AQA GCSE Biology (8461), Higher tier · Organisation › Animal tissues, organs and organ systems
Practise The heart and blood vessels. 15 exam-style questions plus unlimited generated ones on this subtopic, at up to four difficulty levels, with full mark schemes and a progress tracker. Free, no account needed.
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Name the blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
aorta
Name the blood vessel that carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs.
pulmonary artery
The natural resting heart rate is controlled by a group of cells called the pacemaker. Where in the heart is the pacemaker found?
right atrium
Sample questions
Written for this site in the style of AQA exam questions. They are not taken from real past papers.
Question 1Easy5 marks
The heart pumps blood around the body.
(a) Which chamber of the heart pumps blood to the lungs? Tick (✓) one box.[1]
Left atrium
Left ventricle
Right atrium
Right ventricle
(b) Name the blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.[1]
(c) Name the blood vessel that carries blood from the body back to the heart.[1]
(d) Name the blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with oxygen.[1]
(e) Humans have a double circulatory system. What does this mean?[1]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)Answer: Right ventricle
(b)Answer: aorta
aorta
(c)Answer: vena cava
vena cava
(d)Answer: coronary arteries
coronary arteries
(e)
blood passes through the heart twice for each complete circuit of the body / one circuit goes to the lungs and one to the rest of the body
Question 2Medium7 marks
A student counted 18 pulse beats in 15 seconds while resting.
(a) Calculate the student's resting heart rate in beats per minute.[1]
(b) With each beat, the student's left ventricle pumps 70 cm3 of blood. Calculate the volume of blood pumped by the left ventricle in one minute. Give your answer in dm3.[2]
(c) The student has a total blood volume of 5.5 dm3. Calculate the time taken for the left ventricle to pump a volume of blood equal to the total blood volume. Give your answer in seconds.[2]
(d) Explain why the wall of the left ventricle is thicker than the wall of the right ventricle.[2]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)Answer: 72 beats per minute
(18 × 4 =) 72
(b)Answer: 5.04 dm3
72 × 70 = 5040 (cm3)
5.04 (dm3)
(c)Answer: 65 s (65.5) s
5.5 ÷ 5.04 = 1.09 (minutes)
65 – 66 (s)
(d)
the left ventricle pumps blood around the rest of the body, but the right ventricle pumps blood only to the lungs
so the left ventricle must produce a higher pressure / needs more muscle
Question 3Hard8 marks
Gas exchange takes place in the alveoli of the lungs. A pair of human lungs contains about 4.8 × 108 alveoli. Each alveolus can be modelled as a sphere with a diameter of 0.2 mm.
(a) Estimate the total surface area of the alveoli. Surface area of a sphere = \(4\pi r^2\) Give your answer in m2. 1 m2 = 1 000 000 mm2[3]
(b) Other than a large surface area, give two features of the alveoli that make gas exchange efficient.[2]
(c) Describe the pathway taken by a molecule of oxygen from the air outside the body to a red blood cell.[3]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)Answer: 60 m2 (60.3) m2
surface area of one alveolus = 4 × π × 0.12 = 0.126 (mm2)
× 4.8 × 108 = 6.0 × 107 (mm2)
60 (m2)
(b)
walls are thin / one cell thick, giving a short diffusion distance
surrounded by a network of capillaries / good blood supply
ventilation (breathing) keeps a high concentration of oxygen in the alveoli / maintains the concentration gradient
moist lining so gases can dissolve
(c)
through the trachea and then a bronchus / bronchi
into an alveolus
diffuses across the alveolus wall and the capillary wall into the blood