Syllabus Edition

First teaching 2023

First exams 2025

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Homeostasis (HL IB Biology)

Exam Questions

3 hours31 questions
1a
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1 mark

The diagram below shows some of the events that take place during the regulation of blood glucose.  

U0lTCNSq_1-2

Identify organ X.

1b
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2 marks

Insulin is released when organ X detects a rise in blood glucose levels.

Describe the effects of insulin that restore blood glucose to normal levels.

1c
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2 marks

When blood glucose levels fall after exercise organ X releases another hormone, hormone Y. 

(i)

Name hormone Y.

[1]

(ii)

State one mechanism by which hormone Y causes blood glucose levels to return to normal. 

[1]

1d
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2 marks

The table below shows some doctor’s notes for a patient with diabetes.

  Patient age:   9
  Patient symptoms:

  More thirsty than usual

  Increased urine production

  Weight loss

  Fatigue

  White blood cell activity:   High
  Suggested treatment:

  Monitoring blood glucose levels

  Insulin injections

Identify, with a reason, whether the patient is likely to have type I or type II diabetes.

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2
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4 marks

Compare and contrast type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

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3a
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3 marks

The names of six blood vessel types that carry blood in and around the kidney are shown below as A - F.

BzBbaMqH_renal-blood-vessels-word-cloud---sq

Place these blood vessels into the correct order through which blood passes during normal circulation. 

3b
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2 marks

State the relationship between the length of an organism's Loop of Henlé and the conditions that the organism lives in. 

3c
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2 marks

Certain species of animal that survive in very arid habitats can drink very little water. Instead, they derive much of their water intake from metabolic water.

Explain what metabolic water is.  

3d
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1 mark

State the name of the hormone that controls the level of water that is excreted via the kidney. 

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4a
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2 marks

Blood undergoes ultrafiltration in the kidney. 

Define ultrafiltration. 

4b
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2 marks

Outline the composition and role of the basement membrane in ultrafiltration. 

4c
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3 marks

Explain the ways in which the following adaptations of the proximal convoluted tubule (PCT) help the PCT to carry out its function. 

1. Microvilli on the inner surface  
2. Many mitochondria in epithelial cells  
3. Tightly-packed cells in the epithelium  

4d
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2 marks

Distinguish between the afferent and efferent arterioles in the kidney. 

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5a
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2 marks

Maintaining water levels in cells and tissues is an example of a negative feedback system. 

Define the term 'negative feedback'.

5b
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2 marks

The negative feedback mechanism of osmoregulation relies on the hormone ADH, antidiuretic hormone. 

Certain compounds, when in the blood, act as diuretics. Ethanol is one example. 

Use your knowledge of the action of ADH to suggest the effect of a diuretic drug such as ethanol. 

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6a
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6 marks

The drawing represents the human male urinary system. 

54tilYSh_male-urinary-system-to-label-sq

Identify structures A - F.

6b
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6 marks

Several substances are filtered out of blood in the mammalian kidney.

List those that are later selectively reabsorbed into the blood and those that are not. 

6c
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3 marks

Outline the main effects of dehydration on a human. 

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1a
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2 marks

Each year, a few people with type I diabetes are given a pancreas transplant. Pancreas transplants are not used to treat people with type II diabetes.

Give two reasons why pancreas transplants are not used for the treatment of type II diabetes.

1b
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2 marks

About 85% of people with type II diabetes are overweight or obese. Some people who are obese have gastric bypass surgery (GBS) to help them to lose weight.

Scientists investigated whether having GBS affects sensitivity to insulin. They measured patients’ sensitivity to insulin before and after GBS. Some of the patients had type II diabetes. The others did not but were considered to be at high risk of developing the condition.

The table below shows the scientists’ results. The higher the number, the greater the sensitivity to insulin.

 Patient type

Mean sensitivity to insulin / arbitrary units
∓ Standard Deviation (SD)
Before the gastric bypass After the gastric bypass
Does not have diabetes 0.89
∓ 0.29
1.35
∓0.90
Has type II diabetes 0.45
∓0.22
1.17
∓0.92

The scientists concluded that GBS cured many patients’ diabetes.

Use the data in the table to evaluate this conclusion.

1c
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2 marks

Some diabetic individuals do not produce insulin. In an experiment, a person with diabetes drank a sugary solution and then the glucose concentration in their blood was measured at regular intervals. The results are shown in the graph below.

mCwOzqqW_screenshot-2023-07-14-at-3-17-34-pm

Suggest two reasons why the concentration of glucose decreased after 60 minutes even though this person’s blood contained no insulin.

1d
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1 mark

The same experiment was repeated on a non-diabetic person. The glucose concentration in their blood prior to drinking the sugary solution was 75 mg per 100 cm3.

