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GCSE Biology (AQA) MCQs with answers

Practise GCSE Biology (AQA) (AQA 8461) with 375 exam-style MCQs, each with the answer and a short explanation. Every test is marked the moment you finish and shows your score chapter by chapter, so you know what to revise next. It is free and needs no sign-up.

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GCSE Biology (AQA) MCQs with answers

Practise GCSE Biology (AQA) (AQA 8461) with 375 exam-style MCQs, each with the answer and a short explanation. Every test is marked the moment you finish and shows your score chapter by chapter, so you know what to revise next. It is free and needs no sign-up.

375 questions · 7 chapters

What each chapter covers 7 chapters

The questions follow the syllabus chapter by chapter. You can test the whole subject or one chapter at a time.

  1. Cell biology 44 questions4.1.1.1–4.1.1.4 Cell structure and specialisation, 4.1.1.5–4.1.1.6 Microscopy and culturing microorganisms, 4.1.2 Cell division, 4.1.3 Transport in cells
  2. Organisation 48 questions4.2.1–4.2.2.1 Principles of organisation and the digestive system, 4.2.2.2–4.2.2.3 The heart, blood vessels and blood, 4.2.2.4–4.2.2.7 Coronary heart disease and non-communicable diseases, 4.2.3 Plant tissues, organs and organ systems
  3. Infection and response 40 questions4.3.1.1–4.3.1.5 Communicable diseases, 4.3.1.6–4.3.1.7 Human defence systems and vaccination, 4.3.1.8–4.3.1.9 Antibiotics, painkillers and drug development, 4.3.2–4.3.3 Monoclonal antibodies and plant disease
  4. Bioenergetics 26 questions4.4.1 Photosynthesis, 4.4.2 Respiration
  5. Homeostasis and response 83 questions4.5.1–4.5.2.1 Homeostasis and the nervous system, 4.5.2.2–4.5.2.4 The brain, the eye and body temperature control, 4.5.3.1–4.5.3.2 The endocrine system and blood glucose control, 4.5.3.3 Maintaining water and nitrogen balance, 4.5.3.4–4.5.3.7 Hormones in reproduction and negative feedback, 4.5.4 Plant hormones
  6. Inheritance, variation and evolution 70 questions4.6.1.1–4.6.1.5 Reproduction, meiosis and DNA, 4.6.1.6–4.6.1.8 Genetic inheritance, inherited disorders and sex determination, 4.6.2 Variation, evolution and genetic technologies, 4.6.3 Development of understanding of genetics and evolution, 4.6.4 Classification of living organisms
  7. Ecology 64 questions4.7.1 Adaptations, interdependence and competition, 4.7.2 Organisation of an ecosystem, 4.7.3 Biodiversity and the effect of human interaction on ecosystems, 4.7.4 Trophic levels in an ecosystem, 4.7.5 Food production
Sample GCSE Biology (AQA) MCQs with answers 12 questions

12 questions from the test, one or two from each chapter. Try each one, then open the answer.

1. A light microscope can just distinguish two points that are 200 nm apart. An electron microscope can distinguish two points that are only 0.2 nm apart. How many times better is the resolution of the electron microscope?

  1. A
    10 times
  2. B
    100 times
  3. C
    1000 times
  4. D
    10 000 times
Show answer

Answer: C. Resolution is the smallest distance at which two points can still be seen separately, so a smaller distance means better resolution. 200 ÷ 0.2 = 1000.

2. How does an increase in air humidity affect the rate of transpiration, and why?

  1. A
    it increases, because the plant has more water available
  2. B
    it falls, because the diffusion gradient is smaller
  3. C
    it increases, because the stomata open wider in moist air
  4. D
    it is unchanged, because humidity only affects the roots
Show answer

Answer: B. In humid air there is less difference in water vapour concentration between inside and outside the leaf, so water vapour diffuses out more slowly.

3. Which is a chemical defence of a plant?

  1. A
    a thick layer of bark around the stem
  2. B
    poisons that deter herbivores
  3. C
    sharp thorns growing along the stem
  4. D
    a waxy cuticle on the leaf surface
Show answer

Answer: B. Poisons and antibacterial chemicals are chemical defences. Bark and the waxy cuticle are physical; thorns are mechanical.

