Cambridge Past Paper Questions
Browse 23,045questions from 25 years of O-Level & A-Level exams. Click any question to practice.
Which statement explains why sucrose, rather than glucose, is transported by phloem?
The diagrams show transverse sections of parts of a plant. [Figure 27.1] In the transverse sections, what do 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 represent?
Why does the number of red blood cells in a human increase after several weeks at high altitude?
The graph shows the pressure changes in the left atrium, left ventricle and aorta during one cardiac cycle. [Figure 30.1] With reference to the sem...
Normal venous pressure in the feet is 3.3 kPa. When a person stands very still venous blood pressure in the feet rises to 5.0 kPa. What causes the ...
Some people find it difficult to breath out large volumes of air from their lungs. Their breathing is noisy and rapid. Which disease are they likel...
Which of the following can result in heart failure? 1 increase in blood pressure 2 deposits of fatty material in arteries and veins 3 reduced oxyge...
An adult human has approximately 5 dm³ of blood, which circulates about once a minute. 100 cm³ of arterial blood carries 19 cm³ of oxygen. 100 cm³ ...
Which of the following increases the risk of contracting measles? 1 drinking unpasteurised milk 2 eating shellfish which have fed on raw sewage 3 l...
The graph shows the primary and secondary responses of the immune system to antigens. [Figure 37.1] What are responses X and Y?
A primary consumer, X, is removed from a community due to a lethal viral infection. After a time, the size of the populations of some of the organi...
The diagram shows a simplified nitrogen cycle. [Figure 39.1] During which stage does nitrification take place?
The total rate at which producers synthesise organic material is called gross primary productivity (GPP). The rate at which producers store organic...
Which structure is measured in the units shown using a light microscope? [Figure 1.1]
A student studied two photographs, at the same magnification, of a palisade mesophyll cell, one using a light microscope and the other using an ele...
A piece of mammalian tissue was homogenised and centrifuged. The biochemical a subcellular fractions was investigated. Which diagram indicates the ...
Which row shows features of a typical eukaryotic cell? [Figure 4.1]
Many single-celled animals, living in fresh water, possess vacuoles which contract regularly, expelling excess water. Why do the cells of plants li...
Which shows β-glucose? [Figure 6.1]
Which row is correct when one molecule of sucrose is hydrolysed? [Figure 7.1]
The formation of glycosidic and peptide bonds is responsible for polymerisation of biological molecules. Which bonds are found in which molecules? ...
The diagrams show the structures of two amino acids, each of which has more than one amine (-NH2) group. [Figure 9.1] A peptide bond is formed betw...
Which explains why haemoglobin is able to carry oxygen?
Which is correct for a non-competitive inhibitor of enzyme action? 1 Increasing the concentration of the enzyme's substrate will reduce its effect....
Which is correct for components of a cell surface membrane? [Figure 13.1]
A method called freeze-fracture can be used to study the structure of cell membranes. The membrane is frozen and then split down the middle, separa...
Which statements are descriptions of both facilitated diffusion and active transport? 1 moves substances against a concentration gradient 2 require...
Which statement about the fluid mosaic model of membrane structure is correct?
Which statements about cancer are correct? 1 Exposure to UV light from the sun always causes skin cancer. 2 Some viruses can cause cancer. 3 The mu...
The diagram represents the life cycle of a sexually reproducing animal. [Figure 18.1] Which row correctly identifies meiosis and mitosis?
Which feature of a plant cell is an adaptation for water uptake from the soil solution?
A student used a potometer to measure the rate of water loss from a plant by transpiration. The internal diameter of the capillary tube and the dis...
Which feature of xylem vessel elements helps the cohesion of water?
What determines the rate of water movement from the roots to the leaves?
The graph represents data on blood vessels and blood flow. [Figure 27.1] Which row correctly identifies the curves?
What occurs during ventricular systole in a mammalian heart? 1 aortic pressure increases 2 atrial pressure does not change 3 ventricular pressure i...
The diagram shows a defect in the walls between the atria. [Figure 29.1] What effect would this defect have on the blood circulatory system?
Which will not be formed in the plasma in capillaries surrounding active tissue?
Goblet cells are found in the trachea. Which organelles would be found in large numbers in a goblet cell? 1 lysosomes 2 mitochondria 3 rough endopl...
Which tissues are present in a bronchus? [Figure 32.1]
Which statements are correct effects of tar in tobacco smoke on the human gas exchange system? [Figure 33.1]
The diagram shows the relationship between cholera, measles and TB. [Figure 34.1] Which is correct?
New-born babies have natural passive immunity. What is the correct explanation for this? [Figure 35.1]
Which is a correct description of different types of immunity? [Figure 36.1]
The World Health Organization (WHO) set a target to eradicate polio, using vaccines, by the year 2000. However, cases are still being reported in s...
The graph shows the annual changes of the following factors in a lake. intensity of light per day numbers of producers numbers of primary consumers...
Which events can occur in the nitrogen cycle? 1 Inorganic nitrogen in the atmosphere undergoes denitrification by specific prokaryotes. 2 Nitrate c...
Two different ecosystems of the same size, X and Y, were compared. Both ecosystems were in the same climate. The results of the comparison are show...
Which combination of lenses for a light microscope will give the greatest magnification?
Which steps are needed to find the actual width of a xylem vessel viewed in transverse section using a ×10 objective lens? 1 Convert from mm to µm ...