Sketch a curve on the graph in part (b) to show the results you would predict.

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2
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7 marks

Describe the role of the pancreas and associated hormones in the control of blood glucose concentration.

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3a3 marks

The image below shows a kidney nephron.

q2a_11-3_the_kidney_osmoregulation_medium_ib_hl_biology_sq

Identify the structures labelled A-C in the image.

3b2 marks

State, with a reason, one feature of structure A from the image in part a) which enables ultrafiltration to take place.

3c3 marks

Selective reabsorption takes place after ultrafiltration.

Describe the events of selective reabsorption.

3d3 marks

Draw a labelled cross-sectional diagram of a human kidney.

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4a2 marks

The graph below shows what happens to various components of the glomerular filtrate as they move through the different regions of an individual’s nephron.

q3a_11-3_the_kidney_osmoregulation_medium_ib_hl_biology_sq

Describe and explain the shape of the curve for glucose concentration.

4b2 marks

Explain the shapes of the curves for sodium ions and water in the graph in part a) as they travel through the first half of region 2 of the nephron. Note that region 2 in this graph is the loop of Henle.

4c3 marks

The image below shows cells lining the collecting duct. ADH released from the pituitary gland binds to the receptor proteins on the collecting duct cell surface membranes. This triggers vesicles containing aquaporins to bind with the plasma membrane next to the lumen. Note that aquaporins are channel proteins that enable the movement of water molecules.q3c_11-3_the_kidney_osmoregulation_medium_ib_hl_biology_sq

Explain how ADH increases the movement of water from the lumen of the collecting duct into the blood.

4d1 mark

Suggest why ADH only affects the cells lining the kidney nephron.

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5a2 marks

Outline the link between excretion of nitrogenous waste and water loss in mammals.

5b1 mark

The table below shows the maximum urine solute concentrations that can be achieved in different species of mammal. Seawater has been included for comparison.

 

Solute concentration / mEq L-1

Urine:blood plasma osmolarity ratio

Human urine

460

 

Brown rat urine

600

8:1

Kangaroo rat urine

1200

14:1

Seawater

600

N/A

Humans have a blood plasma concentration of roughly 120 mEq L-1.

Calculate the urine:blood plasma osmolarity ratio in humans.

5c3 marks

Use information from part b) and your own knowledge to explain how kangaroo rats are adapted for survival in a dry environment.

5d2 marks

A researcher wanted to investigate kangaroo rat kidneys. They fed the kangaroo rats on soybeans for several days to increase their thirst (kangaroo rats normally get all their water from their food), and then either gave the rats access to fresh water, seawater, or no water for the following 16 days, using weight over the experimental period as a measure of rat health. The results are shown in the graph below.q4d_11-3_the_kidney_osmoregulation_medium_ib_hl_biology_sq-png

Suggest, with a reason, one possible conclusion about the capabilities of kangaroo rat kidneys that can be drawn from the graph above.  Note that humans cannot drink seawater without becoming severely dehydrated.

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1a
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4 marks

A group of scientists wanted to investigate the control of blood glucose in mice. They fed one group of mice with a normal diet and another group with a ‘high fat’ diet containing a high level of both fat and sugar for three weeks beforehand. They then measured their blood glucose over a period of 2 hours directly after a meal. Their results are shown below.

1-5

Explain the change in blood glucose levels for the normal diet mice during the first 90 minutes after the meal.

1b
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2 marks

After the first 90 minutes, the normal diet mice show an increase in blood glucose despite no more food being eaten.

Explain why blood glucose increases despite no food being consumed.

1c
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2 marks

At the same time as measuring blood glucose the scientists in part a) also measured blood insulin levels. Their results are shown below.

2-2

With reference to the changes in insulin, suggest an explanation for the difference in the blood glucose changes between the two groups of mice shown in part a).

1d
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2 marks

After carrying out the investigation detailed in parts a) and c), the scientists gave the high fat diet mice supplements of a drug called a DDP-4 inhibitor in their drinking water. The effects of the functional DDP-4 enzyme in the body are shown below.

3

Suggest, with a reason, how the administration of DDP-4 inhibitors might affect the blood-glucose levels of the high fat diet mice.

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2a
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3 marks

Contrast the renal cortex and the renal medulla. 

2b
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2 marks

Nephrotic syndrome is a condition that causes the kidneys to leak large amounts of protein into the urine. This can lead to a variety of problems, including swelling of body tissues and an increased risk of catching infections. 

Suggest why research into cures for nephrotic syndrome are focused more on the components of the basement membrane than on those of the endothelial layer within a glomerular complex.

2c
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2 marks

A well-documented effect of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) is the increase in permeability of the distal convoluted tubules and collecting ducts to water, thereby allowing more water to be reabsorbed at times of low blood water content. 

