26

27
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30
31
32
33
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Section Three — Humans as Organisms
Nutrition
Nutrition is what you eat — and what you eat is really important for your health.
A balanced diet will have the right amount of the five nutrients listed below, as well as fibre and water.

1 ) Carbohydrates

These are like fuel for your body.

Contained in Used for Active or growing folk need lots
of carbohydrate.
Bread / potatoes / cereals Energy
Starch

2) Proteins
Proteins are vital for
Contained in Used for growth and to repair
damaged areas.
Proteins Meat / eggs / fish Building Cells

3) Lipids (Fats and Oils)

Lipids act as a store of
energy — which you
Used for
Contained in
use if your body runs
Fat Butter / cooking oil / cream Energy
out of carbohydrates.

4) Vitamins
Vitamins are only needed in
E.g. A B1 B2 Contained in Used for very small amounts — they
C D E keep many vital processes
Vegetables / fruit / cereals
happening.

5) Minerals
E.g. — Iron Calcium Sodium

Found in —

Needed for — Blood Teeth/Bones Nerves

Fibre

Contained in Used for

Fibre helps food move through
your digestive system.

Vegetables / fruit / cereals

Water
About 75% of your body is water and
Contained in Used for all chemical reactions (e.g. digestion),
take place in water – it's really important.

Section — Humans as Organisms

 35
Nutrition and Energy
Your body needs energy all the time. Even when you’re asleep your body is using energy just to keep you
alive. It’s important that you get this energy from a balanced diet, or a few nasty things can happen...

An Unbalanced Diet Can Cause Health Problems

Obesity
1 ) If you take in more energy from your diet than you use up, your body
will store the extra energy as fat — so you will put on weight.
2) If you weigh over 20% more than the recommended weight
for your height, then you are classed as obese.
3) Obesity can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease.

Starvation and Deficiency Diseases

1 ) Some people don’t get enough food to eat — this is starvation.
2) The effects of starvation include slow growth (in children),
being more likely to get infections, and irregular periods in women.
3) Some people don’t get enough vitamins or minerals — this can cause deficiency diseases.
For example, a lack of vitamin C can cause scurvy, a deficiency
disease that causes problems with the skin, joints and gums.

Different People Have Different Energy Requirements

1 ) The amount of energy you need each day depends on your body mass (“weight”) and level of activity.
2) Every cell (see page 2) in the body needs energy. So the bigger you are,
the more cells you have, and the more energy you’ll need. A kJ is a unit
3) For every kg of body mass, you need 5.4 kJ of energy every hour. This is the of energy.
basic energy requirement (BER) needed to maintain essential bodily functions.
You calculate it like this:
Daily BER (kJ/day) = 5.4 × 24 hours × body mass (kg)

E.g. a 60 kg person requires 5.4 × 24 × 60 = 7776 kJ /day

4) You also need energy to move, and it takes more energy to move a bigger mass.
5) So, the heavier and the more active you are, the more energy you will need.
6) To find out how much energy you need in a day you have to add together your
daily BER and the extra energy you use in your activities.

For example, a 60 kg person will use about 400 kJ walking

for half an hour, but 1 500 kJ running for half an hour.

You need to eat a balanced diet to stay healthy

Too much or too little food (or not eating the right foods) can lead to some serious health problems.
Make sure you understand the health problems on this page. You also need to know how to work out
someone’s daily energy requirement — it’s important for avoiding the health problems above.

Section — Humans as Organisms

36
Digestion
Digestion’s great. The body breaks down the food we eat, so we can use the nutrients it contains.
But it’s not easy — lots of different organs have to work together to get the job done.

Digestion is All About Breaking Down Food

There are two steps to this. The first is quick, the second isn't:
Canines
1 ) Breaking down the food MECHANICALLY, e.g. chewing with teeth: Molars

2) Breaking down the food CHEMICALLY — with the help of proteins Premolars
called enzymes. Enzymes are biological catalysts — this means they Incisors
speed up the rate of chemical reactions in the body.

