GCSE Biology Practice Test 19 – 60 Questions with Answers (AQA 8461)

Q1. A nerve cell has a long axon. What is the advantage of this adaptation?

• (A) It carries electrical impulses over long distances quickly
• (B) It stores glucose
• (C) It produces mucus
• (D) It absorbs water

Q2. Bacteria reproduce asexually by which process?

• (A) Mitosis in a nucleus
• (B) Binary fission
• (C) Meiosis
• (D) Budding of spores only

Q3. When growing bacteria in the laboratory, why is the Petri dish lid kept on and the culture not touched?

• (A) To keep the bacteria warm only
• (B) To stop photosynthesis
• (C) To prevent contamination by other microorganisms
• (D) To prevent the agar drying in minutes

Q4. A student calculates magnification as image size 15 mm and real size 0.05 mm. What is the magnification?

• (A) x30
• (B) x750
• (C) x3
• (D) x300

Q5. Convert 0.6 mm into micrometres.

• (A) 600 micrometres
• (B) 60 micrometres
• (C) 6000 micrometres
• (D) 0.6 micrometres

Q6. Which statement about resolution is correct?

• (A) Resolution is the same as magnification
• (B) Resolution is the ability to distinguish between two points that are close together
• (C) Resolution measures the colour of a specimen
• (D) Resolution is the size of the microscope lens

Q7. Why can an electron microscope see viruses while a light microscope generally cannot?

• (A) Because it uses coloured light
• (B) Because it is larger
• (C) Because it has much higher resolution
• (D) Because it uses a glass lens

Q8. In which situation would there be no net movement of water by osmosis into or out of a cell?

• (A) When the outside solution is very dilute
• (B) When the outside solution is very concentrated
• (C) When the temperature is very high
• (D) When the solution outside is the same concentration as inside the cell

Q9. A plant cell placed in pure water gains water by osmosis. What stops it bursting?

• (A) Its strong cell wall
• (B) Its nucleus
• (C) Its chloroplasts
• (D) Its cell membrane alone

Q10. In a plant, which tissue carries water and mineral ions from roots to leaves?

• (A) Phloem
• (B) Xylem
• (C) Mesophyll
• (D) Epidermis

Q11. Which tissue carries dissolved sugars made in photosynthesis around a plant?

• (A) Xylem
• (B) Stomata
• (C) Phloem
• (D) Cuticle

Q12. Water moves from root to leaf mainly by which process through the xylem?

• (A) Active transport in the phloem
• (B) Diffusion through stomata only
• (C) Photosynthesis
• (D) Transpiration stream

Q13. Stomata are pores in leaves. What is their main function?

• (A) To allow gases in and out and control water loss
• (B) To absorb sunlight
• (C) To make chlorophyll
• (D) To store starch

Q14. Guard cells control stomata. When guard cells take up water, what happens to the stoma?

• (A) It closes permanently
• (B) It opens
• (C) It becomes a vein
• (D) It produces sugar

Q15. Which factor increases the rate of transpiration from a leaf?

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

Q16. Translocation in plants is the movement of sugars through the phloem. In which direction can it occur?

• (A) Only upwards
• (B) Only downwards
• (C) Only towards roots
• (D) Both up and down the plant

Q17. Why is the large intestine important even though little digestion happens there?

• (A) Water is absorbed from undigested food there
• (B) Proteins are digested there
• (C) Bile is made there
• (D) Glucose is absorbed into villi there

Q18. Which symptom is a sign that the body is fighting an infection?

• (A) Low blood sugar
• (B) A fever
• (C) A broken bone
• (D) Hair loss

Q19. Antitoxins are produced by white blood cells to counteract which harmful substances?

• (A) Antibodies
• (B) Hormones
• (C) Toxins produced by bacteria
• (D) Digestive enzymes

Q20. Why can a new strain of flu cause illness even in people vaccinated against an older strain?

• (A) Because vaccines expire in a day
• (B) Because flu is bacterial
• (C) Because memory cells die immediately
• (D) Because the antigens on the virus have changed

Q21. Which method helps prevent the spread of disease in hospitals?

• (A) Washing hands and using sterile equipment
• (B) Sharing towels
• (C) Leaving wounds uncovered
• (D) Stopping vaccination

Q22. Cholera is spread mainly through contaminated water. Which type of pathogen causes it?

