | B1 |
| hormones are produced by glands, which make up the endocrine system | B1 |
| Final answer: A hormone is a chemical messenger made by a gland and carried in the blood to a target organ; hormones are produced by glands of the endocrine system | |
| Question 2[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a relay neurone connects a sensory neurone to a motor neurone (passing on the electrical impulse) within the central nervous system | B1 |
| found in the spinal cord (or brain) | B1 |
| Final answer: A relay neurone connects a sensory neurone to a motor neurone; it is found in the spinal cord (or brain) | |
| Question 3[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a gene is a small section of DNA (on a chromosome) that codes for a particular protein/characteristic | B1 |
| a chromosome is a long molecule of DNA, tightly coiled | B1 |
| Final answer: A gene is a section of DNA that codes for a characteristic; a chromosome is a long, coiled molecule of DNA | |
| Question 4[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a valid source, such as mutation, or sexual reproduction combining alleles from two parents | B1 |
| natural selection is the process by which organisms with characteristics best suited to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing those characteristics on | B1 |
| Final answer: Variation can arise from mutation; natural selection is the survival and reproduction of organisms best suited to their environment | |
| Question 5[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| glucose is broken down without using oxygen (anaerobic respiration) | B1 |
| the products are lactic acid and a small amount of energy | B1 |
| the build-up of lactic acid causes muscle fatigue and the muscle stops contracting efficiently | B1 |
| Final answer: Glucose is broken down anaerobically to lactic acid, releasing a small amount of energy; the build-up of lactic acid causes muscle fatigue | |
| Question 6[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| organisms are classified into a hierarchy of groups based on their similarities and differences | B1 |
| the largest group is the kingdom, which is progressively subdivided into smaller and smaller groups | B1 |
| the smallest group is the species, and organisms are given a scientific name based on their genus and species (binomial naming) | B1 |
| Final answer: Organisms are classified into a hierarchy of groups from kingdom down to species, based on their similarities and differences, with each organism given a two-part (binomial) scientific name from its genus and species | |
| Question 7[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| photosynthesis | B1 |
| a valid return process: respiration (by plants, animals or microorganisms) | B1 |
| another valid return process, such as combustion (burning fossil fuels or wood), or the decomposition of dead organisms | B1 |
| Final answer: Photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide; respiration, combustion and decomposition all return carbon dioxide to the atmosphere | |
| Question 8[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a correctly completed Punnett square showing genotypes FF, Ff, Ff, ff | M1 |
| identifying 1 out of 4 offspring as ff | M1 |
| converting the ratio to a percentage | M1 |
| 25% | A1 |
| Question 9[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| finding the change in concentration = 9.5 - 5.5 = 4 mmol/l | M1 |
| identifying the time taken = 30 minutes | M1 |
| using rate = change / time | M1 |
| a rate of 4/30 = 0.13 mmol/l per minute (2 significant figures) | A1 |
| Final answer: 0.13 mmol/l per minute | |
| Question 10[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| if the allele were recessive, two unaffected (carrier) parents could still have an affected child, but here every affected person has an affected parent, which fits a dominant allele instead | B1 |
| a dominant allele is expressed in the phenotype even with just one copy present, so an affected parent could be heterozygous and still show the disorder | B1 |
| an affected heterozygous parent (Dd) crossed with an unaffected parent (dd) would be expected to pass on the disorder to about half of their children, matching the pattern described | B1 |
| an unaffected parent (dd) cannot pass on the dominant D allele, and a homozygous affected parent (DD) would be expected to pass on the disorder to all of their children, which does not match this pattern | B1 |
| the most likely genotype of an affected parent is Dd (heterozygous) | B1 |
| Final answer: The pattern of every affected person having an affected parent, and about half of an affected parent's children being affected, fits a dominant allele; an affected parent is most likely heterozygous, Dd, crossed with an unaffected (dd) partner | |
| Question 11[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| in a short-sighted eye, light from distant objects is focused in front of the retina rather than on it | B1 |
| this may be because the eyeball is too long, or the lens focuses light too strongly | B1 |
| this results in distant objects appearing blurred | B1 |
| glasses for short sight use a concave (diverging) lens | B1 |
| this lens causes light to diverge slightly before it enters the eye, moving the point of focus back onto the retina, correcting the blurred vision | B1 |
| Final answer: Short sight happens when light from distant objects focuses in front of the retina (often because the eyeball is too long); a concave (diverging) lens in glasses corrects this by moving the focus point back onto the retina | |
| Question 12[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| anaerobic respiration in yeast is called fermentation | B1 |
| the word equation: glucose -> ethanol + carbon dioxide | B1 |
| fermentation releasing a smaller amount of energy than aerobic respiration, because the glucose is not fully broken down | B1 |
| the carbon dioxide gas produced becoming trapped in the dough, forming bubbles | B1 |
| this causing the dough/bread to rise before or during baking | B1 |
| Final answer: Yeast ferments glucose anaerobically into ethanol and carbon dioxide (releasing less energy than aerobic respiration); the carbon dioxide produced makes bread dough rise | |