The Immune System | OCR A-Level Biology B (Advancing Biology) (H422)
The Immune System
- 68 questions
- 4 subtopics
- Biology content, examined on all three papers
- Component 01, Component 02 and Component 03
The Immune System 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 primary defences and non-specific responses, B and T lymphocytes and the specific response, antibodies and testing for TB and HIV and types of immunity and allergy.
Sample questions from The Immune System
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Primary defences and non-specific responses
Why is a smoker more likely to develop a chest infection?
Show the answer
Tar in tobacco smoke paralyses and destroys the cilia, so mucus and the pathogens trapped in it collect in the airways instead of being swept out. -
Primary defences and non-specific responses
Name the two main types of phagocyte.
Show the answer
Neutrophils and macrophages. -
B and T lymphocytes and the specific response
What is the function of a plasma cell?
Show the answer
A plasma cell secretes very large quantities of one specific antibody into the blood and lymph. -
B and T lymphocytes and the specific response
Distinguish between the humoral and the cell-mediated immune response.
Show the answer
The humoral response uses B cells and their antibodies against pathogens in the blood and tissue fluid, while the cell-mediated response uses T cells against the body's own cells that have become infected or cancerous. -
Antibodies and testing for TB and HIV
How do antibodies act as agglutinins?
Show the answer
Each antibody has two binding sites, so it can bind two pathogens at once and cross-link many of them together into large clumps. -
Antibodies and testing for TB and HIV
How is the Mantoux test carried out?
Show the answer
A small volume of purified protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis is injected into the skin of the inner forearm, and the site is examined 48 to 72 hours later. -
Types of immunity and allergy
Give an example of artificial passive immunity.
Show the answer
An injection of antibodies after a snake bite, or of tetanus immunoglobulin after a dirty wound. -
Types of immunity and allergy
What happens when a sensitised person meets the allergen again?
Show the answer
The allergen binds to and cross-links the IgE antibodies on the mast cell surface, which makes the mast cell release histamine and other mediators within minutes.
The 4 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Primary defences and non-specific responses | Recall questions on primary defences such as mucus, cilia, stomach acid and lysozyme, smoking and chest infections, inflammation, mast cells and histamine, neutrophils and macrophages, cytokines and opsonins, phagocytosis, and macrophages as antigen-presenting cells. | 16 |
| B and T lymphocytes and the specific response | Recall questions on where B and T lymphocytes are made and mature, clonal selection and expansion, plasma cells and memory cells, T helper, T killer and T regulatory cells, humoral and cell-mediated responses, and how the secondary response differs from the primary. | 17 |
| Antibodies and testing for TB and HIV | Recall questions on antibody structure, variable and constant regions and the hinge, agglutination, antibody and antigen tests for HIV and the window period, testing babies of HIV-positive mothers, the Mantoux test and its limits, and interferon-gamma and urine antigen tests for tuberculosis. | 18 |
| Types of immunity and allergy | Recall questions on natural and artificial, active and passive immunity with examples, why passive immunity is immediate but short-lived, antivenom, allergens and hypersensitivity, IgE, mast cells and histamine in hay fever, antihistamines, and anaphylaxis treated with adrenaline. | 17 |
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
OCR A-Level Biology B (Advancing Biology) Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,895 questions with their answers.