GCSE Biology Practice Test 14 – 60 Questions with Answers (AQA 8461)

Q1. Which medical use of stem cells is being researched?

• (A) Replacing whole organs with plastic models
• (B) Treating conditions such as diabetes by replacing damaged cells
• (C) Curing all infections at once
• (D) Stopping all cell division in the body

Q2. What is meant by a concentration gradient?

• (A) A difference in concentration between two regions
• (B) The energy needed for active transport
• (C) A membrane that blocks all particles
• (D) The speed of water moving through a root

Q3. Which process describes the movement of water from a dilute solution to a more concentrated solution through a partially permeable membrane?

• (A) Active transport
• (B) Diffusion of glucose
• (C) Osmosis
• (D) Respiration

Q4. Where does the energy for active transport come from?

• (A) Respiration in the cell
• (B) Photosynthesis in the leaf only
• (C) Diffusion of water
• (D) The breakdown of starch in the gut

Q5. Root hair cells take up mineral ions from soil water even when the concentration in the soil is lower than in the cell. How?

• (A) By osmosis only
• (B) By diffusion only
• (C) By photosynthesis
• (D) By active transport

Q6. Why do root hair cells have a large surface area and many mitochondria?

• (A) To carry out photosynthesis underground
• (B) To store starch
• (C) To prevent water loss
• (D) To absorb more water and minerals and to provide energy for active transport

Q7. In the gut, glucose is absorbed into blood even when blood glucose is higher than gut glucose. Which process is used?

• (A) Osmosis
• (B) Active transport
• (C) Simple diffusion of water
• (D) Filtration

Q8. A red blood cell placed in pure water swells and may burst. Why?

• (A) Salt leaves by active transport
• (B) Water enters by osmosis because the cell contents are more concentrated than pure water
• (C) Glucose diffuses out rapidly
• (D) The cell membrane dissolves

Q9. A plant cell placed in a concentrated salt solution becomes plasmolysed. What happens?

• (A) Water leaves the cell by osmosis and the vacuole shrinks
• (B) Water enters the cell rapidly
• (C) The cell wall dissolves
• (D) The nucleus divides

Q10. Which tissue transports dissolved sugars around a plant?

• (A) Xylem
• (B) Phloem
• (C) Cortex
• (D) Pith

Q11. What is meant by translocation in plants?

• (A) The loss of water vapour from leaves
• (B) The movement of dissolved sugars through the phloem
• (C) The uptake of water by roots
• (D) The opening of stomata

Q12. Which condition will speed up transpiration from leaves?

• (A) Lower light intensity
• (B) Higher humidity
• (C) Higher temperature
• (D) Still air

Q13. How do guard cells control water loss?

• (A) They make chlorophyll
• (B) They absorb water from soil
• (C) They transport sugars
• (D) They open and close the stomata

Q14. Which plant tissue is the main site of photosynthesis?

• (A) Palisade mesophyll
• (B) Xylem
• (C) Root epidermis
• (D) Phloem

Q15. What is the function of the coronary arteries?

• (A) To supply the lungs
• (B) To return blood to the heart
• (C) To supply the brain only
• (D) To supply the heart muscle itself with oxygenated blood

Q16. Which sequence correctly shows blood flow through the heart?

• (A) Aorta, left ventricle, lungs, right atrium, vena cava
• (B) Pulmonary vein, right atrium, lungs, left ventricle
• (C) Vena cava, left atrium, left ventricle, lungs
• (D) Vena cava, right atrium, right ventricle, lungs, left atrium, left ventricle, aorta

Q17. A person has a blocked coronary artery. Which organ is directly affected?

• (A) The liver
• (B) The lung
• (C) The kidney
• (D) The heart

Q18. Why is the wall of the left ventricle thicker than the right ventricle?

• (A) It pumps blood only to the lungs
• (B) It holds more valves
• (C) It must pump blood much further, around the whole body
• (D) It stores blood

Q19. What is the best way to reduce spread of a disease spread by contaminated water?

• (A) Increase contact between people
• (B) Use antibiotics for viruses
• (C) Provide clean drinking water and good sanitation
• (D) Close all hospitals

Q20. Why is it important to wash hands to prevent infection?

