AQA GCSE Biology: Combined Science

Topic Questions

GCSEBiology: Combined ScienceAQATopic Questions5. Homeostasis & Response5.2 Hormones: Maintaining Blood Homeostasis

5.2 Hormones: Maintaining Blood Homeostasis

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1a1 mark
a)
Which keyword matches the following definition?

The regulation of the internal conditions of an organism to maintain optimum conditions for function, in response to internal and external changes.

[1 mark]

  • Temperature control

  • Homeostasis

  • Body regulation

  • Homeoregulation

Choose your answer

1b1 mark
b)
Which organ system releases hormones?

[1 mark]

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1c1 mark
c)
Which system is predominantly involved in transporting hormones around the body?

[1 mark]

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1d3 marks
d)

Table 1 below, lists a number of different responses to certain situations.

Table 1

Response Example of homeostasis?
1. Shivering after swimming in the cold sea  
2. Pulling your hand away after touching a hot pan  
3. Retaining body water on a hot day  
4. Hitting a tennis ball with a racket  
5. Pupils dilating when entering a dark room  
6. Secretion of insulin after eating a meal   

Place a tick (✔) in the box for each condition, that is an example of homeostasis.

[3 marks]

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2a3 marks
a)

Table 2 below, lists statements about either nerves or hormones.

Table 2

Statement Nerves? Hormones?
Very fast action    
Act for a long time    
Act in a general way    
Act on a very precise area    
Act for a short time    
Slower acting    

Place a tick (✔) for each statement, in the correct box that corresponds to either nerves or hormones.

[3 marks]

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2b1 mark
b)
Figure 1 shows the male endocrine system.

[1 mark]

Figure 1

human-1

Structure X is often referred to as 'the master gland'.

Name structure X.

[1 mark]

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2c1 mark
c)

Why is structure X (in Figure 1) sometimes called the 'master gland'?

[1 mark]

  • It releases hormones that control the function of other endocrine glands.

  • It controls growth and development in humans.

  • It releases more than one hormone.

  • It is the largest endocrine gland.

Choose your answer

2d1 mark
d)

Blood glucose concentration is monitored and controlled by structure Y as shown in Figure 1.

Name structure Y.

[1 mark]

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3a1 mark
a)
Which one of the following statements accurately describes the function of insulin? 
[1 mark]

  • Stimulation of cell respiration.

  • Monitors the blood glucose concentration.

  • Causes glucose to be moved from the blood into the cells.

  • It increase the level of glucose in the blood.

Choose your answer

3b3 marks
b)
After eating a large meal, the control of glucose concentration in the blood involves the following events, as set out in Table 3.

Table 3

Event Description
A Insulin causes liver, muscle and other cells to take up glucose
B Blood glucose concentration falls to normal levels
C Blood glucose concentration rises
D Pancreas releases insulin
E Glucose is absorbed from the small intestine after the digestion of food

Reorder events A - E into chronological order.  

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
         

[3 marks]

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3c2 marks

Higher Tier Only

c)

If the blood concentration of glucose is too low, the pancreas releases the hormone glucagon.

What is the function of glucagon?

[2 marks]

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3d3 marks
d)
Describe what happens to the regulation of blood glucose concentration in a person with Type I diabetes. Use the information in Table 3 to help you.

[3 marks]

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4a1 mark
a)
How can Type II diabetes be caused?

[1 mark]

  • The cells of the pancreas stop producing insulin.

  • Type II diabetes is a communicable disease.

  • Low blood sugar levels.

  • Being overweight and leading a sedentary lifestyle.

Choose your answer

4b3 marks

Higher Tier Only

b)
Figure 2 represents a negative feedback cycle of how blood glucose is controlled in the human body, some statements are missing.

Figure 2

chart-2

Complete the negative feedback cycle in Figure 2 Choose answers from the following boxes.

[3 marks]

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4c1 mark

Higher Tier Only

c)

One of the many functions of Part Y on Figure 3 is the process of deamination.

Name part Y

[1 mark]

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53 marks
a)
Proteins and amino acids can't be stored in the body and need to be converted to other substances, some of which need to be removed from the body.

This process involves the following events, as set out in Table 4.

Table 4

Event Description
A Ammonia is toxic so is converted to urea in the liver
B Urea is filtered out of the blood and excreted in urine
C Excess amino acids are converted into fats and carbohydrates in the liver
D Urea is transported to the kidneys
E Ammonia is produced as a waste product

Reorder events A - E into chronological order.  

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
         

[3 marks]

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1a6 marks
a)
Table 1 shows some features that can be found in the endocrine system. 

Table 1

Features Endocrine system
Type of communication signal  
Source of signal  
Target  
Response time  
Range of effect  
Duration of response  
Complete Table 1 by listing descriptions for each feature of the endocrine system.

[6 marks]

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1b4 marks
b)
Androgenic anabolic steroids are synthetic derivatives of the male hormone testosterone.
They have approved medical uses in male patients with disorders of the testicles or pituitary gland.
Some of the effects of these substances are shown below in Figure 1.

Figure 1

androgenic-anabolic-steroids

Suggest why androgenic anabolic steroids are a banned substance in sport.

[4 marks]

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1c4 marks
c)

Pancreatic cancer is a lethal disease characterised by progressive weight loss, fatigue and a sudden-change in previously well-controlled blood sugar levels.

