Fertility and Assisted Reproduction | OCR A-Level Biology B (Advancing Biology) (H422)
Fertility and Assisted Reproduction
- 83 questions
- 6 subtopics
- Further biology content, examined on all three papers
- Component 01, Component 02 and Component 03
Fertility and Assisted Reproduction is examined in all three written papers — the specification states that Components 01, 02 and 03 can each assess content from any of the five modules, so nothing is confined to one paper.
It covers the urinogenital systems and gonad histology, Gametogenesis and the structure of the gametes, hormonal control of gametogenesis and the menstrual cycle, fertilisation and pregnancy testing, the causes and issues of infertility and Assisted reproduction techniques.
Sample questions from Fertility and Assisted Reproduction
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
-
The urinogenital systems and gonad histology
Name in order the parts of the female tract that a secondary oocyte passes along after ovulation.
Show the answer
It is swept from the ovary surface into the oviduct, travels along the oviduct and enters the uterus, whose lower opening is the cervix leading to the vagina. -
The urinogenital systems and gonad histology
How would you distinguish a Graafian follicle from a primary follicle in a section of ovary?
Show the answer
A Graafian follicle is far larger and contains a big fluid-filled antrum with the oocyte held on a stalk of granulosa cells, whereas a primary follicle is small and solid with only a single layer of cells around the oocyte. -
Gametogenesis and the structure of the gametes
At which stage of meiosis is a primary oocyte arrested, and for how long?
Show the answer
It is arrested in prophase I, from before birth until the cycle in which that follicle is recruited, which may be several decades later. -
Gametogenesis and the structure of the gametes
Why is the mid-piece of a sperm packed with mitochondria arranged around the axoneme?
Show the answer
Aerobic respiration in those mitochondria supplies ATP directly to the flagellum, which needs a continuous energy supply to keep beating. -
Hormonal control of gametogenesis and the menstrual cycle
Which hormone released by Sertoli cells selectively reduces FSH secretion?
Show the answer
Inhibin. -
Hormonal control of gametogenesis and the menstrual cycle
What happens to the ruptured follicle after ovulation, and which hormone drives the change?
Show the answer
LH converts the remains of the follicle into the corpus luteum. -
Fertilisation and pregnancy testing
Why would polyspermy be fatal to the embryo?
Show the answer
Each extra sperm nucleus adds another haploid set of chromosomes, so the cell would have three or more sets and could not divide or develop normally. -
Fertilisation and pregnancy testing
Which hormone do pregnancy tests detect, and what secretes it?
Show the answer
Human chorionic gonadotrophin, secreted by the outer cells of the implanting embryo.
The 6 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| The urinogenital systems and gonad histology | Recall questions on the path of sperm through the male tract, the scrotum and accessory glands, the female tract, oviduct and uterine wall, the structure of seminiferous tubules, Leydig and Sertoli cells, primary and Graafian follicles and the corpus luteum in stained sections, and measuring a sperm head. | 14 |
| Gametogenesis and the structure of the gametes | Recall questions on spermatogenesis in the seminiferous tubules and the roles of mitosis and meiosis, spermatid differentiation, oogenesis with its arrested stages, polar bodies and unequal cytokinesis, the acrosome, mid-piece and zona pellucida, and comparing sperm and oocyte. | 14 |
| Hormonal control of gametogenesis and the menstrual cycle | Recall questions on the hypothalamic hormone above FSH and LH, the testis cells each acts on, what triggers the mid-cycle surge, the corpus luteum, and why FSH rises again. | 14 |
| Fertilisation and pregnancy testing | Recall questions on where fertilisation happens, capacitation, the acrosome and cortical reactions, why polyspermy is fatal, the second polar body and fusion of pronuclei, fertilisation and variation, and how monoclonal antibodies detect hCG in pregnancy test strips with a control line. | 13 |
| The causes and issues of infertility | Recall questions on how infertility is defined, sperm count and quality, blocked tubes, ovulatory disorders and endometriosis, anti-sperm antibodies, and the ethics of treatment and donated gametes. | 14 |
| Assisted reproduction techniques | Recall questions on ovulation induction with clomifene and its risks, intrauterine insemination, donor sperm and its quarantine, the stages of IVF, intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection, surgical sperm retrieval, frozen embryo replacement, and gamete intra-fallopian transfer. | 14 |
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.
-
Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
-
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.
-
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
OCR A-Level Biology B (Advancing Biology) Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,895 questions with their answers.