GCSE Biology Transport in cells questions by topic

This question is about diffusion.

1. (a)Define diffusion.[2]
2. (b)Name one substance that enters cells by diffusion.[1]

This question is about osmosis.

1. (a)Define osmosis.[2]
2. (b)Name the type of membrane osmosis needs.[1]
3. (c)State whether osmosis needs energy from respiration.[1]

Complete the sentences about the three transport processes.

1. (a)In diffusion, particles move from a __________ to a lower concentration.[1]
2. (b)Osmosis is the diffusion of __________.[1]
3. (c)Active transport needs energy released by __________.[1]

A student investigates osmosis in potato chips placed in different sugar solutions.

1. (a)Explain why the chips are blotted dry before weighing.[1]
2. (b)State the independent variable.[1]
3. (c)State one variable that should be controlled.[1]
4. (d)State the dependent variable.[1]

A tea bag is left in a mug of hot water. The brown colour spreads through the water without stirring.

1. (a)Name the process that spreads the colour.[1]
2. (b)Explain why the colour spreads through the whole mug.[2]
3. (c)State one change that would make the colour spread faster.[1]

A red blood cell is placed into pure water. A second red blood cell is placed into a concentrated salt solution.

1. (a)State what happens to the first cell.[1]
2. (b)Explain why.[1]
3. (c)State what happens to the second cell.[1]
4. (d)Explain why a plant cell in pure water does not burst.[1]

A model cell is a cube with sides of 5 mm.

1. (a)Calculate the surface area.[1]
2. (b)Calculate the volume.[1]
3. (c)Give the surface area to volume ratio in its simplest form.[1]
4. (d)Explain why a multicellular organism needs a transport system.[1]

A potato chip has a starting mass of 6.5 g. After an hour in distilled water its mass is 7.1 g.

1. (a)Calculate the change in mass.[1]
2. (b)Calculate the percentage change in mass.[2]
3. (c)State which way water moved and name the process.[1]
4. (d)A second chip fell from 5.8 g to 5.1 g in a concentrated solution. Calculate its percentage change.[1]

Explain how three exchange surfaces are adapted to their jobs.

1. (a)Explain two ways the alveoli are adapted for gas exchange.[2]
2. (b)Explain how the villi of the small intestine speed up absorption.[2]
3. (c)Explain one adaptation of fish gills.[2]

A class measured the percentage change in mass of potato chips in sugar solutions of different concentrations.

1. (a)Describe the pattern in the results.[2]
2. (b)Estimate the concentration at which the chips would show no change in mass.[1]
3. (c)Explain why the chips lost mass in the concentrated solutions.[2]
4. (d)Explain one advantage of reporting percentage change rather than mass change in grams.[1]

Compare two cube-shaped organisms: one with sides of 10 mm and one with sides of 1 mm.

1. (a)Calculate the surface area of the 10 mm organism.[1]
2. (b)Calculate its volume.[1]
3. (c)Give its surface-area-to-volume ratio in simplest form.[1]
4. (d)The 1 mm organism has a surface area of 6 mm² and a volume of 1 mm³. State which organism exchanges substances faster per unit of volume, and explain why.[2]

Three identical potato chips, each with a starting mass of 4.0 g, were left in three different solutions for one hour.

1. (a)Calculate the percentage change in mass for chip A.[2]
2. (b)Calculate the percentage change in mass for chip C.[2]
3. (c)State which chip lost water by osmosis.[1]
4. (d)Explain what solution B tells you about the cell sap.[1]

A student times how quickly potassium permanganate colour spreads through a beaker of water at 20 °C and at 40 °C.

1. (a)Predict at which temperature the colour spreads faster.[1]
2. (b)Explain your answer using particle ideas.[2]
3. (c)State one other factor that would increase the rate of spreading.[1]

Cells lining the small intestine absorb glucose into the blood even when the blood already contains more glucose than the gut contents.

1. (a)Name the process and define it.[2]
2. (b)Explain why these cells contain large numbers of mitochondria.[2]
3. (c)Explain one advantage of absorbing the last traces of glucose rather than losing them.[2]

In a class set of osmosis results, one chip in the 0.5 mol/dm³ solution gained mass, while every other chip in that solution lost mass.

1. (a)Suggest one explanation for the odd result.[1]
2. (b)Describe how the student could improve the reliability of the results.[2]
3. (c)Three repeats in the same solution lost 2.0 g, 2.2 g and 2.4 g. Calculate the mean loss.[2]
4. (d)Explain why the mean is used rather than a single result.[2]

Compare a cube-shaped bacterium with 2 µm sides and a cube-shaped alga with 20 µm sides.

1. (a)Calculate the surface area of the bacterium.[1]
2. (b)Calculate its volume.[1]
3. (c)Give its surface-area-to-volume ratio in simplest form.[1]
4. (d)Calculate the surface-area-to-volume ratio of the alga.[2]
5. (e)State which organism can rely on diffusion alone and justify the choice.[2]

Compare diffusion, osmosis and active transport.

1. (a)Write a comparison covering the direction of movement, the substances moved, whether each needs energy, and where each happens.[6]

Oxygen passes from the air in an alveolus into a red blood cell. In a person with a long-term lung condition, the alveolar walls become thickened and many alveoli are destroyed.

1. (a)Describe the path of an oxygen molecule from the alveolus to the red blood cell, naming the process.[3]
2. (b)Explain why thickened alveolar walls slow the uptake of oxygen.[2]
3. (c)Explain one further reason the destroyed alveoli reduce oxygen uptake.[1]