Cambridge IGCSE · Biology 0610
IGCSE Biology: Diseases and immunity — Practice Questions & Answers
Learn about pathogens, transmissible diseases, body defences, active and passive immunity, and how vaccination protects populations.
938 practice questions available for this topic — here are 10 with full answers and explanations.
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Practice questions with answers
1
Multiple choice · Easy
What is a pathogen?
- A disease-causing organism
- A type of white blood cell
- A protein that fights disease
- An organism that prevents disease
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WhyA pathogen is a disease-causing organism.
2
Multiple choice · Easy
Which of these is a transmissible disease?
- Cholera
- Scurvy
- Kwashiorkor
- Rickets
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WhyCholera is caused by a pathogen that can pass from one host to another.
3
Multiple choice · Easy
A transmissible disease is one in which the pathogen can be passed from:
- one host to another
- one organ to another only
- parent to offspring only by genes
- food to vitamins
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WhyA transmissible disease passes the pathogen from one host to another.
4
Multiple choice · Easy
Which type of white blood cell produces antibodies?
- Lymphocyte
- Phagocyte
- Red blood cell
- Platelet
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WhyLymphocytes produce antibodies.
5
Multiple choice · Easy
Which type of white blood cell engulfs and digests pathogens?
- Phagocyte
- Lymphocyte
- Red blood cell
- Nerve cell
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WhyPhagocytes engulf and digest pathogens by phagocytosis.
6
Multiple choice · Easy
Which part of the body is a mechanical barrier to pathogens?
- Skin
- Liver
- Kidney
- Pancreas
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WhyThe skin forms a mechanical barrier preventing pathogens from entering the body.
7
Multiple choice · Easy
What is a vaccine?
- A preparation containing antigens of a pathogen
- A dose of antibiotics
- A type of vitamin supplement
- A painkilling drug
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WhyA vaccine contains weakened or inactive pathogens (or their antigens) to trigger an immune response.
8
Multiple choice · Easy
Which chemical in the stomach helps kill pathogens in food?
- Hydrochloric acid
- Bile
- Insulin
- Amylase
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WhyHydrochloric acid in the stomach kills many pathogens taken in with food.
9
Multiple choice · Medium
Antibodies work by:
- binding to specific antigens with a complementary shape
- engulfing pathogens whole
- forming a mechanical barrier on the skin
- producing hydrochloric acid
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WhyAntibodies have a complementary shape to specific antigens and bind to them.
10
Multiple choice · Medium
Why is each antibody only effective against one type of pathogen?
- Its shape is complementary to only one specific antigen
- It is too small to bind more than one pathogen
- It is made by only one phagocyte
- It can only travel in one blood vessel
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WhyEach antibody has a specific shape complementary to one antigen.
Key terms in Diseases and immunity
Disease: A condition that prevents the body from working normally or that harms an organism's health.
Pathogen: A disease-causing organism, such as a virus, bacterium, fungus or protoctist.
Transmissible disease: A disease in which the pathogen can be passed from one host to another.
Non-transmissible disease: A disease that cannot be passed from one person to another, such as type 1 diabetes or scurvy.
Infectious disease: Another name for a transmissible disease, caused by a pathogen entering and multiplying in the body.
Host: An organism in or on which a pathogen lives and from which it obtains nutrients.
Pathogenic bacterium: A bacterium that causes disease, often by producing toxins, for example the cholera bacterium.
Pathogenic virus: A virus that causes disease by entering host cells and reproducing inside them, for example influenza virus.
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