HSC Biology – Multiple Choice questions
Core topic: Maintaining the balance
1.
a)
b)
c)
d)
Homeostasis is
controlled only by hormones.
controlled only by nerves.
under both nervous and hormonal control.
under conscious control.
2.
a)
b)
c)
d)
Which of the following is an example of homeostasis?
Ectotherms that maintain a constant internal body temperature.
Endotherms that maintain a constant internal body temperature.
Lying in the shade to keep cool.
Producing large amounts of urea.
3.
a)
b)
c)
d)
A specific enzyme
will increase the rate of a range of chemical reactions.
will work across a broad range of pH.
has an active site that binds to the substrate.
will only work under optimum temperature conditions.
4.
a)
b)
c)
d)
Homeostasis consists of two stages:
Detecting the change from a stable environment
Initiating changes to the internal environment
Counteracting changes from a stable environment
Both (a) and (c)
5.
a)
b)
c)
d)
Which of the following is NOT an example of homeostasis?
Sweating to cool the body
Excreting dilute urine to rid the body of excess water
Use of ADH to regulate water concentration in the blood
Using a pulse oximeter to measure oxygen concentration in the blood
6.
a)
b)
c)
d)
Which group of animals produces urea as their main nitrogenous waste?
Mammals
Birds
Amphibians
Fish
7.
a)
b)
c)
d)
Which groups of animals produce uric acid as their main nitrogenous waste?
Mammals
Saltwater fish
Amphibians
insects
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8.
a)
b)
c)
d)
Which group of animals produces ammonia as their main nitrogenous waste?
Mammals
Freshwater fish
Birds
Reptiles
9.
a)
b)
c)
d)
What are the main nitrogenous waste products excreted by animals in general?
Ammonia, uric acid and nitrates
Uric acid, urea and urine
Ammonia, uric acid, urea
Urine, nitrates and ammonia
10. Which statement about human blood is correct?
a) Blood has a pH of approximately 7.4
b) Blood has a neutral pH
c) Blood is neutral with pH 7
d) Blood is acidic with pH 6.2
11. Which of the following statements about enzymes is correct?
a) Enzymes are denatured by changes in temperature.
b) Enzymes in cellular reactions are recycled.
c) Enzymes are denatured by changes in pH
d) Individual enzymes increase rates of reactions across a range of pH.
12. Salivary amylase acts on starch and converts it to maltose. In the above reaction
a) amylase is the substrate.
b) maltose is the enzyme.
c) salivary amylase is the catalyst.
d) starch is the product.
13. In the 'lock and key' model of enzyme activity, the lock is represented by
a) the enzyme
b) the substrate
c) the product
d) the reaction
14. Which statement about enzymes is most correct?
a) DNA is made up of enzymes.
b) Enzymes increase the rate of reaction for specific substrates.
c) Enzyme activity decreases with increase in substrate concentration.
d) Enzyme activity increases with decrease in enzyme concentration
15. Homeostasis is assisted by
a) thermoreceptors located in the skin
b) feedback mechanisms
c) nephrons which excrete water and urea
d) all of the above
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16. Which one of the following correctly indicates the form in which carbon dioxide,
lipids, and oxygen are transported in mammalian blood?
a) carbonate ions, fats, carbaminohaemoglobin
b) bicarbonate ions, cholesterol, haemoglobin
c) bicarbonate ion, fatty acids and glycerol, oxyhaemoglobin
d) carbonic acid, fatty acids, oxalic acid
17. Enzymes are
a) proteins that are used up in chemical reactions
b) proteins that only speed up chemical reactions in acidic conditions
c) proteins that are denatured at low and high temperatures
d) proteins that act on a substrate
18. The table below provides information about human blood vessels.
P
Q
R
 Carry
 Thicker,
 Gases and
deoxygenated
muscular and
nutrients pass
blood back to
more elastic
through the thin
the heart
walls to
walls to cells
withstand high
 Valves ensure
blood pressure
the one-way
flow of blood
The blood vessels represented by P, Q, R respectively are:a) capillaries, arteries and veins
b) veins, capillaries, arteries
c) arteries, veins, capillaries
d) none of the above
19. Carbon dioxide may be transported in the bloodstream:
a) as bicarbonate ions, and combined with haemoglobin
b) dissolved in the plasma and as a gas
c) only as bicarbonate ions
d) as oxyhaemoglobin in the blood
20. Which alternative contains only ectotherms?
a) Birds, reptiles, insects and fish
b) Fish, reptiles, amphibians and mammals
c) Insects, amphibians, fish and worms
d) Worms, fish, birds and reptiles
21. Which of the following statements about blood vessels is correct?
a) arteries have valves along their length to prevent backflow of blood
b) veins have the thickest and most muscular walls
c) nutrients in the blood can pass through the capillary wall
d) blood in veins is under higher pressure than arteries
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22. A student blew into a straw that was sitting in a beaker of water containing a strip of
blue litmus paper. After blowing into the water for 10 minutes, the blue litmus turned
red. The student inferred that the water
a) turned milky
b) had become alkaline
c) was unchanged
d) had become acidic
23. What is the name of the pigment in red blood cells?
a) Anemia
b) Carbaminohaemoglobin
c) Haemoglobin
d) Oxyhaemoglobin
24. Which of the following statements is correct?
a) Substrates change the nature of enzymes.
b) The rate of a chemical reaction is unaffected by substrate concentration.
c) During a chemical reaction the enzymes splits into separate molecules.
d) During a chemical reaction the substrate splits into separate molecules.
25. What does the diagram below represent?
Hypothalamus
*Student perspires
* Vasodilation of capillaries in
the skin
Student running to school
and skin temperature
rises.
