Question 1
Which of these is a feature of hormonal communication rather than nervous communication?
- It acts very quickly
- The message is carried by the blood
- The message is an electrical impulse
- The effect is very short-lived
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Answer: B the message is carried by the blood (1)
Question 2
Testosterone and progesterone are hormones. State where each is made and give one role of each.
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- testosterone is made in the testes (1)
- testosterone: development of male secondary sexual characteristics / stimulates sperm production (1)
- progesterone is made in the ovaries (1)
- progesterone maintains the lining of the uterus (1) allow during pregnancy / second half of the menstrual cycle
Question 3
A person is frightened by a loud noise and their body prepares to run away. Explain how adrenaline helps the body to do this.
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- adrenaline increases heart rate (1)
- so more blood reaches the muscles (1)
- more oxygen and glucose delivered to muscles (1)
- for respiration to release more energy (1)
- adrenaline stimulates the liver to change glycogen into glucose, raising blood glucose (1)
- Max 4
Question 4
Describe how insulin reduces blood glucose concentration after a meal.
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- pancreas secretes insulin when blood glucose is high (1)
- insulin makes cells take up glucose from the blood / liver takes up glucose (1)
- glucose is converted to glycogen for storage (in the liver) (1)
Question 5
A person runs a race on a hot day and their body temperature starts to rise. Explain how the skin helps to bring their body temperature back to normal. Then describe how the skin response would differ on a very cold day.
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| Level | Marks | What the answer does |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 5–6 | Explains both sweating and vasodilation in the hot conditions, with the reason each lowers temperature, and describes the opposite skin response (vasoconstriction, reduced sweating) in the cold. |
| 2 | 3–4 | Describes sweating and/or vasodilation with some explanation, and mentions at least one skin response in the cold. |
| 1 | 1–2 | States that the person sweats or that blood vessels change, with little or no explanation. |
Indicative content
- sweat glands release sweat onto the skin
- sweat evaporates and takes heat from the skin, cooling the body
- vasodilation: blood vessels supplying the skin surface widen
- more blood flows near the surface so more heat is lost to the surroundings
- in the cold, vasoconstriction: vessels narrow, less blood near the surface, less heat lost
- in the cold, little or no sweating