Transport Systems in Mammals | OCR A-Level Biology B (Advancing Biology) (H422)
Transport Systems in Mammals
- 60 questions
- 4 subtopics
- Further biology content, examined on all three papers
- Component 01, Component 02 and Component 03
Transport Systems in Mammals 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 closed double circulatory system, blood vessels and their microscopic structure, tissue fluid and capillary exchange and measuring and interpreting blood pressure.
Sample questions from Transport Systems in Mammals
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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The closed double circulatory system
Give a typical value for systemic arterial blood pressure and for pulmonary arterial blood pressure in a healthy adult.
Show the answer
Systemic arterial pressure is about 120/80 mmHg and pulmonary arterial pressure is about 25/10 mmHg. -
The closed double circulatory system
Give one advantage of a closed circulation over an open one.
Show the answer
Pressure can be kept high so that blood flows quickly, and flow can be directed to particular organs by altering the diameter of the vessels. -
Blood vessels and their microscopic structure
What is the wall of a capillary made of?
Show the answer
It is a single layer of flattened endothelial cells, one cell thick, with narrow gaps between neighbouring cells. -
Blood vessels and their microscopic structure
How is blood in the veins of the leg returned to the heart?
Show the answer
Contraction of the surrounding skeletal muscles squeezes the veins, and semilunar valves inside them prevent backflow so blood can only move towards the heart. -
Tissue fluid and capillary exchange
What happens at the arteriolar end of a capillary bed?
Show the answer
The hydrostatic pressure is greater than the oncotic pressure, so there is a net outward force and water with small dissolved solutes is forced out through the gaps in the capillary wall. -
Tissue fluid and capillary exchange
Why is tissue fluid important to the cells of a tissue?
Show the answer
It is the medium through which oxygen and glucose reach the cells and through which carbon dioxide and other wastes leave them. -
Measuring and interpreting blood pressure
Describe how an electronic sphygmomanometer obtains a reading.
Show the answer
The cuff inflates and deflates automatically while a pressure sensor detects the oscillations produced in the cuff by the pulsing artery, and the systolic and diastolic values are calculated and shown on a display. -
Measuring and interpreting blood pressure
Define hypertension.
Show the answer
It is persistently raised blood pressure, generally taken as a clinic reading of 140/90 mmHg or above.
The 4 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| The closed double circulatory system | Recall questions on closed and double circulatory systems, the pulmonary and systemic circuits, why pulmonary blood pressure is lower and its typical values, and why a double circulation supports the high metabolic rate of a mammal. | 12 |
| Blood vessels and their microscopic structure | Recall questions on the tunica intima, media and externa of arteries, elastic tissue and smooth muscle in arteries and arterioles, how capillaries suit exchange and why flow through them is slow, venules and veins with their valves, and telling vessels apart in stained transverse sections. | 16 |
| Tissue fluid and capillary exchange | Recall questions on tissue fluid and what it lacks, hydrostatic and oncotic pressure at the arteriolar and venule ends of a capillary bed, why each changes or stays constant, the lymphatic system, and oedema caused by protein deficiency or high blood pressure. | 14 |
| Measuring and interpreting blood pressure | Recall questions on systolic and diastolic pressure in mmHg, measuring blood pressure with manual and electronic sphygmomanometers and their advantages, reliable readings, hypertension and its consequences for the arteries and heart, hypotension, and calculating pulse pressure. | 18 |
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.