Suggest what causes these symptoms.

[4 marks]

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2a1 mark
a)

The hypothalamus is the section of the brain that links the nervous system and the endocrine system in order to maintain homeostasis.

Suggest which gland in the endocrine system the hypothalamus targets?

[1 mark]

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2b1 mark
b)
Some individuals suffer from starvation even though they eat sufficient amounts of food.
Identify which condition of A - D could explain this.

[1 mark]

  • Too little thyroxine

  • Too much adrenaline

  • Too much ADH

  • Too little insulin

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3a6 marks

Higher Tier Only

a)

Figure 2 shows the blood glucose levels of a healthy individual.

Explain the events that most likely occur at points A to D.

[6 marks]

Figure 2

blood-glucose

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3b3 marks
b)
The insulin receptor (INSR), is a transmembrane receptor that is activated when insulin binds to it.

The binding of insulin triggers a signalling pathway that activates glucose transporters in the cell membrane.

Some people suffer from a mutation in the INSR gene. 

Suggest the effect of such a mutation. 

[3 marks]

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3c4 marks
c)
A scientist was interested in finding out how much water was lost from the human body on a particular day.

They measured the volume of fluid consumed and the volume of urine excreted.

Explain why measuring the volume of urine excreted would not be an accurate assessment of water lost.

[4 marks]

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4a1 mark
a)
Glucose tolerance tests can be used to assess if a patient has diabetes. During the test, a patient (who has fasted for eight hours) drinks a sugary solution and the glucose concentration of the blood is measured at regular intervals.
Figure 2 shows the results of a blood glucose tolerance test for a patient with diabetes (patient A).

Figure 2

new-graph-1

Patient B who does not suffer from diabetes, undertook the same glucose tolerance test. The glucose concentration in their blood prior to drinking the sugary solution was 5 mmol / L .

Draw a curve on the graph in Figure 2 to show the results you would predict for patient B.

[1 mark]

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4b3 marks
b)

In the glucose tolerance test, diabetes is diagnosed if the concentration of glucose in the blood is higher than 7 mmol / L from at least two different tests.

Explain why the results may sometimes be inaccurate. 

[3 marks]

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4c2 marks
c)
Table 2 shows the composition of urine in a healthy individual.

Table 2
Component Concentration / arbitrary units
urea 4.00
salts 3.00
glucose  
protein   
amino acids  

Explain what the missing values in Table 2 would most likely be.

[2 marks]

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54 marks

Higher Tier Only

a)

Following the consumption of drinks containing caffeine, urine production increases when compared to consuming the same volume of a non-caffeinated drink.

Suggest a biological mechanism for why this may happen.

[4 marks]

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1a3 marks

Both the liver and pancreas are involved in maintaining blood glucose concentration within a narrow range.

The blood glucose concentration of an athlete was monitored over the course of a day. One hour after the athlete has eaten a meal, their blood glucose concentration rises.

(a)

Explain why it is important that negative feedback brings a raised blood glucose concentration back down.

[3 marks]

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1b4 marks

(b)

Figure 1 shows some of the blood vessels associated with the liver.

liver-1b

The two veins associated with the liver are:

  • The portal vein, delivering blood from the small intestine to the liver
  • The hepatic vein, which connects the liver to the vena cava.

The concentration of glucose can be measured from samples of blood taken from the hepatic vein and the portal vein.

Suggest and explain how the concentration of glucose in these two blood vessels would differ 1 hour after a meal.

[4 marks]

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1c3 marks

(c)

Three hours after having eaten, the athlete runs on a treadmill for one hour.

The athlete’s blood glucose concentration decreases as he runs.

Describe how the body responds when the blood concentration begins to decrease.

[3 marks]

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2a4 marks

Individuals with diabetes cannot control their blood glucose levels. There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2.

(a)

Compare and contrast the causes of, and treatments for, each type of diabetes.

[4 marks]

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2b1 mark

(b)

A blood test can be used to see how the body responds to glucose. The blood glucose concentration can be measured before and after drinking a glucose drink. It is important that patients do not eat or drink anything other than water before the blood test.

Suggest why.

[1 mark]

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2c2 marks

(c)

Figure 1 shows the results of a blood glucose tolerance test for two people (A and B).

Figure 1

blood-glucose-2c

Which patient has diabetes?

Justify your answer.

[2 marks]

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2d3 marks

(d)

Look at the data in Table 1.

Table 1

Population of USA in 2017 3.21 × 108
Number of people diagnosed with diabetes 2.93 × 107
Estimated number of people with undiagnosed diabetes 9.2 × 106

Calculate the percentage (%) of the population of the USA estimated to have diabetes.

You should include both diagnosed and undiagnosed people in your calculation.

Give your answer to 2 significant figures.

[3 marks]

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33 marks

(a)

Many functions of the human body are controlled by chemicals called hormones.

What is a hormone?

[3 marks]

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4a3 marks

(a)

The endocrine system, in combination with the nervous system, play a key role in regulation of many internal conditions in the human body.

Describe how the detection of a stimulus by a receptor of the nervous system can result in stimulation of the endocrine system. 

[3 marks]

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4b2 marks

(b)

Identify which gland is referred to as the 'master' gland in the endocrine system and suggest why it is given this name.

[2 marks]

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