3/25/25, 5:32 AQA GCSE Biology Paper 2 |
PM
AQA GCSE BIOLOGY PAPER 2 EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS VERIFIED LATEST RELEASE 2025
Terms in this set (280)
What is homeostasis? The maintenance of a constant internal environment.
A change in your environment than requires a response. e.g Light, sound, touch,
What is a stimulus?
pressure, pain, chemical or temperature.
What do the receptors do? Detect the stimulus or change in environment.
What happens after the receptors? Receptors send messages to the CNS via the sensory neurone.
The brain or spinal cord
What makes up the central nervous
system?
Muscles or glands that bring about a response.
What is an effector?
What do the muscles and glands do in Muscles contract and glands secrete chemical substances(hormones).
response to stimuli?
A neurone that carry information from the
receptors to the CNS.
What is a sensory neurone?
What is a relay neurone? Neurones that carry impulses from the sensory neurone to the motor neurone.
Neurones that carry information from the CNS to
the effectors.
What is a motor neurone?
What is the nervous system? It is a system that allows you to react to your surroundings.
The chemical or neurotransmitter diffuses across
the synapse and binds to a complementary
How do signals travel across a synapse? receptor on the neurone (postsynaptic). This
causes an electrical impulse to travel down the
next neurone.
A gap between two neurones.
What is a synapse?
Near the hypothalamus, monitors the temperature
What is the thermoregulatory centre of the of blood.
brain?
1/
8
, 3/25/25, 5:32 AQA GCSE Biology Paper 2 |
PM
Stimulus->Receptor->sensory neurone->CNS (relay
neurone) -> motor neurone -> effector -> response
Describe the stages in a reflex arc.
Hairs lie flat, sweat and blood vessels get
Name responses that reduce body wider(vasodilation)
temperature.
The blood vessels supplying the skin dilate (widen). This helps to transfer energy to
What happens during vasodilation?
the environment.
Name responses that increase body Hairs stand up, no sweat, shivering and blood vessels constrict(vasoconstriction)
temperature.
What happens during vasoconstriction? The blood vessels supplying the skin constrict to close off the skins blood supply.
What is the body's core temp? 37 degrees Celsius
Chemical messengers that travel in the blood to
target organs.
What are hormones?
Nervous is faster acting than the endocrine system.
Compare and Contrast the endocrine
Hormones have longer lasting effects compared to electrical impulses. Nerves act
(hormone) system and the nervous system.
on a very specific area whereas hormones act more general.
Produces thyroxine which is involved in regulating
metabolism.
What does the thyroid gland do?
Produce adrenaline which is used to prepare the
body for fight or flight.
What do the adrenal glands do?
Produces glucagon and insulin which are involved
in regulating glucose levels in the blood.
What is the role of the pancreas?
Name the hormone that is released if Insulin
blood sugar is too high.
It makes the liver convert glucose into glycogen.
This causes blood glucose levels to decrease.
What does insulin do?
Name the hormone that is released if Glucagon
blood sugar is too low.
What does glucagon do? HINT It makes the liver convert glycogen to glucose. This causes the blood glucose level
GLU- COSE-GONE to increase.
When the pancreas produces little or no insulin.
What is type I diabetes?
2/
8
PM
AQA GCSE BIOLOGY PAPER 2 EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS VERIFIED LATEST RELEASE 2025
Terms in this set (280)
What is homeostasis? The maintenance of a constant internal environment.
A change in your environment than requires a response. e.g Light, sound, touch,
What is a stimulus?
pressure, pain, chemical or temperature.
What do the receptors do? Detect the stimulus or change in environment.
What happens after the receptors? Receptors send messages to the CNS via the sensory neurone.
The brain or spinal cord
What makes up the central nervous
system?
Muscles or glands that bring about a response.
What is an effector?
What do the muscles and glands do in Muscles contract and glands secrete chemical substances(hormones).
response to stimuli?
A neurone that carry information from the
receptors to the CNS.
What is a sensory neurone?
What is a relay neurone? Neurones that carry impulses from the sensory neurone to the motor neurone.
Neurones that carry information from the CNS to
the effectors.
What is a motor neurone?
What is the nervous system? It is a system that allows you to react to your surroundings.
The chemical or neurotransmitter diffuses across
the synapse and binds to a complementary
How do signals travel across a synapse? receptor on the neurone (postsynaptic). This
causes an electrical impulse to travel down the
next neurone.
A gap between two neurones.
What is a synapse?
Near the hypothalamus, monitors the temperature
What is the thermoregulatory centre of the of blood.
brain?
1/
8
, 3/25/25, 5:32 AQA GCSE Biology Paper 2 |
PM
Stimulus->Receptor->sensory neurone->CNS (relay
neurone) -> motor neurone -> effector -> response
Describe the stages in a reflex arc.
Hairs lie flat, sweat and blood vessels get
Name responses that reduce body wider(vasodilation)
temperature.
The blood vessels supplying the skin dilate (widen). This helps to transfer energy to
What happens during vasodilation?
the environment.
Name responses that increase body Hairs stand up, no sweat, shivering and blood vessels constrict(vasoconstriction)
temperature.
What happens during vasoconstriction? The blood vessels supplying the skin constrict to close off the skins blood supply.
What is the body's core temp? 37 degrees Celsius
Chemical messengers that travel in the blood to
target organs.
What are hormones?
Nervous is faster acting than the endocrine system.
Compare and Contrast the endocrine
Hormones have longer lasting effects compared to electrical impulses. Nerves act
(hormone) system and the nervous system.
on a very specific area whereas hormones act more general.
Produces thyroxine which is involved in regulating
metabolism.
What does the thyroid gland do?
Produce adrenaline which is used to prepare the
body for fight or flight.
What do the adrenal glands do?
Produces glucagon and insulin which are involved
in regulating glucose levels in the blood.
What is the role of the pancreas?
Name the hormone that is released if Insulin
blood sugar is too high.
It makes the liver convert glucose into glycogen.
This causes blood glucose levels to decrease.
What does insulin do?
Name the hormone that is released if Glucagon
blood sugar is too low.
What does glucagon do? HINT It makes the liver convert glycogen to glucose. This causes the blood glucose level
GLU- COSE-GONE to increase.
When the pancreas produces little or no insulin.
What is type I diabetes?
2/
8