Eight Bits of The Alimentary Canal

1 ) Mouth 2) Oesophagus
Digestion starts here Food pipe — links the mouth
where the teeth have a to the stomach.
good old chew and mix
the food with saliva.
Saliva contains an 3) Stomach
enzyme (called amylase) 1 ) Here the food mixes with
that breaks down protease enzymes which
carbohydrates. digest proteins. The
stomach contains muscular
4) Liver tissue to move the stomach
wall and churn up food.
The liver makes bile, which 2) Hydrochloric acid is
breaks fats into tiny droplets present to kill harmful
(emulsification). It's also bacteria and give a low pH
alkaline to give the right pH for the enzymes to work.
for the enzymes in the
small intestine.
5) Pancreas
7) Large intestine The pancreas contains
Here water is absorbed — glandular tissue, which makes
so we don't all shrivel up. three enzymes:
1 ) PROTease digests
PROTein.
8) Rectum 6) Small intestine 2) CARBOHYDRAse digests
Food usually contains 1 ) This produces more enzymes CARBOHYDRAtes.
some materials that we to further digest proteins, 3) LIPase digests LIPids
can’t digest. carbohydrates and fats. — i.e. fats.
This undigested food is 2) Food is also absorbed through
stored as faeces. Here the gut wall into the blood,
the digestion story ends which then takes it around the
when it plops out of the body to wherever it's needed.
anus — egestion.

Section — Humans as Organisms

 37
More on Digestion
Well would you believe it? There’s more to learn about digestion.

Absorption of Food Molecules

1 ) Big, insoluble food molecules can’t pass through the gut wall.

‘Insoluble’
2) So enzymes are used to break up the big molecules ‘won’t disso means
lve’.
into smaller, soluble ones. means ‘will ‘Soluble’
dissolve’.
See pag e
61 for mo
re.

3) These small molecules can pass through the gut wall into the blood.

4) They are then carried round the body, before passing into cells
where they are used.

Blood flows from gut to body cells

Larg e intestine

Water absorbed

The small

molecules

diffuse into

the blood...

Dig estion
Absorption

...and then

out ag ain

somewhere
Small intestine
else...

Inside the g ut The blood Body cells

N
You need to absorb all of these facts
IO
RE V IS
TASK As well as looking pretty, the diagrams on digestion are really important for helping you
understand how food is broken down and absorbed by the body — so look at them really
thoroughly and absorb the information. Make sure you know the name and function of
all eight bits of the alimentary canal. To test yourself, cover up these pages and draw the
diagrams showing how food is digested. Include as much detail as you can remember.

Section — Humans as Organisms

38
More on Digestion
More on digestion — don’t worry, it’s the last page on it, I promise. (Apart from the questions anyway...)

The Small Intestine is Covered with Millions of Villi

1 ) Food molecules are absorbed into the blood in the small intestine.
2) The small intestine is lined with tiny finger-like projections called VILLI.

A villus
Another
villus Villi is the plural
Good blood Absorption of villus — i.e. it’s
supply one villus but two
(or more) villi.

3) Villi are perfect for absorbing food because:

• They have a thin outer layer of cells.

• They have a good blood supply.
• They provide a large surface area for absorption.

Bacteria are Really Important in the Gut

1) Bacteria are unicellular organisms (see page 2).
2) There are about 1 00 trillion bacterial cells in the alimentary canal. That’s loads.
3) Most of these are in the end part of the small intestine and in the large intestine.
4) Some types of bacteria can make you really ill if they get into your body,
but the bacteria found naturally in your gut actually do a lot of good:

They produce enzymes They produce useful hormones.

that help to digest food.

They make useful They reduce the possibility of harmful

vitamins, e.g. vitamin K. bacteria growing in your intestines and
making you ill.

Who knew having bacteria inside you was such a good thing?
Villi are brilliant absorbers of food. Make sure you know the three things that make villi so awesome
at doing this — their large surface area, their blood supply and their thin outer layer of cells.

Section — Humans as Organisms

 39
Warm-Up and Practice Questions
When you’ve digested all that information, have a crack at these questions to test what you know...

Warm-Up Questions

1) Which two nutrients does the body get energy from?

2) Name one type of food that contains fibre.
3) What health risk is caused by taking in more energy than you use up?
4) What is meant by your daily basic energy requirement?
5) Name the two ways that food is broken down by the body.
6) Enzymes are biological catalysts. What does this mean?
7) Which part of the body does digestion start in?
8) Why do we need to digest our food?
9) What type of organisms are present in the gut and produce enzymes that help digest food?