Body cools down
a)
b)
c)
d)
Ectothermy
Enantiostasis
Homeostasis and negative feedback
Homeostasis and positive feedback
26. An adaptive advantage of having haemoglobin could be that
a) more oxygen could be carried to living cells
b) the animal could be more active
c) the animal would be ectothermic
d) the animal could survive in a broader range of temperatures
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Two possible
answers!
27. Which statement is correct?
a) Blood entering the lungs has a lower oxygen concentration than blood leaving the
lungs.
b) Blood entering the kidney has a higher glucose concentration than blood leaving the
kidney.
c) Blood entering the kidney has a higher amino acid concentration than blood leaving
the kidney.
d) Blood entering the small intestine has a higher amino acid concentration than blood
leaving the small intestine.
28. Living cells require nutrients. These nutrients are
a) pushed out through arteries by the high blood pressure.
b) pushed out through veins by the high blood pressure.
c) pushed out through capillaries by the high blood pressure.
d) able to enter living cells by osmosis.
29. All living cells produce carbon dioxide during respiration. This carbon dioxide must
be removed otherwise
a) it could change the pH of the cytoplasm.
b) it could affect enzyme activity.
c) it could interfere with chemical reactions.
d) all of the above.
30. Which of the following are generally extracted from donated blood in Australia?
a) Water, red blood cells and platelets
b) Haemoglobin, plasma and platelets
c) Red blood cells, plasma and platelets
d) Hormones, antibodies and plasma
31. Which one of the following people would be most likely to be given plasma?
a) A diabetic
b) A burn victim
c) A road accident victim
d) A heart transplant recipient
32. Which of the following people is most likely to be given red blood cells?
a) A diabetic
b) A burn victim
c) A road accident victim
d) A heart transplant recipient
33. Much research is being conducted on the development of artificial blood. Which
reason(s) would support this research?
a) Artificial blood is pathogen free.
b) Artificial blood does not require refrigeration.
c) Artificial blood can be given to any blood type.
d) All of the above.
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34. The diagram below shows a transverse section through a vascular bundle, with
structures labeled A and B. Which label correctly identifies the phloem?
A
B
a)
b)
c)
d)
A points to a xylem vessel
A points to a phloem vessel
B points to a xylem vessel
B points to a phloem vessel
35. The diagram below shows a longitudinal section through a conducting vessel in a
plant. Which statement does the diagram support?
A
B
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a)
b)
c)
d)
Label A is pointing to a xylem vessel.
Label B is pointing to a companion cell.
Label B is pointing to a xylem vessel.
Label A is pointing to a sieve plate in a phloem vessel.
Two correct answers
here.
36. In the mammalian kidney, osmosis and diffusion are inadequate in removing
nitrogenous wastes. Which of the following provides the most accurate reasoning for
this inadequacy?
a) The processes of osmosis and diffusion cannot occur at the same time in the
nephrons.
b) The processes of osmosis and diffusion would be too slow to remove these wastes.
c) The processes of osmosis and diffusion would results in the removal of valuable
nutrients along with the nitrogenous wastes
d) Diffusion does not normally occur in the nephrons of the kidney.
37. Which of the following best describes the role(s) of the kidney in mammals?
a) The kidney controls the water concentration in the blood.
b) The kidney controls the concentration of minerals in the blood.
c) The kidney eliminates most of the urea dissolved in the blood.
d) All of the above.
38. Which statement about renal dialysis is correct?
a) Renal dialysis involves passive and active transport.
b) Renal dialysis involves passive transport only.
c) Renal dialysis involves active transport only.
d) Renal dialysis involves neither passive nor active transport.
39. Which statement correctly identifies aldosterone?
a) Aldosterone is produced by the adrenal glands and controls Na+ absorption by the
nephrons.
b) Aldosterone is produced by the adrenal glands and controls water reabsorption by the
nephrons.
c) Aldosterone is produced by the hypothalamus and controls Na+ absorption by the
nephrons.
d) Aldosterone is produced by the hypothalamus and controls water reabsorption by the
nephrons.
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40. The diagram below shows a nephron. Which label correctly identifies the structure
where filtration occurs?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Bowman’s capsule
Cortex
Glomerulus
Medulla
41. ADH is a hormone produced by the hypothalamus. What is this hormone’s full
name?
a) Another Daily Hormone
b) Anti Diuretic Hormone
c) A Diuretic Hormone
d) Anterior Diuresis Hormone
42. Glucose, amino acids, urea, water and mineral ions are filtered from the blood.
Which two are not normally found in the urine?
a) Glucose and amino acids
b) Amino acids and urea
c) Urea and water
d) Water and mineral ions
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43. ADH is a hormone produced by the hypothalamus. Its function is to
a) Increase the reabsorption of mineral ions when the concentration of mineral ions in
the blood is low
b) Increase the reabsorption of water when the concentration of water in the blood is low
c) Increase the reabsorption of glucose when the concentration of glucose in the blood is
low
d) Increase the excretion of water when the concentration of water in the blood is high
44. Trout, salmon and eels that move from seas to rivers must have adaptations to deal
with the salt and water problems experienced in both freshwater and marine
environments. This ability to maintain metabolic and physiological functions under
varying environmental conditions is known as
a) active transport
b) enantiostasis
c) homeostasis
d) hormone replacement therapy
45. Which statement about renal dialysis is correct?
a) Renal dialysis occurs at the same rate as normal kidney function
b) Renal dialysis is faster than normal kidney function.
c) Renal dialysis is slower than normal kidney function.
d) Renal dialysis requires hormones to function correctly.
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