AQA GCSE Biology: Combined Science

Topic Questions

GCSEBiology: Combined ScienceAQATopic Questions5. Homeostasis & Response5.1 The Human Nervous System

5.1 The Human Nervous System

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1a2 marks
a)
Name the two organs of the Central Nervous System (CNS)

[2 marks]

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1b3 marks
b)

Complete the sentence.

Choose answers from the box.

nerve impulses            stimuli           chemicals       

 hormones           electrical signals           information

[3 marks]

Neurones carry __________ in the form of __________ called ____________.

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1c1 mark
c)
Figure 1 shows the structure of two neurones
What type of neurone is neurone A?

neurones-1

Figure 1

  • Relay neurone

  • Sensory neurone

  • Motor neurone

  • Reflex neurone

Choose your answer

1d1 mark
d)
Motor neurones carry electrical impulses from the CNS to effectors.
Muscles are one type of effector, name another type of effector.

[1 mark]

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2a3 marks
a)
The following terms are all components involved in passing a signal along the nervous system.

    coordinator                       receptor                   response 

 effector                            stimulus           
State the correct order of components during a nervous response.

[3 marks]

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2b1 mark
b)

Which sense organ contains receptor cells that respond to changes in light?

[1 mark]

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2c1 mark
c)
Figure 2 shows the junction between two neurones.

Figure 2

neurones_receptors

What is this junction called?

  • Reflex arc

  • Synapse

  • Motor neurone

  • Relay neurone

Choose your answer

2d3 marks
d)

Many general anaesthetics inhibit the release of signalling chemicals (called neurotransmitters) across some synapses.

Explain what impact this would have on the nerve impulse.

[3 marks]

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3a1 mark
a)
Which of the following statements is/are true?

  1. A nerve impulse is carried across a synapse by an electrical signal.
  2. Motor neurones carry chemical signals from the CNS to effectors.
  3. Reflexes involve the conscious part of the brain.

  • 1, 2 and 3

  • 1 and 3

  • 2 and 3

  • None of them.

Choose your answer

3b1 mark
b)
Figure 3 shows part of the nervous system involved in a reflex action when a person steps on a sharp pin.

Figure 3

leg-cross-section-1

Name part X.
[1 mark]

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3c2 marks
c)

Reflexes in the eyes cause a blink if something quickly comes towards them.

Explain why such reflexes are important.

[2 mark]

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3d
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d)

The average speed of a nerve impulse in the human body is 100 metres per second.

A man, who is 2 metres tall, accidentally stubs his toe in the dark.

Calculate the time it takes the nerve impulse to travel to his brain.

State your answer in milliseconds; 1 000 milliseconds = 1 second.

Use the equation:

T i m e space equals space fraction numerator D i s t a n c e over denominator S p e e d end fraction

[2 marks]

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44 marks
a)

Two students investigate reaction times by performing the 'ruler drop test' as shown in Figure 4.

Student A drops the ruler and student B catches the ruler, the distance measured indicates the reaction time.

Figure 4

measuring-reaction-time-1-1

Both students tested their reaction times, the results are shown in Table 1

Table 1

Test number Distance (cm) dropped for Student A Distance (cm) dropped for Student B
1 9 10
2 8 8
3 11 7
4 9 7
5 8 9
6 9 7
Average distance (mean) X Y
a)
Calculate the values of X and Y and explain which student had the slower average reaction time.

[4 marks]

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1a3 marks
a)
Name the three different types of neurone.

[3 mark]

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1b2 marks
b)
Give two examples of effectors.

[2 marks]

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1c1 mark
c)
Which type of cells detect stimuli?

[1 mark]

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1d4 marks
d)

On a warm day it usually feels hotter when the humidity (how much water vapour is in the air) is high.

The heat index shown in Table 1, is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity, it indicates the human-perceived ambient temperature.

Table 1

table-2

Endurance athletes such as marathon runners need to be careful when competing in hot humid conditions as their bodies can overheat causing heatstroke, which can be fatal.

Explain how temperature regulation can fail in endurance athletes, leading to overheating in hot, humid conditions.

[4 marks]

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2a3 marks
a)

A person is playing a game tennis and hits the ball back over the net with their racket.

Suggest what the stimulus, receptors and effectors are in this action.

[3 marks]

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2b2 marks
b)

The CNS is termed a coordination centre.

Describe what a coordination centre is.

[2 marks]

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2c3 marks
c)
Figure 1 represents a pathway of how the nervous system responds during a voluntary response.

Figure 1

stimulus

Complete Figure 1 by listing the correct order of events during a voluntary response.

This should include some structures through which impulses pass between the stimulus and the response. 

[3 marks]

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2d1 mark
d)
Figure 2 shows a synapse (in two states) connecting two neurones

Figure 2

motor-neurone

Name substance X.

[1 mark]

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3a4 marks
a)

Neurones pass information around the body.

Explain how information is passed from one neurone to another.

[4 marks]

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3b4 marks
b)

Reflex actions help to protect the body from damage.

Figure 3 represents the nervous pathway for a reflex action when a person accidentally steps on a sharp pin.

Figure 3

muscles-in-leg-1

Describe and explain how the impulse is transmitted to the effector when the person stands on the sharp pin.

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3c3 marks
c)
Table 2 shows some pathways around the nervous system. 

Table 2

Type of neurone From To
  Relay neurone  
    Relay neurone
Relay    

Complete Table 2

[3 marks]

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3d4 marks
d)

A student carried out an investigation to see if playing computer games improves reaction time.

The test consisted of pressing the 'return key' on a keyboard every time an image appeared on the screen.

The student tested two groups of five people. One group were Gamers (experienced players of computer games) and the other group were people who do not play computer games.

Table 3 shows the results.

Table 3

Person Reaction time in seconds for Gamers Reaction time in seconds for non-Gamers
1 0.3 0.5
2 0.4 0.2
3 0.2 0.3
4 0.1 0.2
5 0.2 0.3
Mean 0.24 Y

The student concluded:

"Playing computer games improves reaction time"

Calculate the value Y and suggest why this may not be an accurate statement.

[4 marks]

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1a1 mark

Nerve tissues that communicate with muscles contain a receptor called the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.

Figure 1 shows how a nerve impulse passing along neurone X causes an impulse to be passed along a motor neurone.

The motor neurone in Figure 1 is connected to the diaphragm, a muscle involved in breathing.

Figure 1

synapse-and-relay-neurone-1a

(a)

What type of neurone is cell X?

[1 mark]

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1b4 marks

(b)

Describe the series of events that would result in the diaphragm contracting, from X onwards.

Refer to Figure 1 in your answer.

[4 marks]

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1c3 marks

(c)

Anatoxin is a neurotoxin that is also known as ‘Very Fast Death Factor’ because when it was injected into mice it induced paralysis and death within a few minutes.

Anatoxin is similar in shape to the neurotransmitter that usually binds to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.

Suggest how anatoxin can lead to death.

[3 marks]

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21 mark

(b)

The skin surface temperature and core body temperature of a cyclist were monitored before, during and after a race, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

body-temperature-and-cycling-2bv2

Core body temperature rises during exercise. When an individual stops exercising, their core body temperature starts to decrease.

How long did it take for the cyclist’s temperature to recover after the race?

[1 mark]

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32 marks

(a)

The nerve pathway linking the light receptors in the retina of the eye to the eyelid muscle is about 0.5 m metres in length.

It would take a nervous impulse 0.006 seconds to travel this distance along neurones.

However it takes about 0.3 seconds for the blink reflex response to the ball to occur.

Explain the difference.

[2 marks]

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