• (A) It makes skin waterproof
• (B) It produces antibodies
• (C) It kills viruses inside cells
• (D) It removes pathogens from the skin before they can enter the body or be passed on

Q21. Which statement about measles is correct?

• (A) It is caused by bacteria and treated with antibiotics
• (B) It is spread only by mosquitoes
• (C) It is a viral disease that can be prevented by the MMR vaccine
• (D) It is a fungal skin infection

Q22. What happens when a pathogen enters the body and white blood cells recognise its antigens?

• (A) Red blood cells divide rapidly
• (B) Specific antibodies are produced to target that pathogen
• (C) The pathogen becomes a vaccine
• (D) Blood clotting stops

Q23. Which is an example of a non-specific defence?

• (A) Phagocytosis by white blood cells
• (B) Production of a specific antibody
• (C) Memory cells
• (D) Vaccination

Q24. Why do some people need a booster vaccination?

• (A) Because immunity can fade over time
• (B) Because the first vaccine was faulty in all cases
• (C) Because pathogens change the vaccine
• (D) Because antibodies expire in a day

Q25. Tobacco mosaic virus affects which organism?

• (A) Tobacco plants
• (B) Humans only
• (C) Cattle
• (D) Fish

Q26. Rose black spot is caused by what?

• (A) A virus
• (B) A bacterium
• (C) A protist
• (D) A fungus

Q27. Which symptom is typical of salmonella food poisoning?

• (A) Fever, cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea
• (B) A rash on leaves
• (C) Discoloured leaves
• (D) Sneezing only

Q28. Why do plants need nitrate ions?

• (A) To make amino acids and proteins
• (B) To make glucose
• (C) To make chlorophyll only
• (D) To make water

Q29. For which plant process are magnesium ions essential?

• (A) To make cell walls
• (B) To make chlorophyll
• (C) To make starch directly
• (D) To make oxygen

Q30. What happens to the rate of photosynthesis as temperature rises from 10 C to about 30 C?

• (A) It decreases steadily
• (B) It increases because enzymes work faster
• (C) It stays the same
• (D) It stops at 20 C

Q31. What happens to photosynthesis above about 40 C?

• (A) Chlorophyll increases
• (B) Stomata open wider forever
• (C) Roots absorb more light
• (D) Enzymes denature and the rate falls

Q32. Which gas is released by a pond plant in bright light?

• (A) Carbon dioxide only
• (B) Oxygen
• (C) Nitrogen
• (D) Hydrogen

Q33. How can the rate of photosynthesis be measured using pondweed?

• (A) By measuring root length
• (B) By counting oxygen bubbles per minute
• (C) By weighing the soil
• (D) By counting leaves

Q34. Which description of anaerobic respiration is true?

• (A) It releases more energy than aerobic respiration
• (B) It needs oxygen
• (C) It releases less energy per glucose molecule than aerobic respiration
• (D) It produces no waste products

Q35. During long, gentle exercise, which type of respiration mainly supplies muscle energy?

• (A) Anaerobic respiration in yeast
• (B) Photosynthesis
• (C) Aerobic respiration
• (D) Fermentation to ethanol

Q36. How does the body reduce heat loss on a cold day?

• (A) Blood vessels dilate and sweating increases
• (B) Shivering stops
• (C) The skin produces more oil
• (D) Blood vessels in the skin constrict and hairs stand up

Q37. What is meant by a stimulus in a response?

• (A) A change in the environment that is detected by a receptor
• (B) A hormone released by a gland
• (C) A muscle that carries out a response
• (D) A neurone in the spinal cord

Q38. Why do we shiver when cold?

• (A) Muscles relax to save energy
• (B) Blood vessels dilate
• (C) Muscles contract rapidly to release heat by respiration
• (D) The skin produces sweat

Q39. What is the role of the coordinator in a control system?

• (A) To receive information from receptors and organise a response
• (B) To detect the stimulus
• (C) To carry out the response
• (D) To produce energy for the response

Q40. When a root is lit from one side, in which direction does it grow?