Practice Question

1 The diagram shows some of the organs of the human digestive system.

mouth NOT TO SCALE

small intestine
large intestine
rectum

(a) Draw a line pointing to the oesophagus and label it O.

(1 mark)
(b) Give two functions of organ F.
(2 marks)
(c) The small intestine is responsible for the absorption of digested food.
It has millions of villi to help with this process. State three ways in which
villi are adapted to help with the absorption of digested food.
(3 marks)
(d) What is the name of the organ that produces bile?
(1 mark)

Section — Humans as Organisms

40
Gas Exchange
You need to get oxygen from the air into your bloodstream and to get rid of the carbon dioxide that’s
in your bloodstream. This all happens in your gas exchange system.

Learn These Structures in the Gas Exchange System

1 ) The lungs are like big pink sponges.
They’re protected by the ribcage.
2) The diaphragm is a muscle that sits
underneath the ribcage. It moves up when
Nasal Soft palate it relaxes and down when it contracts. This
cavity movement helps to get air in and out of your
lungs (see next page).
Larynx 3) The air that you breathe in goes through the
(voicebox) Trachea trachea. This splits into two tubes called
(windpipe) ‘bronchi‘ (each one is ‘a bronchus’),
Intercostal one going to each lung.
Bronchus
muscle 4) The bronchi split into smaller tubes
called bronchioles.
Bronchioles
5) The bronchioles end at small air sacs in
the lungs called alveoli. These are where
Rib Air sacs (alveoli) gas exchange takes place.

Lung Diaphragm

Gas Exchange Happens in the Lungs

1 ) Air is inhaled into the lungs. Body cells
2) Some of the oxygen in the inhaled LUNG
air passes into the bloodstream to be Air sac Air in

used in respiration (see page 4). O2 and out

CO2
3) Carbon dioxide is a waste product of O2
respiration. In the lungs it passes out of
the blood and is then breathed out. CO2
O2
4) The gases pass into or out of Blood capillary
the bloodstream by diffusion —
where a substance moves from
(tiny blood
BODY
vessel)
where there’s lots of it to where Capillary
there’s less of it (see page 3).
5) The lungs are well adapted for gas exchange:

1 ) They're moist.
2) They have a good blood supply.
3) The alveoli (air sacs) give the lungs a big inside surface area.

I love ribs — spare ones are my favourite though

There are a couple of detailed diagrams here which need learning. Sooner or later you’re expected to learn
all the structures in the gas exchange system and what they do, so you may as well start now.

Section — Humans as Organisms

 41
Breathing
Breathing is how the air gets in and out of your lungs. It’s definitely a useful skill.

The Mechanism of Breathing

The bell jar demonstration shows us what’s going on when you breathe:
Air
rushes in 1 ) First you pull the rubber sheet down
— like it's your diaphragm.
Air
Balloons fill up 2) This increases the volume inside the rushes out
like lungs
bell jar, which decreases the pressure. Balloons deflate
3) The drop in pressure causes air to rush
into the balloons — this is like breathing in.
4) Let go of the rubber sheet —
this is like relaxing your diaphragm.
5) The volume in the jar gets smaller.
Pull This increases the pressure, so air rushes out.
down Relax back up

Inhaling and Exhaling is Breathing In and Out

1 ) The chest cavity is like a bell jar. Breathing in Breathing out
(inhaling) (exhaling)
2) When you breathe in, the
diaphragm moves down and
the ribs move up. This increases Ribs pulled up
Intercostal
the volume of the chest cavity, and out by
muscles
intercostal muscles
which decreases the pressure. relax

So air rushes in to fill the lungs. Diaphragm moves

down as it contracts Diaphragm relaxes —
3) When the diaphragm moves up and making the chest chest volume
the ribs move down, air rushes out. volume bigger gets smaller

Lung Volume Can Be Measured

1 ) Lung volume is the amount of air you can
breathe into your lungs in a single breath. big breath
2) Lung volume is different for different people. in big breath
out
For example, taller people tend to have a bigger breathing
lung volume than shorter people. And some in one breath
emulov gnuL

diseases may reduce a person’s lung volume.

