GCSE Biology Health & cancer questions by topic

Define health and give the two dimensions it covers.

1. (a)Define health.[1]
2. (b)Name the two dimensions of well-being in the definition.[2]

Name the type of disease described in each case.

1. (a)Caught from pathogens and passed between people.[1]
2. (b)Long-term, not caught from anyone, often linked to lifestyle.[1]
3. (c)Give one example of type (a).[1]
4. (d)Give one example of type (b).[1]

Match each risk factor to its proven effect.

1. (a)Effect of obesity.[1]
2. (b)One proven effect of smoking.[1]
3. (c)Risk factor for liver and brain damage.[1]
4. (d)One carcinogenic risk factor.[1]

State whether each statement is a correlation, a proven cause, or neither.

1. (a)Towns with more pubs sell more meat pies.[1]
2. (b)Smoking during pregnancy lowers the baby’s birth mass — shown by controlled studies of how smoke chemicals reach the fetus.[1]
3. (c)People whose name starts with M live slightly longer on average.[1]

Sort these cases into communicable and non-communicable disease.

1. (a)A student catches influenza from a classmate.[1]
2. (b)A retired miner develops lung cancer after years of smoking.[1]
3. (c)A woman develops type 2 diabetes after years of high BMI.[1]
4. (d)State the difference between the two types of disease.[1]

A patient weighs 70 kg and is 1.75 m tall.

1. (a)Calculate the patient’s BMI to 3 significant figures.[2]
2. (b)State what BMI stands for.[1]
3. (c)Name one disease for which a high BMI is a risk factor.[1]

The table shows cases of a disease in a town over four years.

1. (a)By how many cases did the total rise between Year 1 and Year 4?[1]
2. (b)Calculate the percentage increase from Year 1 to Year 4.[2]
3. (c)In Year 4 the town had 2 000 residents. Calculate the disease rate per 100 residents.[2]

A study measures body mass and the chance of developing type 2 diabetes in 500 adults.

1. (a)Describe the scatter diagram you would expect if obesity is a risk factor.[1]
2. (b)Explain why the correlation alone does not prove causation.[2]
3. (c)Describe the evidence that would upgrade the link to a proven cause.[2]
4. (d)State one way the sample should be chosen to make the study fair.[1]

Explain how two pairs of diseases can interact.

1. (a)First interaction, explained.[2]
2. (b)Second interaction, explained.[2]

A country considers a public-health campaign against smoking.

1. (a)State two diseases whose rates the campaign could reduce.[2]
2. (b)Explain one human cost and one financial cost of the diseases to the nation.[2]
3. (c)Suggest one reason the campaign might fail despite the evidence.[2]

Two UK towns were compared for smoking and lung disease.

1. (a)Describe the pattern shown by the table.[1]
2. (b)Calculate how many more lung disease cases per 100 000 town A has than town B.[2]
3. (c)Explain why this comparison is a correlation rather than proof of a causal mechanism.[2]

Compare the three main treatments for cancer.

1. (a)Describe how radiotherapy treats a tumour.[2]
2. (b)Describe how chemotherapy works and why it can cause side effects.[2]
3. (c)Explain why surgery alone may cure a benign tumour.[2]

A newspaper headline claims: “Chocolate causes crime — areas selling more chocolate have more crime.”

1. (a)Identify the type of evidence the headline is based on.[1]
2. (b)Explain one flaw in treating this as proof of causation.[2]
3. (c)State what additional evidence would be needed before accepting the claim.[2]

Compare benign and malignant tumours.

1. (a)Describe three differences.[3]
2. (b)Explain why malignant tumours are more dangerous, using the word secondary.[3]

A 40-year-old smokes, has an inactive lifestyle and a family history of heart disease.

1. (a)Identify the lifestyle risk factors and the genetic factor in this case.[3]
2. (b)Explain how two of the factors increase cardiovascular disease risk.[4]

Two screening programmes are compared. Programme A tested 10 000 people and found 200 cases. Programme B tested 5 000 people from one small village and found 50 cases.

1. (a)Calculate the case rate per 1 000 people tested in each programme.[2]
2. (b)State which programme’s rate is more reliable and why.[2]
3. (c)Suggest one reason programme B’s rate could mislead a national estimate.[2]

Explain how the same virus could lead to a rash in one patient and to cancer in another.

1. (a)Write an explanation covering both disease interactions.[6]

A government taxes sugary drinks to reduce obesity and type 2 diabetes. In the two years after the tax, drink companies report 20% less sugar sold in sugary drinks, but national type 2 diabetes rates are unchanged.

1. (a)Describe what the data show.[2]
2. (b)Suggest two reasons why diabetes rates have not yet fallen.[2]
3. (c)Give one economic argument for the tax and one ethical objection to it.[2]