INTERACTIVE MULTIPLE
CHOICE QUESTIONS
Test 3
The answers are provided, but so also are
explanations of why the alternatives are
unsatisfactory
These multiple choice questions are similar to the ones set by
the GCSE and IGCSE Examination Boards except that, in
some cases, there may be more than one acceptable answer.
For this reason, even if you select a correct answer at your
first attempt, it is worth looking at all the alternatives
(a) to see if there is a better answer and
(b) to see why some of the alternatives are unacceptable
Question 1
Question 1
You are shipwrecked on a barren island but you have rescued
three hens and a bag of wheat from the ship. Your best survival
strategy is to …
(a) feed the wheat to the hens, eat the eggs
they lay and then kill and eat the hens
(b) share the wheat with the hens, eat the
eggs and then eat the hens
(c) eat the hens and then eat the wheat
(d) eat all the wheat and then kill and eat the hens
Question 2
No
All the time the hens are alive they will be using their food to
produce energy as well as eggs. This energy will not be
available to you, so you are losing out on the potential value
of the food available
No
All the time the hens are alive they will be using their
food to produce energy as well as eggs. This energy
will not be available to you, so you are losing out on
the potential value of the food available
Yes
All the time the hens are alive they will be using their food to
produce energy as well as eggs. This energy will not be
available to you, so your best strategy will be to kill and eat the
hens as soon as possible
No
All the time the hens are alive they will be using their food
to produce energy as well as eggs. This energy will not be
available to you, so you are losing out on the potential value
of the food available
Question 2
Humans in hot weather …
(a) produce more urine at a greater concentration
(b) produce less urine at a weaker concentration
(c) produce less urine at a stronger concentration
(d) Urine production is not affected by hot weather
Question 3
No
In hot weather, more water is lost by evaporation
(e.g. sweating) and so a smaller volume of urine is
produced
No
In hot weather, more water is lost by evaporation
(e.g. sweating) and so a smaller volume of urine is
produced but it will be of a higher concentration
Yes
In hot weather, more water is lost by evaporation
(e.g. sweating) and so a smaller volume of urine is
produced. It will also have a higher concentration
No
In hot weather there is a reduced volume of urine
and at a higher concentration because water is lost
by evaporation, leaving less to be excreted by the
kidneys
Question 3
This animal is classified as …
(a) a nematode
(b) an annelid
(c) a millipede
(d) a mollusc
Question 4
No
Nematode worms are not segmented
Yes
The drawing is of a segmented worm called Nereis
(ragworm)
No
The drawing bears a superficial resemblance to a
millipede but there are no jointed legs
No
Molluscs are not segmented
Question 4
Compared with the air breathed in, the air leaving the
lungs will have …
(a) less oxygen, more carbon dioxide
and more water vapour
(b) less carbon dioxide, more oxygen and
more water vapour
(c) less oxygen, more carbon dioxide and
less water vapour
(d) more carbon dioxide, less oxygen
and more nitrogen
Question 5
Yes
Gaseous exchange in the alveoli results in oxygen being
absorbed and carbon dioxide being given out. Also,
evaporation from the lining of the alveoli results in an
increase in the water vapour breathed out.
No
Gaseous exchange in the alveoli results in oxygen being
absorbed and carbon dioxide being given out.
No
It is correct that gaseous exchange in the alveoli
results in oxygen being absorbed and carbon dioxide
being given out. However, evaporation from the lining
of the alveoli results in an increase in the water vapour
breathed out.
No
Although air contains 79% nitrogen, it is an inert gas
and does not play a part in respiration, so the
nitrogen content of the air breathed in and out does
not change
Question 5
The biceps muscle is …
(a) a flexor muscle
(b) an extensor muscle
(c) a voluntary muscle
(d) antagonistic to the triceps muscle
Question 6
Yes
When the biceps muscle contracts, it flexes
the arm at the elbow
No
The extensor muscle is the triceps. It extends
(straightens) the arm at the elbow
Yes
The biceps is a voluntary muscle which responds
to nervous impulses from the brain.
Yes
The action of the muscles have opposite
effects. The biceps flexes the arm at the elbow
and the triceps extends the arm
Question 6
What is missing from this equation which represents one
form of respiration ?