3) Lung volume can be measured breathing
using a machine called a spirometer. out
4) To use a spirometer, a person breathes into the
machine (through a tube) for a few minutes.
5) The volume of air that is breathed in and out is measured
and plotted on a graph (called a spirogram) like this one. Time

Now take a deep breath and learn these facts

Well, if ever you wanted to know how you breathe in and out, now you do. Learn how breathing
works — use that bell jar demonstration to help you understand what goes on in your actual lungs.
Make sure you know how lung volume can be measured too. You’ll be an expert in breathing soon.

Section — Humans as Organisms

42
Exercise, Asthma and Smoking
Exercise, asthma and smoking can all affect your gas exchange system and the way that you breathe.

Exercise
1 ) When you exercise, your muscles need more oxygen and glucose so
they can respire and release energy (see page 4) to keep you going.
2) During exercise, your breathing rate and depth of breathing increase
so you can get more oxygen into your blood.
3) If you exercise regularly, the muscles that you use to breathe
(the diaphragm and intercostal muscles) will get stronger.
4) This means that your chest cavity can open up more when you
breathe in, so you can get more air into your lungs.
5) Over time, regular exercise can also cause an increase in the number and size of the small
blood vessels in your lungs and in the number of alveoli. This makes gas exchange more efficient.

Asthma
1 ) People with asthma (asthmatics) have lungs that are too sensitive to certain things
(e.g. pet hair, pollen, dust, smoke...).
2) If an asthmatic breathes these things in, the muscles around their bronchioles contract.
This narrows the airways.
3) The lining of the airways becomes inflamed and fluid builds up
in the airways, making it hard to breathe. This is an asthma attack.
4) Symptoms of an attack are:
• difficulty breathing,
• wheezing,
• a tight chest.

5) When symptoms appear, sufferers can use an inhaler containing drugs that open up the airways.

Smoking
1 ) Cigarette smoke contains four main things: carbon monoxide, nicotine, tar and particulates.
2) Tar in particular is really bad for you:

• Tar covers the cilia (little hairs) on the lining of the airways.
• The damaged cilia can’t get rid of mucus properly.
• The mucus sticks to the airways, making you cough more
— this is known as smoker’s cough.
• The damage builds up and can eventually lead to bronchitis (a disease that
inflames the lining of the bronchi) and emphysema (a disease that destroys
the air sacs in the lungs). Both these diseases make it difficult to breathe.
• And there’s more... tar contains carcinogens (substances that can cause
cancer). Smoking causes cancer of the lung, throat and mouth.

ION
This page is just breathtaking
RE V IS
TIP So there you have it, three different things that have an impact on the gas exchange system.
Make sure you get to grips with all of them — cover up the page and see how much you can
write about each one.

Section — Humans as Organisms

 43
Warm-Up and Practice Questions
Take a deep breath, then have a bash at these questions...

Warm-Up Questions

1) Why is it important to have a good blood supply going to the lungs?

2) What is meant by lung volume?
3) What does a spirometer measure?
4) Give two changes that can happen to your gas exchange system if you exercise
regularly over a long period of time.
5) Explain why a person’s airways narrow during an asthma attack.

Practice Questions

1 The diagram below shows the chest cavity of a healthy person.

One of the lungs is drawn in cross-section to show the air sacs.

trachea

A
heart

rib
diaphragm
(a) Write down the name of the part of the chest cavity labelled A.
(1 mark)
(b) Which gas enters the blood from the alveoli (air sacs)?
(1 mark)
(c) Which gas leaves the blood to enter the lungs at the alveoli (air sacs)?
(1 mark)
(d) Describe what happens to the chest cavity as you breathe in.
(4 marks)
2 Cigarette smoke contains tar which can damage your airways.
(a) Name two other harmful substances present in cigarette smoke.
(2 marks)
(b) Explain why the tar in cigarette smoke causes smokers to cough more.
(3 marks)
(c) Name one disease that smoking can cause.
(1 mark)

Section — Humans as Organisms

44
Human Reproductive System
Like all mammals, we have different male parts and female parts that allow us to reproduce. No giggling...

The Male Reproductive System

1 ) Sperm are the male sex cells or ‘gametes’.

2) Sperm are made in the testes after puberty.
3) Sperm mix with a liquid to make semen, which is
ejaculated from the penis during sexual intercourse.

