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AQA GCSE Combined Science: Synergy

Topic questions Human physiology The heart & circulation

The heart & circulation

7 questions · 94 marks · about 1.5 hours

The heart and circulation questions

AQA 8465 The heart and circulation 7 questions

Paper 1: Life and environmental sciences June 2023 Foundation tier, Question 5 11 marks

maths symbolFigure 7 shows part of the human breathing system.

Figure for question 5
5.1

Label structures A, B and C on Figure 7.

Choose answers from the box.

Figure for question 5
[3]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 5.1
5.2

Describe one way that lungs are adapted for gas exchange.

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 5.2
5.3

A student investigated the effect of surface area to volume ratio on diffusion.

The student used gel cubes with different surface area to volume ratios.

The gel cubes: maths symbol were pink at the start of the investigation maths symbol became colourless as acid diffused into the cube.

This is the method used.

1. Cut the gel into a cube with sides that are 1 cm long.

2. Place the cube in a beaker.

3. Cover the cube with acid.

4. Keep the beaker at 20 °C.

5. Record the time taken for the cube to go colourless.

6. Repeat steps 2 to 5 with cubes of different sizes.

Draw one line from each type of variable to that variable in the investigation.

Figure for question 5
[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 5.3
5.4
Figure for question 5 Figure for question 5 Figure for question 5 Figure for question 5
[3]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 5.4
5.5

Table 2 shows the results.

Figure for question 5

Describe the effect of increasing the size of the cube on the time taken for the cube to go colourless.

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 5.5
5.6

What would be an improvement to the investigation?

Tick (✓) one box.

Repeat the method three times and calculate a mean for each size cube.

Repeat the method with 5 cubes all of the same size.

Repeat the method with a different size beaker for each size cube.

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 5.6

Paper 1: Life and environmental sciences June 2023 Foundation tier, Question 8 14 marks

This question is about the blood and the circulatory system.

8.1
Figure for question 8 Figure for question 8
[3]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8.1
8.2

Figure 12 shows a human heart.

Figure for question 8

Draw one arrow on Figure 12 to show the movement of the blood between the left atrium and the left ventricle.

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8.2
8.3

Which blood vessel carries blood from the lungs into the heart?

Tick (✓) one box.

A B C D

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8.3
8.4

Which blood vessel is the aorta?

Tick (✓) one box.

A B C D

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8.4
8.5

What structures prevent blood flowing in the wrong direction through the heart?

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8.5
8.6

Heart muscle cells obtain oxygen from the blood.

Which blood vessels exchange oxygen with heart muscle cells?

Tick (✓) one box.

Arteries

Capillaries

Veins

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8.6
8.7

Heart rate is controlled by a group of cells called the pacemaker.

Where is the pacemaker in the heart?

Tick (✓) one box.

Left atrium

Left ventricle

Right atrium

Right ventricle

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8.7
8.8

Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas.

Explain why an increase of carbon monoxide in the air increases heart rate.

[3]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8.8
8.9

A person was exposed to carbon monoxide in the air for 1 hour.

During the hour the person’s heart rate increased from 80 beats per minute to 130 beats per minute.

Calculate the percentage increase in heart rate.

Use the equation:

Question 8, shown as an image
[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8.9

Paper 1: Life and environmental sciences June 2023 Higher tier, Question 1 14 marks

This question is about the blood and the circulatory system.

1.1
Figure for question 1 Figure for question 1
[3]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1.1
1.2

Figure 1 shows a human heart.

Figure for question 1

Draw one arrow on Figure 1 to show the movement of the blood between the left atrium and the left ventricle.

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1.2
1.3

Which blood vessel carries blood from the lungs into the heart?

Tick (✓) one box.

A B C D

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1.3
1.4

Which blood vessel is the aorta?

Tick (✓) one box.

A B C D

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1.4
1.5

What structures prevent blood flowing in the wrong direction through the heart?

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1.5
1.6

Heart muscle cells obtain oxygen from the blood.

Which blood vessels exchange oxygen with heart muscle cells?

Tick (✓) one box.

Arteries

Capillaries

Veins

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1.6
1.7

Heart rate is controlled by a group of cells called the pacemaker.

Where is the pacemaker in the heart?

Tick (✓) one box.

Left atrium

Left ventricle

Right atrium

Right ventricle

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1.7
1.8

Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas.

Explain why an increase of carbon monoxide in the air increases heart rate.

[3]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1.8
1.9

A person was exposed to carbon monoxide in the air for 1 hour.

During the hour the person’s heart rate increased from 80 beats per minute to 130 beats per minute.

Calculate the percentage increase in heart rate.

Use the equation:

Question 1, shown as an image
[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1.9

Paper 2: Life and environmental sciences June 2022 Foundation tier, Question 8 15 marks

The human circulatory system transports blood around the body.

8.1

The human circulatory system is made of different structures.

Give the structures in order of size from the largest to the smallest.

Choose answers from the box.

The first one has been completed for you.

Figure for question 8
[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8.1
8.2

Figure 18 shows a heart.

Figure for question 8
Question 8, shown as an image

The heart pumps blood from the body to the lungs.

Which route does blood travel through the heart?

Tick (✓) one box.

aorta → left atrium → left ventricle → pulmonary artery

aorta → right atrium → right ventricle → pulmonary artery

vena cava → left atrium → left ventricle → pulmonary artery

vena cava → right atrium → right ventricle → pulmonary artery

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8.2
8.3

Explain why the wall of the left ventricle is thicker than the wall of the right ventricle.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8.3
8.4

What is the function of structure X shown in Figure 18 ?

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8.4
8.5

The heart contains a group of cells called the pacemaker.

Which part of the heart contains the pacemaker?

Tick (✓) one box.