C6H12O6 + 6O2
………… + 6H2O
(a) C2H5OH (alcohol)
(b) C3H6O3 (lactic acid
(c) 6CO2 (carbon dioxide)
(d) CH3OH (methanol)
Question 7
No
C2H5OH (alcohol) is a product of anaerobic
respiration (fermentation). The presence of 6O2 in
the equation shows that this is aerobic respiration
No
C3H6O3 (lactic acid) is a product of anaerobic
respiration in muscle. The presence of 6O2 in the
equation shows that this is aerobic respiration
Yes
The presence of 6O2 in the equation shows that this is
aerobic respiration and the glucose (C6H12O6) will be
completely oxidised to carbon dioxide (6CO2) and
water (6H2O)
No
CH3OH (methanol) plays no part in respiration
Question 7
When the eye accommodates to focus on a distant object …
(a) the ciliary muscle contracts
(b) the ciliary muscle relaxes
(c) the lens becomes thicker at the middle
(d) the lens becomes thinner at the middle
Question 8
No
When the ciliary muscle contracts it reduces the
tension in the suspensory ligament and allows the
lens to become thicker in the middle. This is
accommodation for close objects
ciliary
muscle
light from nearby
object
Yes
When the ciliary muscle relaxes it allow the fluid
pressure in the eye to pull the lens to a thinner shape.
This is accommodation to focus distant objects
ciliary muscle
light from
light object
from
distant
distant object
No
A lens which is thick in the middle has a shorter
focal length and will focus close objects (see
answer (a))
Yes
A thinner lens has a longer focal length and will focus
distant objects (see answer (b))
Question 8
Which of the following would make the best contribution
to a balanced diet?
(a) Fish and chips
(b) Pizza and salad
(c) Sausage and mash with runner beans
(d) A cheese sandwich
Question 9
Not the best
The fish provides protein and the chips provide carbohydrate.
The cooking oil supplies fats. But there is very little content of
vitamins or dietary fibre
Not the best
The green salad will provide some vitamins and dietary fibre
but the pizza is largely carbohydrate, though the topping may
contain a small amount of protein
This is the best
The sausage will provide protein and fats; the mashed
potatoes will be largely carbohydrate and the runner
beans will contain dietary fibre and vitamins A and C
Not the best
The cheese will contain protein, fat and vitamin A. The bread
will be largely carbohydrate. Unless the bread is wholemeal
there will be little dietary fibre. The vitamins found in green
vegetables, particularly vitamins A and C will not be present
in sufficient amounts
Question 9
In order to make chlorophyll a green plant specifically needs
a supply of …
(a) calcium ions
(b) phosphate ions
(c) potassium ions
(d) magnesium ions
Question 10
No
Plants do need calcium ions for building cell walls, for
example. But they do not need them specifically for
making chlorophyll
No
Plants need phosphate ions for making DNA, for example, and
for many chemical processes. But they do not need phosphates
specifically for making chlorophyll
No
Plants need potassium for root development and flower
formation but not specifically for producing chlorophyll
Yes
Magnesium is an essential part of the chlorophyll molecule
Question 10
Which of the following can be described as either a source
or a sink?
(a) Sieve tubes in the phloem
(b) Leaves
(c) Potato tubers
(d) Xylem vessels
Question 11
No
Sieve tubes in the phloem carry food from one part of the
plant to another (from sources to sinks) but they
themselves are not sources or sinks
Yes
Leaves produce food by photosynthesis which is then
transported in the sieve tubes to other parts of the plant.
The leaves, therefore, are SOURCES
Yes
The sugar made in the leaves is transported in the phloem
and stored as starch in the potato tubers. The tubers,
therefore, are SINKS.
No
The xylem vessels transport water and mineral ions from the
roots to all parts of the plant but they are not sources or sinks.
Question 11
Once the atria have filled with blood, which of the
following is the correct sequence for a heart beat ?
(a) Semi-lunar valves close – atria contract – ventricles
contract – bicuspid and tricuspid valves close
(b) Atria contract - bicuspid and tricuspid valves close ventricles contract - semi-lunar valves open
(c) Atria contract – ventricles contract – bicuspid and
tricuspid valves open – semi-lunar valves open
(d) Atria contract – ventricles contract – bicuspid and
tricuspid valves close – semi-lunar valves open
Question 12
No
The semi-lunar valves are already closed at this stage
No
The bicuspid and tricuspid valves do not close until the
ventricles contract
No
Contraction of the ventricles causes the bicuspid and
tricuspid valves to close
Yes
This is the correct sequence
Question 12
In which of the following ways do plant cells differ from
animal cells?
(a) They have a nucleus
(b) They have a cell wall
(c) They have a central vacuole
(d) They contain cytoplasm
Question 13
No
Typically, animal cells and plant cells both contain a
nucleus
Yes
Plant cells have a cellulose cell wall which is not
present in animal cells
Yes
Mature plant cells have a large, central, fluid-filled
vacuole. Animal cells may have small vacuoles
distributed throughout their cytoplasm
No
All living plant and animal cells contain cytoplasm though
its distribution in the cell is different
style
style
Question 13
This fruit is adapted
for dispersal by…
(a) animals
(b) water
(c) explosive method
(d) wind
Question 14
1cm
fruit
fruit
No
You would expect a fruit adapted to dispersal by
animals (mammals) to have tiny hooks to catch in the
animal’s fur.