Tube from bladder

Glands
Sperm duct

Urethra
Erectile tissue
Head of penis
Foreskin
(may be removed)

Testis

Scrotal sac (scrotum)

The Female Reproductive System

1 ) An egg is a female sex cell or ‘gamete’.

2) One of the two ovaries releases an egg every 28 days.
3) It passes into the fallopian tube (or oviduct) where it may meet sperm,
which has entered the vagina during sexual intercourse (sometimes
known as copulation).
4) If it isn't fertilised by sperm (see next page), the egg will die after about a day
and pass out of the vagina.

Fallopian tube
(or oviduct)

Womb
(uterus) Ovary

Cervix
Vagina

Section — Humans as Organisms

 45
The Menstrual Cycle
The menstrual cycle — not the most exciting of things, but you wouldn’t be here without it.

The Menstrual Cycle Takes 28 Days

1 ) From the age of puberty, females undergo

a monthly sequence of events which are
collectively known as the MENSTRUAL CYCLE.

2) This involves the body preparing the uterus

(womb) in case it receives a fertilised egg.

3) If this doesn't happen, then the egg and uterus lining

break down and are lost from the body through the
vagina over a period of three to four days, usually.

4) The cycle has four main stages — they are

summarised in the diagram and table below:

STAGE ONE STAGE TWO STAGE FOUR

STAGE THREE
Lining of uterus
Lining of the Egg released Lining of uterus
Next
breaks down
uterus builds up maintained Cy cle

Lining of the Uterus

Day 1 Day 4 Day 1 4 Day 28 Day 4

Day What happens...

1 BLEEDING STARTS as the lining of the uterus (the womb) breaks down and
passes out of the vagina — this is what’s known as “having a PERIOD”.
4 The lining of the uterus starts to build up again. It thickens into a spongy layer
full of blood vessels ready for IMPLANTATION. (See next page.)
14 An egg is released from the ovaries of the female, so this is the MOST LIKELY time in
which a female may become pregnant. (This day may vary from one woman to the next.)
28 The wall remains thick awaiting the arrival of a fertilised egg. If this doesn’t happen then
this lining breaks down, passing out of the vagina. Then the whole cycle starts again.

The end of the cycle depends on whether the egg’s fertilised…

Phew, there are quite a few details to learn here. Make sure you know the names of all the bits
and bobs in the male and female reproductive systems on page 22. You need to know exactly what
happens at each of the four stages of the menstrual cycle and when they occur too.

Section — Humans as Organisms

46
Having a Baby
Once Dad’s sperm has fertilised Mum’s egg, an embryo forms, gestation happens, and a baby is born.

Fertilisation and Development

1 ) Ovulation 2) Copulation 3) Fertilisation

Fallopian tube Sperm The egg is
Sperm
duct
Fallopian tube fertilised
Fallopian tube
when the
Ovary
Testis
Egg
nuclei of
Egg Ovary Ovary the egg and
Penis
sperm join —
An egg is released Ovum (egg)
Vagina the fertilised
from an ovary Millions of sperm egg is called
(around day 1 4). are released from a ZYGOTE.
the penis into the
vagina during
intercourse.

4) Cell Division
5) Implantation 24 HOURS after fertilisation the
About one week after fertilised egg divides into two. After
fertilisation, the embryo about 4 DAYS the egg has divided into
starts to embed (implant) 32 cells. It's now called an EMBRYO.
itself into the wall of the uterus
and the placenta begins to develop.

The Embryo Develops During Gestation

Start here At 1 Month

The body is about
The embryo is 6 mm At 9 Weeks 25 mm long and
long and has a brain,
At 39 weeks heart, eyes, ears and legs.
is completely
formed — it's
The baby is about 520 mm now called a
long. It's fully developed FOETUS.
and ready to be BORN.

At 3 Months
At 5 Months The foetus is
At 7 Months 54 mm long and
It's now about looks much more
The foetus is 370 mm long and 1 60 mm long. like a baby.
is 'VIABLE'. This means it would It kicks and its
have a fair chance of surviving if fingernails can
it were born at this stage. be felt.