4. During exercise a person’s heart rate rose from 70 to 154 beats per minute. What was the percentage increase in heart rate?

  1. A
    54%
  2. B
    84%
  3. C
    120%
  4. D
    220%
Show answer

Answer: C. The increase was 154 − 70 = 84 beats per minute. 84 ÷ 70 × 100 = 120%. A higher heart rate delivers oxygenated blood to the muscles faster. 84 is the increase itself and 220% is 154 as a percentage of 70.

5. Why are auxins used in rooting powders?

  1. A
    to kill weeds that grow among the crops without harming the cereals
  2. B
    to ripen fruit while it is being stored or transported
  3. C
    to help cuttings grow roots so that new plants form quickly
  4. D
    to end seed dormancy so seeds germinate together
Show answer

Answer: C. Auxins encourage cuttings to form roots, so new plants can be grown quickly.

6. Which is the correct sequence in evolution by natural selection?

  1. A
    individuals change during their lifetime to suit the environment, then pass those changes to their offspring
  2. B
    variation exists, and the best-adapted individuals survive, breed and pass on their alleles
  3. C
    all individuals are identical, so the environment decides which of them will survive
  4. D
    the environment causes mutations that are always helpful, so the whole population changes at once
Show answer

Answer: B. Natural selection acts on existing genetic variation: the best-adapted individuals survive, reproduce and pass on their alleles.

7. A student wants to show how the distribution of a plant changes gradually from under a tree into an open field. Which method is most suitable?

  1. A
    quadrats placed at random across both areas, then comparing the two totals
  2. B
    counting all the plants in the field, then all the plants under the tree
  3. C
    a single quadrat under the tree and a single quadrat in the open
  4. D
    quadrats at regular intervals along a transect from the tree
Show answer

Answer: D. A transect line with quadrats at regular intervals shows how distribution changes across a gradient, such as from shade to light.

8. Which structure is found in a bacterial cell but not in a human cheek cell?

  1. A
    plasmid
  2. B
    ribosome
  3. C
    cell membrane
  4. D
    cytoplasm
Show answer

Answer: A. Plasmids are small rings of DNA found in prokaryotes. Ribosomes, a membrane and cytoplasm are found in both types of cell.

9. In an amylase investigation, the rate is calculated as 1000 ÷ time. At pH 7 the starch had all been broken down after 40 seconds. What is the rate?

  1. A
    0.025 s−1
  2. B
    8.3 s−1
  3. C
    25 s−1
  4. D
    40 s−1
Show answer

Answer: C. Rate = 1000 ÷ 40 = 25 s−1.

10. Why is it difficult to develop drugs that kill viruses?

  1. A
    viruses are too large to be affected by drugs of any kind
  2. B
    viruses have thick cell walls that drugs cannot pass through
  3. C
    viruses reproduce inside body cells, so a drug that kills them may damage the cells too
  4. D
    viruses live only outside cells, where drugs cannot reach them
Show answer

Answer: C. Because viruses use the host’s cells to reproduce, it is hard to kill them without also harming the cells.

11. Which is the balanced symbol equation for photosynthesis?

  1. A
    C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O
  2. B
    6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2
  3. C
    CO2 + H2O → C6H12O6 + O2
  4. D
    6CO2 + 6O2 → C6H12O6 + 6H2O
Show answer

Answer: B. Carbon dioxide and water make glucose and oxygen, with light. The reverse equation is aerobic respiration, and the version without the 6s is not balanced.

12. Which gland is known as the ‘master gland’ because its hormones control other glands?

  1. A
    the thyroid gland, which releases thyroxine
  2. B
    the pituitary gland, found at the base of the brain
  3. C
    the adrenal gland, which releases adrenaline
  4. D
    the pancreas, which releases insulin and glucagon
Show answer

Answer: B. The pituitary gland in the brain secretes hormones that act on other glands, stimulating them to release their own hormones.

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The 375 MCQs are our own, written to the syllabus in the style of the exam.

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Instantly. You get your score, the right answer and an explanation for every question, and a list of the topics to work on.

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