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

Q23. Tobacco mosaic virus affects plants. What symptom does it show in leaves?

• (A) Wilting only in roots
• (B) Extra flowers
• (C) A mosaic pattern of discolouration
• (D) Thicker stems

Q24. Rose black spot is a plant disease caused by a fungus. What does it do to the plant?

• (A) It increases root growth
• (B) It makes flowers larger
• (C) It improves water uptake
• (D) It damages leaves, reducing photosynthesis and growth

Q25. Aphids damage plants by feeding on sap. They can also spread disease by doing what?

• (A) Carrying viruses from plant to plant
• (B) Producing antibiotics
• (C) Blocking stomata with soil
• (D) Eating roots only

Q26. Which description of anaerobic respiration is accurate?

• (A) It uses oxygen and releases more energy
• (B) It releases less energy than aerobic respiration and does not use oxygen
• (C) It produces glucose
• (D) It only happens in plants

Q27. A baker uses yeast to make bread rise. Which product of yeast respiration causes the dough to rise?

• (A) Ethanol
• (B) Lactic acid
• (C) Carbon dioxide gas
• (D) Oxygen

Q28. In brewing, yeast is used to produce ethanol. What conditions favour anaerobic respiration by yeast?

• (A) Bright light
• (B) Very low temperature
• (C) Presence of antibiotics
• (D) Absence of oxygen

Q29. During a sprint, an athlete’s muscles may respire anaerobically because oxygen cannot be supplied fast enough. What builds up as a result?

• (A) Lactic acid
• (B) Ethanol
• (C) Starch
• (D) Glycogen

Q30. Which organ converts lactic acid back to glucose after exercise?

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

Q31. The heart rate of a fit person recovers faster after exercise than that of an unfit person. What does this suggest?

• (A) An unfit person has a larger heart
• (B) A fit person produces no lactic acid
• (C) A fit person’s circulation supplies oxygen more efficiently
• (D) An unfit person breathes slower at rest

Q32. Which of these is an example of a catabolic metabolic reaction?

• (A) Building proteins from amino acids
• (B) Converting glucose to glycogen
• (C) Making cellulose from glucose
• (D) Breaking down proteins into amino acids

Q33. Which of these is an example of an anabolic metabolic reaction?

• (A) Making proteins from amino acids
• (B) Breaking down fats into fatty acids
• (C) Breaking down starch into sugars
• (D) Oxidising lactic acid

Q34. Ethene is a plant hormone that controls fruit ripening. How is it used commercially?

• (A) To prevent seeds germinating
• (B) To ripen fruit during transport and storage
• (C) To make stems shorter
• (D) To increase leaf size only

Q35. The kidney filters blood and produces urine. Which substance is filtered out of the blood in the kidney but is normally reabsorbed?

• (A) Urea
• (B) Excess salts only
• (C) Glucose
• (D) Proteins

Q36. ADH is a hormone that controls water reabsorption in the kidney. When the body is dehydrated, what happens to ADH levels?

• (A) ADH levels fall, so less water is reabsorbed
• (B) ADH stops being made
• (C) ADH causes more water loss
• (D) ADH levels rise, so more water is reabsorbed and urine is concentrated

Q37. If a person drinks a large volume of water, what happens to ADH and urine?

• (A) ADH falls, less water is reabsorbed, and a large volume of dilute urine is produced
• (B) ADH rises and urine becomes concentrated
• (C) ADH falls and urine becomes concentrated
• (D) No change occurs

Q38. Which organ produces ADH?

• (A) The kidney itself
• (B) The pituitary gland, in response to signals from the brain
• (C) The adrenal gland
• (D) The pancreas

Q39. Which waste product is removed by the kidneys in urine?

• (A) Carbon dioxide
• (B) Faeces
• (C) Urea
• (D) Oxygen

Q40. Excess amino acids cannot be stored. What happens to them in the liver?

• (A) They are turned into starch
• (B) They are stored as protein
• (C) They are excreted unchanged
• (D) They are deaminated to form urea

Q41. Body temperature is controlled by a thermoregulatory centre in which organ?

• (A) The brain
• (B) The skin
• (C) The liver
• (D) The kidney

Q42. When body temperature rises, which response helps cool the body?