Section — Humans as Organisms

 47
Health and Pregnancy
Good health is a situation where you’re fine and dandy both physically and mentally. It’s important to
make sure you look after your health if you’re pregnant, as your health affects the baby’s health.

Health is More Than J ust the Absence of Disease

Good health means having BOTH of these:

1 ) A healthy body that’s all working properly with no diseases.

2) A healthy mental state where you’re able to
cope with the ups and downs of life.

You should look after your body by eating a balanced diet, doing enough exercise and not abusing drugs.

The Mother’s Lifestyle During Pregnancy is Important

1 ) The placenta lets the blood of the foetus and mother get very
close to allow exchange of food, oxygen and wastes.

Umbilical cord

Mother’s
blood

Foetus

Placenta

Amniotic fluid
(gives protection against
knocks and bumps)

2) If the mother smokes, drinks alcohol or takes other drugs while she is pregnant,
harmful chemicals in her blood can cross the placenta and affect the foetus.

3) For example, the foetus may not develop properly

and could have health problems after it’s born.

Well, that’s all a bit different to the stork story I got told
There’s a lot to learn on these pages. Make sure you know all the different stages it takes to make an
embryo and how an embryo develops into a baby ready to pop out into the world. Remember, having
good health and a good lifestyle is important for everyone, but especially when you’re pregnant.

Section — Humans as Organisms

48
Drugs
Recreational drugs can have serious negative effects on your health.

Drugs
1 ) A drug is any substance that affects the way the body works. The 7 Life Processes
E.g. They may raise the heart rate or cause blurred vision. Movement — moving parts of the body.
2) There are LEGAL DRUGS and ILLEGAL DRUGS. Reproduction — producing offspring.
Aspirin, caffeine and antibiotics are examples of Sensitivity — responding and reacting.
legal drugs. Cannabis, speed and ecstasy are examples Nutrition — getting food to stay alive.
of illegal drugs. Excretion — getting rid of waste.
3) RECREATIONAL DRUGS are drugs used Respiration — turning food into energy.
for enjoyment, rather than as medicine. Growth — getting to adult size.
They can be legal or illegal.
4) Drugs can affect life processes.
For example, drugs that affect the brain are likely to affect movement and sensitivity.
And drugs that affect the liver and kidneys will most likely affect excretion
(as these are the organs that process waste).

Solvents
1 ) Solvents are found in most homes — in things like paints, aerosols and glues.
2) They're drugs because they cause hallucinations, which are illusions of the mind.
Solvents usually have a severe effect on behaviour and character.
3) They also cause serious damage to the lungs, the brain, liver and kidneys.

Alcohol
1 ) Alcohol is found in beers, wines and spirits. It's illegal to buy it under the age of 1 8.
2) It's a depressant, which means it decreases the activity of the brain and slows down responses.
3) It's a poison which affects the brain and liver leading to
various health problems, e.g. cirrhosis (liver disease).
4) It impairs judgement, which can lead to accidents. It's also very addictive.

Illegal Drugs — Dangerous, Addictive and Life-Wrecking

1 ) Ecstasy and LSD are hallucinogens. Ecstasy can give the feeling of boundless energy
which can lead to overheating, dehydration and sometimes DEATH.
2) Heroin and morphine were developed as painkillers. However they turned out to be
highly addictive. They can both cause severe degeneration of a person's life.
3) Amphetamine (speed) and methedrine are stimulants. They give a feeling of
boundless energy. However, users quickly become psychologically dependent on the
drug (i.e. they think they need them), so behaviour and character deteriorate.
4) Barbiturates are depressants. They slow down the nervous system and therefore
slow down reaction time. They can help you to sleep but they're seriously habit-forming.

Drugs aren’t harmless fun — they’re a slippery slope

ION
RE V IS
TIP It’s important that you know the different effects that drugs can have on your health. Make
sure that you know how different types of recreational drugs can affect behaviour, health and
life processes — use MRS NERG to remember the 7 life processes.

