Homeostasis and Response | AQA GCSE Biology, Foundation tier (8461)
Homeostasis and Response
- 182 questions
- 12 subtopics
- Paper 2
- Paper 2
Homeostasis and Response is examined in Biology Paper 2.
It covers homeostasis, the nervous system and the reflex arc, the structure of the eye and accommodation, myopia, hyperopia and how they are corrected, the brain and the control of body temperature, human endocrine system, insulin, glucagon and diabetes, water and ion loss, and the production of urea, the kidneys, ADH and treating kidney failure, hormones in human reproduction, contraception and plant hormones and their uses.
Sample questions from Homeostasis and Response
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Homeostasis
Apart from enzyme action, what else does homeostasis keep at its optimum?
Show the answer
All the other functions carried out by the cells of the body. -
The nervous system and the reflex arc
Two schools each find that a caffeinated drink shortens reaction time in the ruler-drop test. What does the agreement between their results show?
Show the answer
The result is reproducible, because different investigators using different equipment obtained similar results. -
Myopia, hyperopia and how they are corrected
What is the everyday name for myopia?
Show the answer
Short sightedness. -
The brain and the control of body temperature
Name the two changes in the skin that occur when body temperature is too high.
Show the answer
The blood vessels supplying the skin dilate, and the sweat glands produce sweat. -
Insulin, glucagon and diabetes
Why is a very high blood glucose concentration harmful to cells?
Show the answer
It makes the blood plasma too concentrated, so water is drawn out of the cells by osmosis and they cannot work properly. -
Water and ion loss, and the production of urea
Which organs remove excess water, ions and urea from the body?
Show the answer
The kidneys. -
Hormones in human reproduction
About how often is an egg released from the ovaries?
Show the answer
About once every 28 days. -
Contraception
Give one advantage of an oral contraceptive over a barrier method.
Show the answer
It is more reliable, because it does not depend on being used correctly at the time of intercourse.
The 12 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Homeostasis | What homeostasis is and why cells and enzymes need stable conditions, the control of blood glucose, body temperature and water level, nervous and hormonal responses, and the receptors, coordination centres and effectors of every control system. | 14 |
| The nervous system and the reflex arc | How the nervous system carries electrical impulses, the central nervous system and effectors, the stimulus to response pathway, sensory, relay and motor neurones and synapses in a reflex arc, why reflexes are rapid and automatic, and measuring reaction times, with anomalous results, reproducibility, range, uncertainty in a mean and significant figures. | 30 |
| The structure of the eye and accommodation | The retina, optic nerve, sclera, cornea and iris, how the iris muscles change pupil size in dim and bright light, accommodation for near objects as the ciliary muscles contract, the suspensory ligaments loosen and the lens thickens, and how the eye changes between near and distant focus. | 18 |
| Myopia, hyperopia and how they are corrected | How the eye focuses on distant objects as the ciliary muscles relax and the lens is pulled thin, short and long sightedness and where light is focused, and correction by spectacles with concave or convex lenses, contact lenses, laser surgery and lens replacement. | 14 |
| The brain and the control of body temperature | The cerebral cortex, cerebellum and medulla, and how the thermoregulatory centre and skin receptors control body temperature through vasodilation and sweating when it is too high and vasoconstriction and shivering when it is too low. | 12 |
| Human endocrine system | What a hormone is and how it travels in the blood, hormonal against nervous effects, the pituitary as master gland, and the thyroid, adrenals, pancreas, ovaries and testes. | 14 |
| Insulin, glucagon and diabetes | How the pancreas releases insulin to move glucose into cells and store it as glycogen, why high blood glucose harms cells, the causes, signs and treatments of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, why insulin is injected, and reading glucose drink results. | 16 |
| Water and ion loss, and the production of urea | How cells swell or shrink by osmosis when body fluids change concentration, uncontrolled water loss through the lungs and skin, why ions must be replaced after sweating, and the kidneys removing excess water, ions and urea in urine. | 12 |
| The kidneys, ADH and treating kidney failure | How the kidneys balance water and change urine volume, filtration and selective reabsorption of glucose, ions and water, interpreting protein, urea and glucose data, and dialysis and kidney transplants for kidney failure. | 15 |
| Hormones in human reproduction | Puberty and secondary sex characteristics, oestrogen, testosterone and sperm production, ovulation about every 28 days, FSH and LH from the pituitary gland maturing and releasing an egg, and oestrogen and progesterone maintaining the uterus lining. | 12 |
| Contraception | Hormonal and non-hormonal contraception, including oral contraceptives, slow release progesterone by injection, implant or patch, barrier methods, intrauterine devices, spermicides, avoiding intercourse at fertile times and sterilisation, and the advantages and drawbacks of each. | 15 |
| Plant hormones and their uses | Phototropism and gravitropism, how auxin makes shoots bend towards light and roots grow downwards, and investigating the effects of light and gravity on seedlings, with control variables and labelled drawings. | 10 |
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 GCSE Biology, Foundation tier Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 1,322 questions with their answers.