AQA GCSE Biology: Organisation — Practice Questions & Answers
How cells build tissues, organs and organ systems, covering the digestive system and enzymes, the heart and circulation, non-communicable disease, and plant transport.
1579 practice questions available for this topic — here are 10 with full answers and explanations.
Which sequence correctly shows the levels of organisation in a multicellular organism, from smallest to largest?
Tissue -> cell -> organ -> organ system
Cell -> tissue -> organ -> organ system
Cell -> organ -> tissue -> organ system
Organ -> organ system -> tissue -> cell
Tap an answer to check it.
WhyCells are the basic building blocks. Similar cells group into tissues, different tissues form organs, and organs work together as organ systems.
2Multiple choice · Easy
Which enzyme breaks down starch into sugars?
Protease
Lipase
Amylase
Catalase
Tap an answer to check it.
WhyAmylase is a carbohydrase produced in the salivary glands, pancreas and small intestine. It catalyses the breakdown of starch into smaller sugars such as maltose.
3Multiple choice · Easy
What food group does Benedict's solution test for?
Reducing sugars
Starch
Protein
Lipids
Tap an answer to check it.
WhyBenedict's solution tests for reducing (simple) sugars. A positive result turns the blue solution to green, yellow, orange or brick-red when heated, depending on sugar concentration.
4Multiple choice · Easy
Which type of blood vessel carries blood away from the heart?
Vein
Artery
Capillary
Venule
Tap an answer to check it.
WhyArteries carry blood away from the heart at high pressure, so they have thick, elastic, muscular walls and a narrow lumen.
5Multiple choice · Easy
Which component of the blood is mainly responsible for transporting oxygen?
White blood cells
Platelets
Red blood cells
Plasma
Tap an answer to check it.
WhyRed blood cells contain haemoglobin, which binds oxygen to form oxyhaemoglobin in the lungs and releases it in respiring tissues.
6Multiple choice · Medium
Why does the left ventricle have a thicker muscular wall than the right ventricle?
It pumps blood only to the lungs at low pressure
It must pump blood at high pressure around the whole body
It receives deoxygenated blood from the body
It contains valves that the right ventricle lacks
Tap an answer to check it.
WhyThe left ventricle pumps oxygenated blood all around the body, requiring higher pressure. The right ventricle only pumps blood the short distance to the lungs, so it needs less muscle.
7Multiple choice · Medium
What is the role of bile in digestion?
It digests starch into glucose
It is acidic and activates pepsin
It emulsifies fats and neutralises stomach acid
It breaks down proteins into amino acids
Tap an answer to check it.
WhyBile is made in the liver and stored in the gall bladder. It is alkaline to neutralise stomach acid and it emulsifies fats, increasing the surface area for lipase to work on.
8Multiple choice · Medium
A student adds Sudan III stain (or the emulsion test) to a food sample and a milky-white layer forms. What does this indicate?
Protein is present
Starch is present
Reducing sugar is present
Lipid is present
Tap an answer to check it.
WhyThe emulsion (ethanol) test and Sudan III are both used to test for lipids. A milky-white emulsion or a red-stained layer is a positive result for lipids.
9Multiple choice · Medium
Which feature of capillaries makes them well adapted for the exchange of substances?
Thick muscular walls
Walls that are one cell thick
Valves to prevent backflow
A wide lumen and elastic fibres
Tap an answer to check it.
WhyCapillaries have walls only one cell thick, giving a very short diffusion distance for substances such as oxygen, glucose and carbon dioxide to move between blood and cells.
10Multiple choice · Medium
What is the function of guard cells in a leaf?
To absorb light for photosynthesis
To transport sugars around the plant
To open and close the stomata
To absorb water and mineral ions from soil
Tap an answer to check it.
WhyGuard cells surround each stoma and change shape to open or close it, controlling gas exchange and water loss by transpiration.
Ready to test yourself?
Practise Organisation with instant marking and per-topic score tracking.
Cell: The smallest structural and functional unit of a living organism, acting as the basic building block from which all tissues and organs are made.
Tissue: A group of similar cells that work together to carry out a particular function, such as muscular tissue that contracts to produce movement.
Organ: A structure made of several different tissues working together to perform one or more specific jobs, for example the stomach or the heart.
Organ system: A group of organs that work together to carry out a major function in the body, such as the digestive system breaking down and absorbing food.
Organism: A complete living thing made up of organ systems working together; in larger animals and plants these systems coordinate to keep the whole body alive.
Levels of organisation: The arrangement of life from simple to complex: cells form tissues, tissues form organs, organs form organ systems, and these form the whole organism.
Digestive system: The organ system that breaks down food into small soluble molecules and absorbs them into the blood, made up of organs such as the stomach, intestines, pancreas and liver.
Enzyme: A protein that acts as a biological catalyst, speeding up a specific chemical reaction in living things without being used up itself.