• (A) Shivering
• (B) Sweating and blood vessels dilating near the skin
• (C) Hair standing on end
• (D) Blood vessels constricting

Q43. Genetic modification involves changing the genes of an organism. Which is an example in crops?

• (A) Crossing two varieties by pollination
• (B) Feeding plants extra fertiliser
• (C) Inserting a gene for insect resistance into a crop plant
• (D) Growing plants in a greenhouse

Q44. A genetically modified crop may produce its own insecticide. What is a possible benefit?

• (A) The crop needs more water
• (B) The crop cannot photosynthesise
• (C) The crop becomes an animal
• (D) Less chemical pesticide spraying is needed

Q45. What is meant by a clone?

• (A) A group of genetically identical organisms or cells
• (B) A new species formed by selective breeding
• (C) An organism with a harmful mutation
• (D) A hybrid of two different species

Q46. Cloning a plant by taking cuttings produces genetically identical plants. What is this an example of?

• (A) Sexual reproduction
• (B) Asexual reproduction
• (C) Genetic modification
• (D) Selective breeding only

Q47. Adult cell cloning, as used to produce Dolly the sheep, involves transferring a nucleus from a body cell into an empty egg cell. What is the result?

• (A) An embryo with genes from two parents
• (B) A gamete
• (C) An embryo genetically identical to the donor
• (D) A plant cutting

Q48. Classification groups organisms by shared features. Which is the correct order from largest to smallest group?

• (A) Species, genus, family, order, class, phylum, kingdom
• (B) Kingdom, species, genus, family, order, class, phylum
• (C) Phylum, kingdom, class, order, genus, species, family
• (D) Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species

Q49. Organisms in the same species can interbreed to produce fertile offspring. What does this definition describe?

• (A) A species
• (B) A genus
• (C) A kingdom
• (D) A phylum

Q50. The binomial system gives each organism a two-part scientific name. Which two parts are used?

• (A) Kingdom and phylum
• (B) Genus and species
• (C) Family and order
• (D) Class and genus

Q51. Why do scientists use Latin binomial names instead of common names?

• (A) Because Latin names are shorter
• (B) Because common names are always wrong
• (C) Because common names vary by language and region, while binomial names are universal
• (D) Because binomial names change yearly

Q52. Eutrophication is caused by excess fertiliser washing into lakes. What is the sequence of events?

• (A) Fish grow larger, algae die, oxygen rises
• (B) Plants grow, oxygen rises, fish thrive
• (C) Algae are eaten, water clears
• (D) Algae bloom, light blocked, plants die, decomposers use oxygen, aquatic animals die

Q53. Why do farmers use fertilisers?

• (A) To replace minerals removed from soil by crops
• (B) To kill pests
• (C) To increase rainfall
• (D) To make soil acidic

Q54. Overuse of pesticides can harm food webs. How?

• (A) It increases biodiversity
• (B) It can kill non-target species and reduce food for predators
• (C) It makes pests stronger immediately
• (D) It adds nutrients to soil

Q55. Bioaccumulation is the build-up of toxic chemicals in organisms. Why are top predators most affected?

• (A) Because predators eat less
• (B) Because predators are larger
• (C) Because chemicals concentrate at each trophic level
• (D) Because chemicals dissolve in water only

Q56. Sustainable fishing uses quotas and net sizes. What is the aim?

• (A) To catch all fish quickly
• (B) To increase bycatch
• (C) To stop all fishing forever
• (D) To allow fish stocks to recover and be maintained

Q57. Which action helps maintain biodiversity?

• (A) Protecting habitats and creating nature reserves
• (B) Draining wetlands
• (C) Clearing forests for farms
• (D) Introducing non-native species

Q58. An invasive species can reduce biodiversity. Why?

• (A) Because it always eats native species
• (B) Because it may outcompete native species or lack predators
• (C) Because it increases habitat size
• (D) Because it is always larger

Q59. In an ecosystem, what is meant by the term community?

• (A) A single species in an area
• (B) Only the producers
• (C) All the populations of different species living in a habitat
• (D) The physical environment only

Q60. What is the difference between a habitat and an ecosystem?

• (A) They are the same thing
• (B) A habitat includes all species
• (C) An ecosystem is only the living parts
• (D) A habitat is where an organism lives; an ecosystem includes the community and its physical environment