There is also a secondary osmoregulatory effect of ADH; this takes place on arterioles.

Suggest what this effect is and give a reason for your suggestion. 

2d
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3 marks

The diagram shows a sequence of events involved in osmoregulation. 

JzCxFgO4_9dvkvz_i_adh-action-sq

Identify Molecule A, Process B and Molecules C.

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3a
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2 marks

One effect of an ageing population is the increase in deaths and health complications from dehydration in the elderly, many of whom lack a thirst response when partially dehydrated. 

A study was performed to examine the effect of ethanol ('alcohol') consumption on the urine output of a group of elderly men. 

Ethanol is a known diuretic.

Define the term diuretic and outline its mode of action. 

3b
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2 marks

In the study referred to in part a), a group of 20 elderly men (age range 65-75) were given the same diet and were optimally hydrated before the study. All the men consumed no alcohol for 48 hours prior to the experiment. At the beginning of the study,

  • one subgroup was given alcoholic beer, another non-alcoholic beer
  • one subgroup was given alcoholic wine, another non-alcoholic wine
  • one subgroup was given strong spirits, another plain water
  • for the men given alcoholic drinks, an equivalent volume of ethanol was consumed in each case
  • for the men given non-alcoholic drinks, the same volume was consumed as for their alcohol-containing counterparts

In each case, the men's average cumulative urine output was measured over the 4 hours following consumption of the drinks. The results are shown below.

alcohol-effect-on-urine-output-graph---sqalcohol-effect-on-urine-output-graph---sq

Calculate the percentage difference between the urine produced in the first hour by men drinking alcoholic beer versus those drinking alcoholic wine. 

3c
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6 marks

The researchers conducting the study concluded that drinking beer of any variety contributed more to dehydration than any other choice of drink. 

Evaluate this conclusion.

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4a
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2 marks

Organisms that live in a saltwater environment face extreme osmoregulatory challenges. 

Suggest why it is so difficult for marine mammals to maintain the correct osmotic balance in their blood.

4b
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3 marks

The table below contains information about several marine mammals and their osmoregulatory mechanisms. Humans have been added for comparison purposes, and seawater sodium concentration has also been included.

Organism

Habitat

Primary water source

Urine concentration

/ osmol dm-3

Na+ concentration

/ osmmol dm-3

Human

Terrestrial

Drinking fresh water

1 400

20

West Indian Manatee

River (but can survive in marine)

Diet/metabolism

1 158

31

Sea otter

Marine

Drinking seawater

2 130

505

Elephant seal

Marine

Diet/metabolism

1 850

297

Seawater

- - -

470

Suggest how sea otters are able to drink seawater and still maintain osmotic balance.

4c
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3 marks

Figure 1 shows a manatee.

Manatees are unusual marine mammals in that they can spend time in both saltwater and freshwater environments.

manateejpg

Figure 1

Research into osmoregulation in manatees shows that levels of a hormone called aldosterone change when the manatee’s environment changes. Aldosterone is known to activate a sodium transporter protein in the cells lining the nephron.

Suggest how the saltwater and freshwater environments might affect aldosterone levels and explain how this could help the manatee regulate its ion balance.

4d
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6 marks

The diagram below shows a human nephron and its associated blood supply.

etgz6suc-annotated-kidney-nephron2

Annotate the labels A - F shown to explain briefly the functions of the various parts of the nephron. 

Label Structure Annotation
A. Glomerulus  
B. Proximal convoluted tubule  
C. Peritubular capillaries  
D. Collecting duct  
E. Loop of Henle (descending limb)  
F. Loop of Henle (ascending limb)  

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5a2 marks

The glomerulus is a structure in the kidneys responsible for the process of ultrafiltration. Explain how ultrafiltration would be affected by severe dehydration. 

5b
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2 marks

An important role of the kidneys is the removal of urea from the blood. The amount of urea removed from the blood can be used as a measure of the rate of ultrafiltration, also known as the glomerular filtration rate (GFR).

An individual excreted 540 mg of urea from the blood over the course of 1 hour, and has a blood urea concentration of 0.01 mg cm-3 entering the kidneys. Use this information to calculate this person's GFR.

State your answer in cm3 min-1. 

5c4 marks

After ultrafiltration, the filtrate travels through the kidney nephron. The graph below shows what happens to various components of the glomerular filtrate as they move through the different regions of an individual’s nephron.

q3a_11-3_the_kidney_osmoregulation_medium_ib_hl_biology_sq

Describe and explain the shape of the curve for sodium ions and water as they travel through region 2 of the nephron as shown in the graph.

5d3 marks

Explain how the plotted line for water in region 4 of the graph in part (c) would look different if the ADH concentration in this individual's blood were to decrease. 

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