OCR GCSE Biology A, Higher tier sample questions and answers (J247)
Guide overview All topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
30 sample questions and answers
Taken from every topic of OCR GCSE Biology A, Higher tier, specification J247. The full guide has 1,137.
Paper 3
Cell Level Systems
220 questions in the guide, across 10 subtopics. More from this topic
-
Microscopy, and sub-cellular structures
Why does a very active cell such as a muscle cell contain large numbers of mitochondria?
Show the answer
Mitochondria contain the enzymes for cellular respiration, so more of them supply more energy for the cell's work. -
DNA structure: polymer, double helix and nucleotides
How many strands make up a molecule of DNA?
Show the answer
Two. -
Protein synthesis and the triplet code
What happens during translation?
Show the answer
The nucleotide sequence of the mRNA is read and amino acids are joined together in the order it specifies. -
Enzyme action, and investigating enzymes
What does the lock and key hypothesis describe?
Show the answer
The substrate fits into the active site as a key fits a lock, so only a matching substrate can bind. -
Cellular respiration as an exothermic process
Name three processes in an organism that depend on the ATP supplied by respiration.
Show the answer
Muscle contraction, active transport and the building of large molecules such as proteins.
Paper 4
Community Level Systems
86 questions in the guide, across 5 subtopics. More from this topic
-
Cycling materials, and the role of microorganisms
Explain why materials such as carbon and nitrogen must be recycled in an ecosystem.
Show the answer
The supply of them is limited, so they have to be returned to the non-living surroundings for other organisms to take up and use again. -
Cycling materials, and the role of microorganisms
How do decomposers return carbon to the air?
Show the answer
They respire as they break down dead material, releasing carbon dioxide. -
The carbon and water cycles, and decomposition
Explain why the carbon cycle is important to living organisms.
Show the answer
It keeps returning carbon to the air as carbon dioxide so plants can photosynthesise, and that supplies the carbon compounds every other organism feeds on. -
The carbon and water cycles, and decomposition
Explain why decomposition is slow in waterlogged soil.
Show the answer
Water fills the air spaces and excludes oxygen, so aerobic decomposers cannot respire fast and break material down only slowly. -
Levels of organisation, and abiotic and biotic factors
All the oak trees growing in one wood are an example of which level of organisation?
Show the answer
A population.
Paper 4
Genes, Inheritance and Selection
152 questions in the guide, across 10 subtopics. More from this topic
-
Genetic terms, and the genome
What does homozygous mean?
Show the answer
Carrying two identical alleles of a gene. -
Genome, environment and mutations
Explain why height in humans shows continuous variation.
Show the answer
It is controlled by several genes acting together, and it is also affected by environmental factors such as diet. -
How genetic variants influence phenotype
How can a variant in coding DNA change a protein?
Show the answer
It can change an amino acid in the chain, which changes the way the protein folds and so alters its structure. -
Asexual and sexual reproduction compared
Give two disadvantages of sexual reproduction.
Show the answer
Two parents must find each other and mate, and reproduction is slower with fewer offspring produced. -
Haploid, diploid and meiosis
A plant has 14 chromosomes in each of its leaf cells. How many chromosomes are in each of its pollen grain nuclei?
Show the answer
Seven, because gametes are haploid and carry half the number found in a body cell.
Paper 4
Global Challenges
311 questions in the guide, across 16 subtopics. More from this topic
-
Field investigations, and human impact on ecosystems
What is a pooter and how does it work?
Show the answer
A small jar with two tubes for collecting insects; the user sucks on one tube so the insect is drawn through the other into the jar, and gauze stops it being swallowed. -
Food security, agricultural and biotechnological solutions
What is meant by sustainable food production?
Show the answer
Producing enough food now without damaging soil, water and wildlife, so that the land can still be farmed by future generations. -
Health, disease, and types of disease
Explain why someone with a poor diet is more likely to catch an infectious disease.
Show the answer
A shortage of nutrients weakens the immune system, so fewer white blood cells and antibodies are made to fight the pathogen. -
Reducing the spread of disease, and named examples
How does a grower identify a diseased crop plant by eye in the field?
Show the answer
By looking for typical symptoms such as mottled or discoloured leaves, spots, growths or stunted growth. -
Detecting plant disease; white blood cells and platelets
Describe how antigens are used in a laboratory to identify the cause of a plant disease.
Show the answer
The sample is tested with antibodies that bind only to the antigens of one pathogen, and a colour change shows that pathogen is present.
Paper 3
Organism Level Systems
221 questions in the guide, across 15 subtopics. More from this topic
-
The nervous system and coordinated responses
What is an effector?
Show the answer
A muscle or a gland that carries out the response when an impulse arrives from a motor neurone. -
The reflex arc
In the blinking reflex, what is the stimulus and what is the effector?
Show the answer
The stimulus is an object touching the eye or moving quickly towards it, and the effector is the eyelid muscle. -
The structure and function of the brain
Where is the cerebellum and what does it do?
Show the answer
It lies at the back of the brain beneath the cerebrum, and it coordinates muscle movement, balance and posture so movements are smooth. -
Investigating and treating the brain
Why can many drugs not be used to treat disease in the brain?
Show the answer
The blood-brain barrier stops most substances carried in the blood from passing into brain tissue. -
Hormones in reproduction and the menstrual cycle
What is the role of progesterone in the menstrual cycle?
Show the answer
It maintains the thick lining of the uterus so it is ready for a fertilised egg to implant.
Paper 3
Scaling Up
147 questions in the guide, across 9 subtopics. More from this topic
-
Diffusion, osmosis and active transport
What happens to a plant cell placed in a concentrated salt solution?
Show the answer
Water leaves it by osmosis, so the cell loses its turgor and the membrane pulls away from the cell wall. -
Mitosis, the cell cycle and cell differentiation
Why is mitosis important to an organism that reproduces asexually?
Show the answer
It produces offspring that are genetically identical to the parent. -
Stem cells in animals and meristems in plants
What are the two things a stem cell can do when it divides?
Show the answer
It can make more stem cells, or produce cells that go on to differentiate into specialised types. -
Surface area to volume ratio and exchange surfaces
Why can a single-celled organism rely on diffusion across its surface alone?
Show the answer
Its surface area to volume ratio is very large and no part of it is far from the surface, so diffusion supplies its needs fast enough. -
The circulatory system, the heart and blood vessels
Which vessels carry blood away from the heart and which return it?
Show the answer
Arteries carry blood away from the heart and veins return blood to it.
OCR GCSE Biology A, Higher tier Active Recall Guide
The other 1,107 questions, with the answers printed after each section.