GCSE BIOLOGY - AQA BIOLOGY EXAM REVISION QUESTIONS WITH
VERIFIED SOLUTIONS LATEST 2025 UPDATE.
Painkillers do not cure infectious diseases.
Why?
1 mark - ANSWER- don't kill pathogens and only treat symptoms
People may be immunised against diseases using vaccines.
Which part of the vaccine stimulates the body's defence system?
2 mark - ANSWER- dead pathogens/inactive microorganism
A person has been vaccinated against measles. The person comes in contact with the
measles pathogen. The person does not catch measles.
Explain why.
3 mark - ANSWER- white blood cells produce antibodies quickly and these antibodies destroy
pathogens.
Occasionally a new, resistant strain of a pathogen appears.
The new strain may spread rapidly.
Explain why.
3 mark - ANSWER- Antibiotics is ineffecctive and so resistant pathogens survive and
reproduce, increasing the population of resistant pathogens.
The student is told to grow some of the bacteria on agar jelly in a Petri dish.
Describe how the student should prepare an uncontaminated culture of the bacterium in
the Petri dish.
You should explain the reasons for each of the steps you describe.
, 6 mark - ANSWER- * Petri dish and agar sterilised before use to kill unwanted bacteria.
* inoculating loop passed through flame to kill any other unwanted bacteria.
* lid of Petri dish opened as little as possible to prevent microbes from air entering
* sealed with tape to prevent microbes from air entering
* incubate to allow growth of bacteria
There are areas on the agar jelly where no bacteria are growing.
Why? - ANSWER- bacteria killed / destroyed
Sensory neurons - ANSWER- the nerve cells that carry signals as electrical impulses from the
receptors in the sense organs to the CNS
Relay neurons - ANSWER- the nerve cells that carry signals from the sensory neurons to the
motor neurons
Motor neurons - ANSWER- the nerve cells that carry signals from the CNS to the effector.
Effectors - ANSWER- muscles and glands - muscles contract and glands secrete hormones.
Development of resistance - ANSWER- The main steps in the development of resistance are:
* antibiotics kill individual pathogens of the non-resistant strain
* resistant individual pathogens survive and reproduce
* the population of the resistant pathogens increases.
The rate of development of resistant strains of bacteria can be slowed down. One way to do this is
to avoid using antibiotics for infections that are not serious, such as mild throat infections.
Virus - ANSWER- Viruses are many times smaller than bacteria. They are among the smallest
organisms known and consist of a fragment of genetic material inside a protective protein coat.
VERIFIED SOLUTIONS LATEST 2025 UPDATE.
Painkillers do not cure infectious diseases.
Why?
1 mark - ANSWER- don't kill pathogens and only treat symptoms
People may be immunised against diseases using vaccines.
Which part of the vaccine stimulates the body's defence system?
2 mark - ANSWER- dead pathogens/inactive microorganism
A person has been vaccinated against measles. The person comes in contact with the
measles pathogen. The person does not catch measles.
Explain why.
3 mark - ANSWER- white blood cells produce antibodies quickly and these antibodies destroy
pathogens.
Occasionally a new, resistant strain of a pathogen appears.
The new strain may spread rapidly.
Explain why.
3 mark - ANSWER- Antibiotics is ineffecctive and so resistant pathogens survive and
reproduce, increasing the population of resistant pathogens.
The student is told to grow some of the bacteria on agar jelly in a Petri dish.
Describe how the student should prepare an uncontaminated culture of the bacterium in
the Petri dish.
You should explain the reasons for each of the steps you describe.
, 6 mark - ANSWER- * Petri dish and agar sterilised before use to kill unwanted bacteria.
* inoculating loop passed through flame to kill any other unwanted bacteria.
* lid of Petri dish opened as little as possible to prevent microbes from air entering
* sealed with tape to prevent microbes from air entering
* incubate to allow growth of bacteria
There are areas on the agar jelly where no bacteria are growing.
Why? - ANSWER- bacteria killed / destroyed
Sensory neurons - ANSWER- the nerve cells that carry signals as electrical impulses from the
receptors in the sense organs to the CNS
Relay neurons - ANSWER- the nerve cells that carry signals from the sensory neurons to the
motor neurons
Motor neurons - ANSWER- the nerve cells that carry signals from the CNS to the effector.
Effectors - ANSWER- muscles and glands - muscles contract and glands secrete hormones.
Development of resistance - ANSWER- The main steps in the development of resistance are:
* antibiotics kill individual pathogens of the non-resistant strain
* resistant individual pathogens survive and reproduce
* the population of the resistant pathogens increases.
The rate of development of resistant strains of bacteria can be slowed down. One way to do this is
to avoid using antibiotics for infections that are not serious, such as mild throat infections.
Virus - ANSWER- Viruses are many times smaller than bacteria. They are among the smallest
organisms known and consist of a fragment of genetic material inside a protective protein coat.
