OCR A Level Biology

Topic Questions

A LevelBiologyOCRTopic Questions4. Biodiversity, Evolution & Disease4.1 Communicable Diseases, Disease Prevention & the Immune System

4.1 Communicable Diseases, Disease Prevention & the Immune System

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1
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Pathogens are  disease-causing organisms in plants and animals. Many microorganisms are pathogens.

Which of the following correctly links the type of pathogen and the disease caused by it in animals?

  Bacteria Viruses Fungi Protoctists
A Tuberculosis Influenza Cattle ringworm Malaria
B Cattle ringworm Malaria Tuberculosis Influenza
C Tuberculosis Influenza Malaria Cattle ringworm
D Cattle ringworm Influenza Tuberculosis Malaria

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2
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Which of the following is an example of a non-infectious disease?

  • AIDS

  • Ring rot

  • Athlete’s foot

  • Cystic fibrosis

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3
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The image below shows a human blood smear.ocr-as4-1e-mcq-q3-human-blood-smear

The cell labelled C is a neutrophil.

Which of the following statements correctly describes the neutrophil?

1 They are released in large numbers when a pathogen attacks
2 They are long-lived cells
3 They carry out the process of phagocytosis

  • 1,2, and 3

  • 1 and 2 only

  • 1 and 3 only

  • 3 only

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4
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The diagram shows the primary and secondary responses to an antigen.ocr-4-1e-mcq-q4-primary-and-secondary-response-to-antigen

Which of the following statements describes the secondary response if the same pathogen attacks?

1 The antibody concentration in the blood takes one to two weeks to increase
2 The antibody concentration in the blood increases quickly due to the presence of memory cells
3 Many symptoms of the disease will develop during the secondary response

  • 1,2, and 3

  • 1 and 2 only

  • 1 and 3 only

  • 2 only

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5
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Which of the following plant diseases are caused by a pathogen from the kingdom fungi?

  • Tobacco mosaic disease

  • Ring rot

  • Potato blight

  • Black Sigatoka

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1
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Plants respond rapidly to attacks from pathogens with a number of defence strategies.

Which of the following strategies is not a chemical defence against pathogen infection?

  • Glucanases are released that break down polysaccharides in the cell walls of oomycetes.

  • Callose is deposited in the plasmodesmata between infected and healthy cells.

  • Chitinases are released that break down chitin in fungal cell walls.

  • Chemicals are broken down to form cyanide compounds.

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2
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The graph below shows the global annual reported cases of measles and coverage of the measles-containing Vaccine (MCV) between 1980 and 2013.ocra-4-1h-mcq-measles-graph

Which of the following states the correct percentage decrease in the number of cases of measles between 1992 and 2004?

  • 67%

  • 50%

  • 7%

  • 6%

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3
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There are four main types of T lymphocyte that mature in the thymus gland. Which of the following descriptions correctly describe the different types of T lymphocyte?

1 T killer cells have CD4 receptors on their cell-surface membranes.
2 T memory cells are a part of immunological memory.
3 T helper cells produce a chemical called perforin.
4 T regulatory cells down-regulate the immune system

  • 1, 2 and 3.

  • 2, 3 and 4

  • 1 and 2 only

  • 2 and 4 only

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4
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The table below shows data published by the WHO about the incidence of tuberculosis in two different years for four different income groups:

Income group Incidence of TB per 100 000 population
In 2000 In 2008
Low 280 280
Lower middle 150 150
Upper middle 100 110
High 17 14

Which of the following calculated sets of results are correct?

  Percentage increase in upper middle income group from 2000 - 2008 Percentage decrease in high income group from 2000 - 2008 Overall percentage increase
A 10% 82% 1.26%
B 90.9% 12.1% 1.28%
C 10% 17.65% 1.28%
D 9% 12.1% 1.26%

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5
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Which of the following characteristics make bacterial plasmids ideal for genetic engineering?

  • Bacterial plasmids are able to self-replicate

  • Bacteria have a capsule for protection

  • Bacteria have flagella for movement

  • Bacteria contain ribosomes for protein synthesis

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1
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Which of the following human diseases, A to D, is caused by a fungus?

  • athlete’s foot

  • influenza

  • malaria

  • tuberculosis

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2
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Which of the following plant diseases, A to D, is caused by a pathogen from the kingdom Protoctista?

  • black sigatoka in bananas

  • ring rot in tomatoes

  • tobacco mosaic disease

  • tomato late blight

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3
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Refer to the following image of a human blood smear.

q4-paper-2-nov-2020-ocr-a-level-biology

Which of the blood components, labelled A to D, shows a lymphocyte?

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4
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Plants can produce a variety of chemicals in response to pathogens.

Which of the following, A to D, is produced by plants in response to pathogens?

  • antibacterial compounds

  • antibodies

  • ethylene

  • penicillin

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5
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Biodiversity is important for the development of new medicines.

Which of the following statements about the development of new medicines is incorrect?   

  • Computer modelling can be used to identify useful medicinal compounds.

  • Genetically modified bacteria can be used to synthesise medicines.

  • Many pathogenic bacteria have become immune to antibiotics.

  • Microorganisms are an important source of new medicines.

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Which of the following is/are not involved in the primary response against infection?

  • memory B-cells

  • mast cells

  • mitosis

  • platelets

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7
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Which of the following statements about antibiotic resistance is correct?

  • All antibiotics cause mutations in bacterial DNA.

  • Antibiotic resistance in bacteria is evidence to support Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.

  • The development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria is an example of genetic drift.

  • The development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria is an example of stabilising selection.

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81 mark

Which of the following antibodies increase(s) the phagocytosis of pathogens?

1 opsonins

2 agglutinins

3 anti-toxins

  • 1, 2 and 3

  • Only 1 and 2

  • Only 2 and 3

  • Only 1

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91 mark

Which of the following describes an autoimmune disease?   

  • a disease in which an individual’s own body cells are antigenic

  • a disease in which a pathogen attacks cells of the immune system

  • a disease that prevents production of antibodies

  • a disease to which an individual has developed immunity

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Which of the options, A to D, is a primary defence against pathogens?

  • antibody production

  • inflammation

  • phagocytosis

  • T-killer cells

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11
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Three methods of pathogen transmission between animals or plants are listed below.

1 direct contact
2 vectors
3 droplets


Which of the methods of pathogen transmission does not apply to plants?

  • 1, 2 and 3

  • Only 3

  • Only 2 and 3

  • Only 1

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12
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If a person is bitten by a venomous snake, the immediate treatment is normally to inject the person with the appropriate antibodies.

This is an example of which type of immunity?

  • artificial active immunity

  • artificial passive immunity

  • natural active immunity

  • natural passive immunity

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The diagram represents the general structure of an antibody.

q13-paper-2-specimen-ocr-a-level-biology

Which of the following numbered part(s) of the diagram represent the part of the antibody that has the same sequence of amino acids in all antibodies?

  • 1, 2 and 3

  • Only 1 and 2

  • Only 2 and 3

  • Only 1

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