GCSE Biology Practice Test 4 – 60 Questions with Answers (AQA 8461)

Q1. Which organelle is abundant in sperm cells to provide energy for swimming?

• (A) Chloroplast
• (B) Mitochondrion
• (C) Vacuole
• (D) Cell wall

Q2. Which type of microscope gives the highest magnification and resolution?

• (A) Light microscope
• (B) Electron microscope
• (C) Hand lens
• (D) Dissecting microscope

Q3. What is the main advantage of a light microscope over an electron microscope?

• (A) It shows smaller organelles
• (B) It uses electrons
• (C) Higher magnification
• (D) It can view living cells

Q4. A bacterium is a prokaryotic cell. Which feature does it lack?

• (A) Ribosomes
• (B) A cell membrane
• (C) Cytoplasm
• (D) A true nucleus

Q5. Which structure is present in bacterial cells but not in animal cells?

• (A) Ribosomes
• (B) A cell wall
• (C) A cell membrane
• (D) Cytoplasm

Q6. What is the function of chloroplasts?

• (A) To make proteins
• (B) To store water
• (C) To release energy
• (D) To carry out photosynthesis

Q7. Which cells would contain the most mitochondria?

• (A) Fat cells
• (B) Bone cells
• (C) Skin cells
• (D) Muscle cells

Q8. During which process do cells become specialised for a particular function?

• (A) Mitosis
• (B) Differentiation
• (C) Fertilisation
• (D) Osmosis

Q9. Water evaporates from mesophyll cells and leaves the leaf mainly through which structures?

• (A) Lenticels
• (B) Root hairs
• (C) Veins
• (D) Stomata

Q10. A student covers a leafy shoot with a plastic bag in sunlight. Why does water collect inside the bag?

• (A) Water lost by transpiration condenses on the inside of the bag
• (B) Water leaks out through the stem
• (C) Photosynthesis releases water vapour from the roots
• (D) Roots push liquid water through the leaves

Q11. Why do most leaves have more stomata on the lower surface than on the upper surface?

• (A) To reduce water loss, since the lower surface is cooler and shaded from direct sunlight
• (B) To absorb more light
• (C) To take in water from the air
• (D) To store starch

Q12. When guard cells absorb water and become turgid, what happens to the stoma between them?

• (A) It opens as the guard cells bend apart
• (B) It closes because the guard cells swell shut
• (C) It divides to form two new pores
• (D) It dissolves the waxy cuticle

Q13. In which leaf tissue does most photosynthesis take place?

• (A) Palisade mesophyll
• (B) Lower epidermis
• (C) Xylem
• (D) Upper epidermis

Q14. Why does a leaf have a large surface area?

• (A) To support the plant
• (B) To absorb more water
• (C) To absorb more light for photosynthesis
• (D) To lose less water

Q15. Which organ system includes the stomach, liver and intestines?

• (A) Circulatory system
• (B) Digestive system
• (C) Respiratory system
• (D) Excretory system

Q16. What is an organ?

• (A) A whole organism
• (B) A single cell
• (C) A group of similar cells
• (D) A group of tissues working together

Q17. How can rose black spot be treated?

• (A) With vaccines
• (B) With antivirals
• (C) With antibiotics
• (D) With fungicides

Q18. Why can HIV not be cured by antibiotics?

• (A) It is not a pathogen
• (B) It is a virus, not a bacterium
• (C) It hides in the skin
• (D) It is too large

Q19. Which is a symptom of gonorrhoea?

• (A) Pain when urinating and discharge
• (B) Yellowing skin
• (C) Swollen glands only
• (D) Red rash

Q20. What is the best way to prevent spread of sexually transmitted infections?

• (A) Vaccination for all
• (B) Using a condom
• (C) Taking antibiotics daily
• (D) Washing hands

Q21. Which organism causes athlete’s foot?

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

Q22. A person is given antitoxins. What do they do?

• (A) Kill bacteria directly
• (B) Neutralise toxins made by bacteria
• (C) Make memory cells
• (D) Increase phagocytosis only

Q23. Which statement about the immune system is correct?

• (A) It works without white blood cells
• (B) It only works once
• (C) It is specific: each antibody fits one antigen
• (D) It kills body cells only

Q24. Why do some people need a flu vaccine every year?

• (A) Antibodies last only days
• (B) Vaccines wear off in a week
• (C) Flu is bacterial
• (D) Flu viruses mutate, so new strains appear

Q25. How does increasing carbon dioxide concentration affect photosynthesis up to a point?

• (A) Rate stays zero
• (B) No effect
• (C) Rate increases until another factor limits it
• (D) Rate falls immediately

Q26. Why does photosynthesis rate fall at very high temperatures?

• (A) Chlorophyll is destroyed only
• (B) Enzymes denature
• (C) Stomata open wider
• (D) Light is blocked

Q27. Which gas is taken in by a leaf during photosynthesis?

• (A) Water vapour
• (B) Oxygen
• (C) Carbon dioxide
• (D) Nitrogen

Q28. Which gas is released by a leaf during photosynthesis?

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

Q29. What is the main function of respiration in cells?

• (A) To make oxygen
• (B) To make glucose
• (C) To release energy for cell processes
• (D) To remove carbon dioxide

Q30. Which process uses energy from respiration?