Section — Humans as Organisms

 49
Warm-Up and Practice Questions
Well, that’s almost it for this section. J ust a few questions to go and you’re done.

Warm-Up Questions
1) What are the male sex cells called? Where are they made?
2) On which day, approximately, will an egg be released from the ovary, during a ‘normal’
28-day menstrual cycle?
3) State one function of the placenta, as the embryo develops inside the mother’s uterus.
4) You need a healthy body to have good health. What else do you need?
5) Explain why it’s not a good idea for a woman to smoke while she’s pregnant.
6) What is meant by a ‘recreational’ drug?
7) Name two things containing solvents that you can find in the home.
8) Name two organs that you can damage by using solvents.
9) Name two drugs that are hallucinogens.

Practice Questions
1 The diagram below shows the human female reproductive system.
Fallopian tube
(oviduct)

Womb Ovary
(uterus)

Cervix Vagina

(a) A female will usually release an egg from an ovary roughly every 28 days.
What is this process called?
(1 mark)
(b) (i) In what part of the female reproductive system
does fertilisation usually take place?
(1 mark)
(ii) Underline the correct definition of fertilisation in the list below:
When an egg cell is released from the ovary
When the egg and sperm meet
When the nuclei of the egg and sperm join
When the egg and sperm attach to the uterus wall
(1 mark)
(c) After how many weeks of pregnancy is a human baby
considered to be ‘fully developed’?
(1 mark)

Section — Humans as Organisms

50
Practice Questions

2 (a) Five parts of the human male reproductive system are named in the table below.
Using the diagram, write the letter for each part next to its name.

A
B

D
E

name of organ letter

sperm duct

glands

erectile tissue

scrotum

testis

(5 marks)
(b) What is the name of the substance ejaculated from the penis
during sexual intercourse?
(1 mark)

3 Alcohol is one type of legal drug.

(a) Name one other type of legal drug.
(1 mark)
(b) Why does drinking alcohol slow down a person’s reactions?
(1 mark)
(c) Write down two organs in the body that can be damaged by drinking alcohol.
(2 marks)
(d) Alcohol is a depressant. Name one other type of drug that is a depressant.
(1 mark)

Section — Humans as Organisms

 51
Revision Summary for Section Three
Well, that’s the end of Section Two. Now what you've got to do is make sure you learn it all. And here
again for your enjoyment are some more of those splendid questions. Remember, you have to keep
coming back to these questions time and time again, to see how many of them you can do. All they
do is test the basic simple facts. OK then — let's see how much you've learnt so far...

1) Name all five nutrients in a balanced diet. Say what each nutrient is important for in the body. 
2) For each of the five nutrients, give three examples of foods that contain them. 
3) Apart from the five nutrients, give two things that are needed
in a balanced diet and explain why they’re needed. 
4) What is obesity? How is it caused? 
5) What health problems can be caused by getting too little food? 
6) Give two things that affect how much energy a person needs each day. 
7)* Sonia has a body mass of 54 kg. What is her daily basic energy requirement? 
8) Name eight main bits of the alimentary canal. Say what goes on in each of the eight bits. 
9) Why can't big molecules pass through gut walls? What has to happen to them first? 
1 0) What are villi? What is their function (job) and how are they well-suited to do it? 
1 1 ) Give four reasons why the bacteria found naturally in your digestive system are good news. 
1 2) Explain how the skeleton protects parts of the body. 
1 3) What are antagonistic muscles? 
1 4) Explain in terms of "muscle contraction" how you can move your arm up and down. 
1 5) What is a moment? What two pieces of information do you need to be able to calculate one? 
1 6) Sketch the human gas exchange system and label all the important structures. 
1 7) What gases are exchanged in the lungs when air is breathed in?
Where does each gas move from and to? 
1 8) Give three ways in which the lungs are well-adapted for gas exchange. 
1 9) Explain how we breathe air in and out. 
20) How can lung volume be measured? 
21 ) What happens in the gas exchange system when someone has an asthma attack? 
22) What are the symptoms of an asthma attack? 
23) Give two ways in which smoking affects the gas exchange system. 
24) What are the human female sex cells called? Where are they made? 
25) Outline the four main stages of the menstrual cycle and say when they happen. 
26) In human reproduction, what is meant by implantation? 
27) Describe what an embryo looks like at:
1 month, 9 weeks, 3 months, 5 months, 7 months, 39 weeks. 
28) What does being ‘healthy’ mean? 
29) What are drugs? Name three legal drugs and three illegal drugs. 
30) Name one recreational drug and explain how it affects life processes. 

* Section — Humans as Organisms