• (A) Towards the light
• (B) Straight down regardless of light
• (C) It stops growing
• (D) Away from the light

Q41. In which direction does a root grow in response to gravity?

• (A) Downwards, towards gravity
• (B) Upwards, away from gravity
• (C) Towards light
• (D) It does not respond to gravity

Q42. By what mechanism does auxin bend a shoot towards light?

• (A) Auxin stops all growth on the shaded side
• (B) Auxin is destroyed on the shaded side only in roots
• (C) Auxin accumulates on the shaded side, making those cells elongate more
• (D) Auxin moves to the light side and stops growth there

Q43. Which plant hormone promotes seed germination and stem elongation?

• (A) Auxin only
• (B) Ethene
• (C) Gibberellin
• (D) Abscisic acid

Q44. How are most fossils formed?

• (A) By animals turning to stone instantly
• (B) By remains being buried and gradually replaced by minerals
• (C) By DNA surviving unchanged for millions of years
• (D) By footprints in wet mud only

Q45. Why are genetically modified crops sometimes made resistant to insects?

• (A) To make them grow without water
• (B) To make them taste like meat
• (C) To reduce crop damage and pesticide use
• (D) To stop photosynthesis

Q46. What is a concern about genetically modified crops?

• (A) That they always cause disease in humans
• (B) That they cannot photosynthesise
• (C) That they need no soil
• (D) That modified genes could spread to wild plants

Q47. What did Darwin observe that supported evolution?

• (A) That all species are identical
• (B) That fossils never change
• (C) That species on islands differed but were similar to mainland species
• (D) That selective breeding is impossible

Q48. What is a fossil?

• (A) A living organism
• (B) A type of rock with no life
• (C) A seed from an ancient plant only
• (D) The remains or traces of an organism preserved in rock

Q49. Why is the fossil record incomplete?

• (A) Because fossils dissolve in all rocks
• (B) Because many organisms decay before fossilisation and conditions are rare
• (C) Because evolution stopped
• (D) Because rocks are too young

Q50. How does the fossil record support evolution?

• (A) It shows gradual changes in organisms over time
• (B) It shows all organisms appeared at once unchanged
• (C) It proves no species ever became extinct
• (D) It shows only modern species

Q51. Which event could cause a species to become extinct?

• (A) A small seasonal change in temperature
• (B) The birth of new offspring
• (C) The migration of a few individuals to a new area
• (D) The destruction of its only habitat

Q52. What process is described by the term eutrophication?

• (A) Drying out of a lake
• (B) Acid rain falling on soil
• (C) Enrichment of water with nutrients leading to algal growth and oxygen loss
• (D) Loss of soil nutrients

Q53. How can farmers reduce water pollution from fertilisers?

• (A) By using more fertiliser
• (B) By draining fields into rivers
• (C) By using fertiliser carefully and keeping it away from waterways
• (D) By removing hedges

Q54. What is the effect of removing a top predator from a food web?

• (A) No species is affected
• (B) Producers increase only
• (C) Decomposers disappear
• (D) Prey populations may increase and affect other species

Q55. If a disease kills most rabbits in a grassland, what happens to foxes?

• (A) Fox numbers rise immediately
• (B) Fox numbers may fall due to less food, unless they eat other prey
• (C) Grass decreases
• (D) Rabbits increase

Q56. What is meant by a stable community?

• (A) A community where species numbers stay roughly constant over time
• (B) A community with only one species
• (C) A community with no predators
• (D) A community that never changes at all

Q57. Which is a biotic factor affecting a population?

• (A) Temperature
• (B) Competition for food
• (C) Rainfall
• (D) Soil pH

Q58. What is meant by an abiotic factor in an ecosystem?

• (A) A living predator
• (B) A non-living factor that affects organisms
• (C) A disease-causing microorganism
• (D) The total number of species in an area

Q59. How does competition affect organisms?

• (A) Organisms compete for limited resources such as food, light and space
• (B) It always increases population size
• (C) It removes all predators
• (D) It creates new species instantly

Q60. What is interdependence?

• (A) When species live alone
• (B) When one species eats all others
• (C) When species in a community depend on each other for food, shelter or other needs
• (D) When species never interact