AQA BIOLOGY PAPER 2 STUDY GUIDE EXAMS
SET TEST PAPER QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS 2026 VIEW AHEAD EXAM.
⩥ What is a stimulus? Answer: A change in your environment than
requires a response. e.g Light, sound, touch, pressure, pain, chemical
or temperature.
⩥ What do the receptors do? Answer: Detect the stimulus or change
in environment.
⩥ What happens after the receptors? Answer: Receptors send
messages to the CNS via the sensory neurone.
⩥ What makes up the central nervous system? Answer: The brain or
spinal cord
⩥ What is an effector? Answer: Muscles or glands that bring about a
response.
⩥ What do the muscles and glands do in response to stimuli? Answer:
Muscles contract and glands secrete chemical substances(hormones).
,⩥ What is a sensory neurone? Answer: A neurone that carry
information from the receptors to the CNS.
⩥ What is a relay neurone? Answer: Neurones that carry impulses
from the sensory neurone to the motor neurone.
⩥ What is a motor neurone? Answer: Neurones that carry information
from the CNS to the effectors.
⩥ What is the nervous system? Answer: It is a system that allows you
to react to your surroundings.
⩥ How do signals travel across a synapse? Answer: The chemical or
neurotransmitter diffuses across the synapse and binds to a
complementary receptor on the neurone (postsynaptic). This causes an
electrical impulse to travel down the next neurone.
⩥ What is a synapse? Answer: A gap between two neurones.
⩥ What is the thermoregulatory centre of the brain? Answer: Near the
hypothalamus, monitors the temperature of blood.
⩥ Describe the stages in a reflex arc. Answer: Stimulus->Receptor-
>sensory neurone->CNS (relay neurone) -> motor neurone -> effector
-> response
,⩥ Name responses that reduce body temperature. Answer: Hairs lie
flat, sweat and blood vessels get wider(vasodilation)
⩥ What happens during vasodilation? Answer: The blood vessels
supplying the skin dilate (widen). This helps to transfer energy to the
environment.
⩥ Name responses that increase body temperature. Answer: Hairs
stand up, no sweat, shivering and blood vessels
constrict(vasoconstriction)
⩥ What happens during vasoconstriction? Answer: The blood vessels
supplying the skin constrict to close off the skins blood supply.
⩥ What is the body's core temp? Answer: 37 degrees Celsius
⩥ What are hormones? Answer: Chemical messengers that travel in
the blood to target organs.
⩥ Compare and Contrast the endocrine (hormone) system and the
nervous system. Answer: Nervous is faster acting than the endocrine
system.
Hormones have longer lasting effects compared to electrical impulses.
Nerves act on a very specific area whereas hormones act more
general.
, ⩥ What does the thyroid gland do? Answer: Produces thyroxine
which is involved in regulating metabolism.
⩥ What do the adrenal glands do? Answer: Produce adrenaline which
is used to prepare the body for fight or flight.
⩥ What is the role of the pancreas? Answer: Produces glucagon and
insulin which are involved in regulating glucose levels in the blood.
⩥ Name the hormone that is released if blood sugar is too high.
Answer: Insulin
⩥ What does insulin do? Answer: It makes the liver convert glucose
into glycogen. This causes blood glucose levels to decrease.
⩥ Name the hormone that is released if blood sugar is too low.
Answer: Glucagon
⩥ What does glucagon do? HINT GLU-COSE-GONE Answer: It
makes the liver convert glycogen to glucose. This causes the blood
glucose level to increase.
⩥ What is type I diabetes? Answer: When the pancreas produces little
or no insulin.
SET TEST PAPER QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS 2026 VIEW AHEAD EXAM.
⩥ What is a stimulus? Answer: A change in your environment than
requires a response. e.g Light, sound, touch, pressure, pain, chemical
or temperature.
⩥ What do the receptors do? Answer: Detect the stimulus or change
in environment.
⩥ What happens after the receptors? Answer: Receptors send
messages to the CNS via the sensory neurone.
⩥ What makes up the central nervous system? Answer: The brain or
spinal cord
⩥ What is an effector? Answer: Muscles or glands that bring about a
response.
⩥ What do the muscles and glands do in response to stimuli? Answer:
Muscles contract and glands secrete chemical substances(hormones).
,⩥ What is a sensory neurone? Answer: A neurone that carry
information from the receptors to the CNS.
⩥ What is a relay neurone? Answer: Neurones that carry impulses
from the sensory neurone to the motor neurone.
⩥ What is a motor neurone? Answer: Neurones that carry information
from the CNS to the effectors.
⩥ What is the nervous system? Answer: It is a system that allows you
to react to your surroundings.
⩥ How do signals travel across a synapse? Answer: The chemical or
neurotransmitter diffuses across the synapse and binds to a
complementary receptor on the neurone (postsynaptic). This causes an
electrical impulse to travel down the next neurone.
⩥ What is a synapse? Answer: A gap between two neurones.
⩥ What is the thermoregulatory centre of the brain? Answer: Near the
hypothalamus, monitors the temperature of blood.
⩥ Describe the stages in a reflex arc. Answer: Stimulus->Receptor-
>sensory neurone->CNS (relay neurone) -> motor neurone -> effector
-> response
,⩥ Name responses that reduce body temperature. Answer: Hairs lie
flat, sweat and blood vessels get wider(vasodilation)
⩥ What happens during vasodilation? Answer: The blood vessels
supplying the skin dilate (widen). This helps to transfer energy to the
environment.
⩥ Name responses that increase body temperature. Answer: Hairs
stand up, no sweat, shivering and blood vessels
constrict(vasoconstriction)
⩥ What happens during vasoconstriction? Answer: The blood vessels
supplying the skin constrict to close off the skins blood supply.
⩥ What is the body's core temp? Answer: 37 degrees Celsius
⩥ What are hormones? Answer: Chemical messengers that travel in
the blood to target organs.
⩥ Compare and Contrast the endocrine (hormone) system and the
nervous system. Answer: Nervous is faster acting than the endocrine
system.
Hormones have longer lasting effects compared to electrical impulses.
Nerves act on a very specific area whereas hormones act more
general.
, ⩥ What does the thyroid gland do? Answer: Produces thyroxine
which is involved in regulating metabolism.
⩥ What do the adrenal glands do? Answer: Produce adrenaline which
is used to prepare the body for fight or flight.
⩥ What is the role of the pancreas? Answer: Produces glucagon and
insulin which are involved in regulating glucose levels in the blood.
⩥ Name the hormone that is released if blood sugar is too high.
Answer: Insulin
⩥ What does insulin do? Answer: It makes the liver convert glucose
into glycogen. This causes blood glucose levels to decrease.
⩥ Name the hormone that is released if blood sugar is too low.
Answer: Glucagon
⩥ What does glucagon do? HINT GLU-COSE-GONE Answer: It
makes the liver convert glycogen to glucose. This causes the blood
glucose level to increase.
⩥ What is type I diabetes? Answer: When the pancreas produces little
or no insulin.
