This free quiz has all 15 multiple choice questions from Section A of the OCR A Level Biology A Biological Processes paper (H420/01), November 2021. It marks itself, so you get your score as soon as you finish.
What the multiple choice section covers
Functions of the liver and the control of blood glucose (5.1.2, 5.1.4)
The route of exported proteins and adaptations of specialised cells (2.1.1, 2.1.6)
How enzymes work and control of metabolic pathways (2.1.4)
Neurones, action potentials and nervous transmission (5.1.3)
Organisation of the nervous system (5.1.5)
Monoclonal antibodies in pregnancy tests (5.1.2)
Coenzymes in respiration and using a respirometer (5.2.2)
The symplast pathway for water across the root (3.1.3)
How to use it
Section A is worth 15 of the 100 marks in a 2 hour 15 minute paper, so aim to finish it in about 20 minutes and keep the rest of the time for the written questions. The examiners noted that success on the statement-style questions depended on reading every statement carefully and applying knowledge to it. Paper 1 tests modules 1, 2, 3 and 5, so expect Year 12 and Year 13 content side by side.
Where students lost marks on this paper (from the OCR examiners' report and mark scheme)
These points cover the whole paper, not just the multiple choice section. Each is followed by wording that gained marks.
Glucose instead of sucrose: Many candidates described glucose moving through the phloem, a common misconception in the translocation question.
✔ Gains credit: correct terminology for mass flow, including sucrose being loaded into the phloem at the source and unloaded at the sink.
Reading tissue micrographs: Identifying structures in the light micrographs of pancreas and liver was not well answered, and the examiners saw this as a sign of weaker practical skills.
✔ Gains credit: recognising the islets of Langerhans and blood vessels in pancreatic tissue, and hepatocytes and the central vein in a liver section.
Cell walls in animal tissue: The mark scheme did not accept 'thin cell wall' when explaining how the cells lining a liver blood vessel are adapted.
✔ Gains credit: thin, flat cells giving a short diffusion distance, or fenestrations (gaps) that increase permeability.
Imprecise anatomical terms: The mark scheme did not accept 'sinoarterial', 'tricuspid' for the valve between the left atrium and left ventricle, or 'spine' for the spinal cord.
✔ Gains credit: sinoatrial node (SAN), bicuspid, mitral or left atrioventricular valve, and spinal cord for the route of a spinal reflex.
Choosing the right t-test: The mark scheme did not accept a paired t-test for comparing two independent groups of cells.
✔ Gains credit: an unpaired t-test because two means are being compared, with the conclusion stated as a less than 0.1% probability that the difference between the means is due to chance.
Calcium ions and insulin release: The mark scheme did not accept 'vesicles not secreted' when explaining how blocking calcium channels inhibits insulin secretion.
✔ Gains credit: calcium ions cannot enter the beta cells, so fewer vesicles move to and fuse with the cell surface membrane, meaning less exocytosis of insulin.
Converting units in a rate: The calculation of a transpiration rate per unit leaf area was not well answered.
✔ Gains credit: converting mm³ per minute to cm³ per hour (multiply by 60, divide by 1000), dividing by the leaf area, and giving the answer in standard form to 2 significant figures.
Keep practising
Try the multiple choice sections of the November 2021 AS paper and November 2021 Biological Diversity paper, or practise by topic with the Transport in Animals, Plant and Animal Responses, Photosynthesis, Enzymes quizzes. You can also browse all our OCR A Level Biology quizzes. Our OCR A masterclasses (Year 12 on Wednesdays at 5.15pm, Year 13 on Tuesdays at 6.30pm) work through real exam questions on one topic each week.
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