GCSE Biology (AQA) chapter 5: Homeostasis and response MCQs with answers

By Team Megalecture · Updated 4 Nov 2026

83 exam-style questions on Homeostasis and response, each with the answer and a short explanation. Ten of them are below to try. The chapter test draws ten fresh questions each time and is marked the moment you finish, with your score by topic.

83 questions · 6 topics · 10 per test

Test this chapter freeAll GCSE Biology (AQA) chapters

What chapter 5 covers

Ten Homeostasis and response questions with answers

Try each one, then open the answer. These ten stay the same; the test draws new ones every time.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. Why is the ammonia produced by deamination immediately converted into urea?

  1. A
    ammonia is toxic, so it is changed into urea, which is safer to carry in the blood
  2. B
    ammonia is too large to be filtered by the kidneys, but urea is small enough to be filtered
  3. C
    urea is needed as a raw material for making new proteins in the cells
  4. D
    urea can be stored in the liver until the amino acids are needed again
Show answer

Answer: A. Ammonia is toxic, so the liver converts it straight away into urea, which is safer to carry in the blood to the kidneys.

4. The urine of a healthy person contains no glucose. Why?

  1. A
    glucose is too large a molecule to pass out of the blood into the kidney tubule
  2. B
    glucose is converted into urea in the kidney before urine is formed
  3. C
    glucose is broken down by bacteria in the bladder before urine is released
  4. D
    all of the filtered glucose is reabsorbed back into the blood by the tubule
Show answer

Answer: D. Glucose is filtered out of the blood but is all selectively reabsorbed, so none normally appears in urine.

5. Bananas are picked unripe and transported long distances. How is ethene used?

  1. A
    it is sprayed on the plants before harvest so that the bananas grow larger on the plant
  2. B
    it is used to kill pests on the bananas while they are stored in the ship’s hold
  3. C
    it is used to stop the bananas ever ripening, so that they can be kept for years
  4. D
    it is added at the destination, so that the bananas ripen just before they are sold
Show answer

Answer: D. Ethene controls ripening, so fruit can be kept unripe during storage and transport and ripened when needed.

6. Where is oestrogen produced, and what is one of its effects?

  1. A
    in the ovaries; it thickens the uterus lining and inhibits the release of FSH
  2. B
    in the pituitary gland; it stimulates ovulation and makes the egg mature
  3. C
    in the ovaries; it maintains the uterus lining after ovulation and until menstruation
  4. D
    in the uterus; it causes the lining to break down and menstruation to begin
Show answer

Answer: A. Oestrogen from the ovaries builds up the uterus lining, inhibits FSH and stimulates LH release.

7. A person is asleep. Their heart keeps beating and they keep breathing. Which part of the brain controls this?

  1. A
    the cerebral cortex, which controls conscious thought and memory
  2. B
    the cerebellum, which coordinates balance and fine movement
  3. C
    the medulla, which controls unconscious activities such as heart rate
  4. D
    the pituitary gland, which controls the other endocrine glands
Show answer

Answer: C. The medulla controls unconscious activities such as breathing and heart rate.

8. Which substances are lost from the body in sweat?

  1. A
    water only, because ions and urea can only be lost in urine
  2. B
    carbon dioxide and water only, as in the air breathed out
  3. C
    water, mineral ions and a small amount of urea from the blood
  4. D
    glucose and amino acids, which the kidneys have not reabsorbed
Show answer

Answer: C. Sweat contains water, ions (such as sodium) and a small amount of urea. Urea and excess ions are also lost in urine.

9. Which route of water loss from the body can be adjusted by the kidneys to keep the water content constant?

  1. A
    the water vapour in the air breathed out from the lungs
  2. B
    the water in the faeces, which the kidneys reabsorb from the large intestine
  3. C
    the sweat produced when the skin is hot
  4. D
    the volume of urine that is produced each day
Show answer

Answer: D. The kidneys control how much water is lost in urine. There is no such control over the water vapour lost from the lungs when breathing out.

10. A person’s blood glucose concentration is 11 mmol/dm3 one hour after a meal and 5 mmol/dm3 three hours later. Which change in the body best explains the fall?

  1. A
    glucagon caused glycogen to be converted into glucose in the liver
  2. B
    adrenaline caused the liver to release more glucose into the blood
  3. C
    insulin caused glucose to move into cells and be stored as glycogen
  4. D
    the kidneys reabsorbed all of the glucose from the urine
Show answer

Answer: C. A rise after a meal triggers insulin from the pancreas, which lowers glucose by moving it into cells and converting it to glycogen in the liver and muscles.

Start the chapter testAbout the GCSE Biology (AQA) test

Read the notes for this chapter

Ways to practise this chapter

Homeostasis and response: questions students ask

How many Homeostasis and response MCQs are there?

83, each with the answer and a short explanation, across 6 topics: 4.5.1–4.5.2.1 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. Every chapter test draws ten of them, so you can take it many times.

Is the GCSE Biology (AQA) chapter 5 test free?

Yes. The test, the answers and the explanations are free and need no sign-up. Sign in only if you want your scores kept across devices.

How is the chapter test marked?

The moment you press Finish: your score, the right answer and an explanation for every question, and the ones you got wrong saved in My mistakes to retry.

Keep going

← Chapter 4: BioenergeticsChapter 6: Inheritance, variation and evolution →All chaptersStuck? Ask a question