GCSE Biology for You, Fifth Edition

Answers to end-of-chapter questions

Humans as organisms
    
Chapter 10  Disease
It is very important that you are able to answer the questions on your own, using your own knowledge
of Biology. Have a go at the questions first, and then check your answers using this page. If you get a
question wrong, try to work out where you have made an error.
1 Microbes/microorganisms, viruses, fungi/protists, incubation, toxins, sterile, disinfectant, antiseptic,
mucus, pathogens/microbes, cilia.
2 a) To prevent contaminating food with pathogens.
b) To prevent the spread of pathogens on the towel.
c) To remove any pathogens that might be on your hands.
d) The dog may have pathogens in its saliva.
3 a) When you have the antibodies present in your body to prevent you catching a certain disease.
b) When you catch a disease your body makes chemicals called antibodies, these attack chemicals on the
surface of pathogens called antigens. The antibodies stay your blood and make you immune.
c) A vaccine is an antigen that has been treated to make it relatively harmless.
d) Small quantities of the vaccine are introduced into the person’s body. This stimulates the production of
antibodies as if the person has been infected by the disease and gives them immunity.
4 a) Microorganisms/microbes
b) The straight glass tube in X allowed microbes to enter the sterile milk from the air and cause decay.
Microbes get stuck in the bend of the S-shaped glass tube in Y so the sterile milk did not decay.
c) The method used in Z kills most of the microbes and does not affect the flavour of the milk.
5 a) High temperature
b) 10 days. The numbers of bacteria inside the body were multiplying.
c) Fever was caused by toxins released by the bacteria. The fever lasted 7or 8 days.
6 a) A chemical produced by a microorganism which has the ability to inhibit or kill pathogens.
b) Alexander Fleming was growing bacteria on agar plates but left one of the plates open. A mould started
to grow on the surface. He noticed that the mould was stopping the bacteria from spreading. It seemed
to be making a substance that killed the bacteria. That substance was the antibiotic penicillin.
c) Some of the syphilis pathogens mutated and were able to produce an enzyme that broke down
penicillin. These syphilis pathogens could not be killed by penicillin so they increased in numbers and
the resistance spread.
7 Disease How spread
salmonella by the transfer of bacteria from contaminated food via hands,
utensils and work surfaces.
measles by airborne droplets
cholera by contaminated water supply and lack of proper sanitation
tuberculosis by airborne droplets
powdery mildew by wind spreading its spores in warm, humid weather
gonorrhoea during sexual intercourse
malaria by the bite of a female Anopheles mosquito
athlete’s foot by spores on wet surfaces, e.g. swimming pool changing areas

OUP GCSE Biology for You, Fifth Edition  © Williams Services Ltd, 2016 page 1 of 2
8 a) Penicillin
b) It killed all the bacteria in the tube in 4 hours.
c) Chloramphenicol
d) The bacteria in the tube were not killed but actually increased in numbers.
e) Antibiotics can stop the growth of bacteria and so halt their spread.

9 a) 1954
b) i)  40 000
ii)  5000
c) 12.5%

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