No
The fruit may be occasionally dispersed by water
but it does not show any adaptation to this method
No
It is usually seeds, not fruits, which are
dispersed by an explosive method and they are
usually small and smooth, thus offering little
air resistance
Yes
The fine hairs on the style increase air resistance and the
fruit is likely to be carried away by the wind.
The fruit is that of wild clematis often seen growing in
hedgerows and called ‘old man’s beard’ because of the
appearance of these fruits in dense clusters
Single clematis flower after fertilisation
Question 14
Which of the following formulae could represent a
carbohydrate?
(a) C6H12O6
(b) CH2.NH2.COOH
(c) C12H22O11
(d) C2H5OH
Question 15
Yes
This compound contains only carbon, hydrogen
and oxygen, with the hydrogen and oxygen in the
ratio of 2:1. It could be glucose or fructose, for
example.
No
Although the compound contains carbon, hydrogen and
oxygen it also contains nitrogen. It is an amino acid,
glycine. The –NH2 is the amino group and the -COOH is
the acid group.
Yes
This compound contains only carbon, hydrogen and
oxygen, with the hydrogen and oxygen in the ratio
of 2:1. It could be sucrose or maltose, for example.
No
Although the compound contains carbon, hydrogen and
oxygen, the hydrogen and oxygen are not in the ratio 2:1.
This compound is ethanol.
Question 15
Antibodies are made by…
(a) the liver
(b) lymphocytes
(c) lymph nodes
(d) the red bone marrow
Question 16
No
The liver makes proteins (globulins) which play
an important part in the immune reaction but they
are not antibodies.
Yes
Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell. They
produce antibodies against bacteria and other harmful
bodies which get into the blood stream
Yes and No
Lymphocytes are stored in the lymph nodes and
produce and release antibodies, but the lymph node
itself does not produce antibodies
No
The red bone marrow produces the blood cells,
including lymphocytes, but it doe not make antibodies
Question 16
Before mitosis occurs …
(a) the chromosomes split
(b) the spindle appears
(c) the chromosomes replicate
(d) the chromosomes pair up
Question 17
No
The chromosomes do not split but each chromosome
makes a copy of itself. The original chromosome and
its copy are called chromatids.
No
The spindle does not appear until mitosis has
started.
Yes
Each chromosome makes a copy (a replica) of itself ,
i.e. it replicates. The original chromosome and its copy
are called chromatids
No
In mitosis, the chromosomes do not pair up. It is in
the early stages of meiosis that the chromosomes
form pairs
Question 17
The effect of insulin is to …
(a) increase the release of glucose from the liver
(b) increase the amount of glucose stored in the liver
(c) increase the amount of glucose taken up by the tissues
(d) reduce the amount of glucose stored in the tissues
Question 18
No
It is the hormone glucagon which causes the liver to
convert stored glycogen into glucose and release it into
the blood stream
Yes
Insulin causes the liver to take up glucose from the blood
and convert it to glycogen which is stored
Yes
Insulin causes the tissues to take up glucose from the
blood stream
No
Insulin has the reverse effect
Question 18
In a flowering plant, fertilisation takes place when …
(a) a bee visits a flower
(b) the pollen nucleus fuses with the egg nucleus
(c) the pollen tube grows down to the ovary
(d) pollen is deposited on the stigma
Question 19
No
The bee’s visit to the flower may bring pollen into
contact with the stigma but this is not fertilisation
Yes
The fusion of male (pollen) and female (egg) nuclei is
the defining moment of fertilisation
No
The growth of the pollen tube is necessary to bring the
pollen nucleus into the egg cell but it does not constitute
fertilisation. It is, however, an essential stage in the process
which results in fertilisation
No
The deposition of pollen on the stigma is pollination.
It is an essential step in the sequence of events
leading to fertilisation but it does not constitute
fertilisation.
Question 19
Bacteria reproduce asexually by cell division. In favourable
conditions, what is the maximum rate of cell division in
some bacteria?
(a) Every 2 minutes
(b) Every 20 minutes
(c) Every 2 hours
(d) Every 24 hours
Question 20
No
Yes
This is the maximum frequency of bacterial cell
division most often quoted
No
No
Question 20
The organic bases present in DNA are …
(a) adenine, guanine, cytosine and valine
(b) alanine, guanine, thymine and cytosine
(c) cytosine, glycine, adenine and thymine
(d) adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine
No
Valine is an amino acid
No
Alanine is an amino acid
No
Glycine is an amino acid
Yes
End of questions
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