Left atrium

Left ventricle

Right atrium

Right ventricle

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8.5
8.6

What is the function of the pacemaker?

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8.6
8.7

A person started an exercise training programme to improve their health.

Table 6 shows information about the person’s heart.

maths symbol Stroke volume is the volume of blood pumped out of the heart each beat.

maths symbol Cardiac output is the total volume of blood pumped out of the heart each minute.

Figure for question 8

After the training programme the person’s heart rate had decreased.

Explain the effect the training programme had on the person’s cardiac output.

Use Table 6.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8.7
8.8

Explain how diet and lifestyle can increase the risk of poor health and non-communicable diseases.

[6]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8.8

Paper 2: Life and environmental sciences June 2022 Higher tier, Question 1 15 marks

The human circulatory system transports blood around the body.

1.1

The human circulatory system is made of different structures.

Give the structures in order of size from the largest to the smallest.

Choose answers from the box.

The first one has been completed for you.

Figure for question 1
[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1.1
1.2

Figure 1 shows a heart.

Figure for question 1

The heart pumps blood from the body to the lungs.

Which route does blood travel through the heart?

Tick (✓) one box.

aorta → left atrium → left ventricle → pulmonary artery

aorta → right atrium → right ventricle → pulmonary artery

vena cava → left atrium → left ventricle → pulmonary artery

vena cava → right atrium → right ventricle → pulmonary artery

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1.2
1.3

Explain why the wall of the left ventricle is thicker than the wall of the right ventricle.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1.3
1.4

What is the function of structure X shown in Figure 1 ?

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1.4
1.5

The heart contains a group of cells called the pacemaker.

Which part of the heart contains the pacemaker?

Tick (✓) one box.

Left atrium

Left ventricle

Right atrium

Right ventricle

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1.5
1.6

What is the function of the pacemaker?

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1.6
1.7

A person started an exercise training programme to improve their health.

Table 1 shows information about the person’s heart.

maths symbol Stroke volume is the volume of blood pumped out of the heart each beat.

maths symbol Cardiac output is the total volume of blood pumped out of the heart each minute.

Figure for question 1

After the training programme the person’s heart rate had decreased.

Explain the effect the training programme had on the person’s cardiac output.

Use Table 1.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1.7
1.8

Explain how diet and lifestyle can increase the risk of poor health and non-communicable diseases.

[6]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1.8

Paper 2: Life and environmental sciences November 2021 Higher tier, Question 4 15 marks

Heart tissue is made of cardiac muscle cells.

Figure 2 shows a cardiac muscle cell.

Figure for question 4
4.1

Cardiac muscle needs to contract and relax continuously.

Cardiac muscle cells contain a large number of the structures labelled A.

Name structure A.

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 4.1
4.2

Oxygen moves from the cytoplasm into structure A by the process of diffusion.

Why does the oxygen move by diffusion?

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 4.2
4.3

Which change would cause the rate of diffusion of oxygen across an exchange surface to decrease?

Tick (✓) one box.

An increase in the surface area of the exchange surface

An increase in the temperature of the cell

An increase in the thickness of the exchange surface

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 4.3
4.4

The cardiac muscle cells in humans can respire aerobically and anaerobically. maths symbol Aerobic respiration uses oxygen. maths symbol Anaerobic respiration does not use oxygen.

Compare the processes of aerobic respiration and anaerobic respiration.

Do not refer to oxygen in your answer.

[4]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 4.4
4.5

Figure 3 shows a diagram of a human heart.

Figure for question 4

What is the name of blood vessel X ?

Tick (✓) one box.

Aorta

Pulmonary artery

Pulmonary vein

Vena cava

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 4.5
4.6

Give one difference in the composition of the blood in the right ventricle compared with the blood in the left ventricle.

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 4.6
4.7

When the walls of the atria and ventricles contract, the pressure increases.

Table 4 shows information about the pressure during one contraction of the heart.

Figure for question 4

The left ventricle has the highest pressure.

Why does the left ventricle need to have the highest pressure?

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 4.7
4.8

What is the most likely maximum pressure in the right atrium?

Use Table 4.

Tick (✓) one box.

< 25 = 25 > 25

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 4.8
4.9

Some people have a medical condition called a ‘hole in the heart’.

A ‘hole in the heart’ is a small hole between the right ventricle and the left ventricle.

Some blood flows from the right ventricle to the left ventricle.

Explain why a ‘hole in the heart’ causes a person to feel tired.

[4]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 4.9

Paper 2: Life and environmental sciences November 2020 Foundation tier, Question 4 10 marks

This question is about breathing and respiration.

4.1

What is the equation for aerobic respiration?

Tick (✓) one box.

Figure for question 4
[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 4.1
4.2

Figure 5 shows part of the human breathing system.

Figure for question 4

Name X and Y shown in Figure 5.

Choose answers from the box.

Figure for question 4
[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 4.2
4.3

Structure X has adaptations for efficient gas exchange.

Give one adaptation of structure X.

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 4.3
4.4

Figure 6 shows a person using a peak flow meter.

Figure for question 4

Peak flow is how quickly air can be breathed out of the lungs.

Table 3 shows the peak flow of four students.

Figure for question 4

Asthma is a condition that causes the muscles in the walls of the airways to contract.

What effect will the contracting muscles have on the size of the airways?

Tick (✓) one box.

Figure for question 4
[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 4.4
4.5

Which student in Table 3 is most likely to have asthma?

Tick (✓) one box.

Figure for question 4
[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 4.5
4.6

Table 3 shows that each student has a different peak flow.

Suggest two factors that may affect peak flow.

Do not refer to asthma in your answer.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 4.6
4.7

A student measured her breathing rate before exercise and after exercise.

Table 4 shows the results.

Figure for question 4

Explain the effect of exercise on breathing rate.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 4.7

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