• (A) Photosynthesis in animals
• (B) Diffusion
• (C) Active transport
• (D) Osmosis

Q31. During exercise, muscles need more energy. Which change helps supply it?

• (A) Reduced breathing
• (B) Less glucose in blood
• (C) Slower heart rate
• (D) Increased blood flow to muscles

Q32. What is the test for starch in a leaf?

• (A) Benedict’s test
• (B) Iodine solution turns blue-black
• (C) Biuret test
• (D) Ethanol emulsion test

Q33. A plant is grown with plenty of light but very low carbon dioxide. What limits photosynthesis?

• (A) Carbon dioxide
• (B) Temperature
• (C) Water
• (D) Light

Q34. Which hormone stimulates follicle development in the ovary?

• (A) Testosterone
• (B) LH
• (C) FSH
• (D) Progesterone

Q35. On about which day of a 28-day cycle does ovulation usually occur?

• (A) Day 14
• (B) Day 28
• (C) Day 1
• (D) Day 7

Q36. Which contraceptive method prevents ovulation using hormones?

• (A) Combined oral contraceptive pill
• (B) IUD (coil)
• (C) Diaphragm
• (D) Condom

Q37. What does ADH do in the kidney?

• (A) Filters blood
• (B) Increases urine volume
• (C) Increases water reabsorption, producing small volumes of concentrated urine
• (D) Removes urea

Q38. When is ADH released?

• (A) When blood water content is low
• (B) After drinking lots of water
• (C) When blood glucose is high
• (D) When blood is too dilute

Q39. Which part of the kidney filters blood?

• (A) Ureter
• (B) Glomerulus and Bowman’s capsule
• (C) Loop of Henle
• (D) Collecting duct

Q40. Which substances are reabsorbed from kidney tubules into blood?

• (A) Proteins
• (B) Blood cells
• (C) Urea only
• (D) Glucose, ions and water as needed

Q41. Why is urea excreted in urine?

• (A) It is a waste product from protein breakdown
• (B) It is excess glucose
• (C) It is a vitamin
• (D) It is a hormone

Q42. Which plant hormone causes shoots to bend towards light?

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

Q43. Dairy farmers repeatedly breed cows that give the most milk. What is this process?

• (A) Natural selection
• (B) Genetic modification
• (C) Cloning
• (D) Selective breeding

Q44. Which is a result of selective breeding in dogs?

• (A) Breeds with particular traits, but sometimes inherited health problems
• (B) Wild species
• (C) No variation
• (D) More genetic diversity

Q45. A gene for herbicide resistance is inserted into a crop plant. What is the main advantage claimed for this modification?

• (A) The crop needs no water
• (B) The crop grows in darkness
• (C) The crop produces its own fertiliser
• (D) Weeds can be killed without harming the crop

Q46. Which is an example of genetic modification?

• (A) Bacteria producing human insulin
• (B) Selective breeding of wheat
• (C) Natural selection of moths
• (D) Cloning sheep

Q47. Why are genetically modified crops sometimes used?

• (A) To remove all genes
• (B) To reduce yield
• (C) To resist pests or herbicides, increasing yield
• (D) To make them sterile always

Q48. What is classification?

• (A) Naming diseases
• (B) Grouping organisms by shared features and evolutionary relationships
• (C) Counting species
• (D) Mapping habitats

Q49. Which is the correct order from largest to smallest in classification?

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

Q50. Which organisms belong to the same species?

• (A) Any in the same genus
• (B) Any in the same habitat
• (C) Any that look similar
• (D) Organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring

Q51. What does the binomial name of humans, Homo sapiens, show?

• (A) Genus Homo and species sapiens
• (B) Family and order
• (C) Two common names
• (D) Kingdom and phylum

Q52. Which human activity increases atmospheric carbon dioxide most directly?

• (A) Planting trees
• (B) Recycling paper
• (C) Burning fossil fuels
• (D) Using wind turbines

Q53. Which human activity reduces biodiversity?

• (A) Reducing pollution
• (B) Creating nature reserves
• (C) Habitat destruction for farming or building
• (D) Breeding programmes

Q54. A nature reserve protects many different habitats. Why does this help maintain biodiversity?

• (A) It increases rainfall in the area
• (B) It removes all predators
• (C) It provides varied habitats supporting many species and genes
• (D) It stops evolution

Q55. Why is biodiversity important?

• (A) It prevents all disease
• (B) It looks nice only
• (C) Diverse ecosystems are more stable and provide resources, medicines and services
• (D) It increases pollution

Q56. Which is a method to maintain biodiversity?

• (A) Monoculture farming
• (B) Draining wetlands
• (C) Captive breeding and protected reserves
• (D) Overfishing

Q57. What is a quadrat used for?

• (A) Measuring pH
• (B) Measuring temperature
• (C) Estimating population size or distribution of small organisms
• (D) Counting large animals

Q58. Why are many quadrats used and results averaged?

• (A) To count every organism
• (B) To avoid bias only
• (C) To save time
• (D) To improve reliability and represent the whole area

Q59. Which sampling method is used for fast-moving animals?

• (A) Pitfall traps or mark-release-recapture
• (B) Transects only
• (C) Counting leaves
• (D) Quadrats

Q60. What is a transect?

• (A) A square frame
• (B) A line across a habitat along which samples are taken
• (C) A trap
• (D) A type of graph