The Respiratory System | AQA A-Level Physical Education (7582)
The Respiratory System
- 54 questions
- 4 subtopics
- Paper 1: Factors affecting participation in physical activity and sport
- Paper 1
The Respiratory System is examined in Paper 1, Factors affecting participation in physical activity and sport.
It covers lung volumes and minute ventilation, gas exchange, diffusion and partial pressure, control of breathing during exercise and smoking and the respiratory system.
Sample questions from The Respiratory System
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Lung volumes and minute ventilation
Define expiratory reserve volume.
Show the answer
Expiratory reserve volume is the extra air that can be forcibly breathed out after a normal breath. A typical resting value is about 1,200 ml. -
Lung volumes and minute ventilation
During a steady 5 km run, a runner's minute ventilation is 75 L/min with a tidal volume of 2.5 L. What is the breathing frequency?
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The breathing frequency is 30 breaths per minute. Minute ventilation ÷ tidal volume = 75 ÷ 2.5 = 30 breaths per minute. -
Gas exchange, diffusion and partial pressure
Give typical partial pressures of oxygen in the alveoli and in blood arriving at the lungs.
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Alveolar air has a partial pressure of oxygen of about 100 mmHg. Deoxygenated blood arriving at the lungs has about 40 mmHg. -
Gas exchange, diffusion and partial pressure
Why does more oxygen diffuse into a footballer's leg muscles during a match than at rest?
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The muscles consume oxygen faster, lowering its partial pressure in the muscle. The gradient from blood to muscle steepens, so oxygen diffuses in faster. -
Control of breathing during exercise
How does the sympathetic nervous system affect breathing during exercise?
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Sympathetic stimulation increases the rate and depth of breathing. Sympathetic stimulation also dilates the bronchioles, easing airflow. -
Control of breathing during exercise
What is the role of stretch receptors in the lungs?
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Stretch receptors detect how far the lungs inflate. Impulses to the expiratory centre end inspiration and prevent over-inflation. -
Smoking and the respiratory system
How does smoking cause bronchitis?
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Smoke irritates and inflames the bronchi and bronchioles. The airways swell and produce extra mucus, narrowing them and making breathing harder. -
Smoking and the respiratory system
Why does smoking lower a performer's VO₂ max?
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Carbon monoxide reduces the blood's oxygen-carrying capacity. Damaged alveoli and narrowed airways reduce oxygen uptake, so less oxygen reaches the muscles.
The 4 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Lung volumes and minute ventilation | Tidal volume, inspiratory and expiratory reserve volumes, residual volume, minute ventilation with worked examples, and responses to submaximal and maximal exercise. | 14 |
| Gas exchange, diffusion and partial pressure | Diffusion, partial pressure and diffusion gradients, gas exchange at the alveoli and at the muscles, typical partial pressures, alveolar features and the effect of training. | 14 |
| Control of breathing during exercise | The respiratory control centre, extra muscles of inspiration and active expiration, carbon dioxide as the main stimulus, proprioceptors, baroreceptors and stretch receptors, and recovery. | 13 |
| Smoking and the respiratory system | Carbon monoxide and oxygen transport, damaged cilia, smoker's cough, bronchitis, emphysema and COPD, tar and nicotine, and effects on VO₂ max and OBLA. | 13 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA A-Level Physical Education Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,084 questions with their answers.