IB Biology SL D3.3 Homeostasis questions

Exam-style multiple choice and written questions with full markschemes. Check multiple choice answers straight away, or type, photograph or draw a written answer and get it marked.

Type
Multiple choiceWritten
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Question 1

Multiple choiceMedium1 mark

After a meal, a patient’s blood glucose remains high even though the pancreas releases a normal amount of insulin. Which option identifies the likely type of diabetes and its relevant physiological change?

Show answer and explanation

Answer: A. Type 2 diabetes involves reduced responsiveness of body cells to insulin. Insulin is being released, but its effect in lowering blood glucose is reduced, matching the pattern described.

B: identifies type 2 but substitutes insufficient insulin release for reduced cellular responsiveness; the case specifies normal release.
C: identifies reduced responsiveness but assigns it to type 1, which is associated with insufficient insulin production.
D: recalls insufficient insulin production in type 1, but that does not fit the normal insulin release in this case.

Remember: Type 1 involves insufficient insulin production; type 2 involves reduced responsiveness to insulin.

Question 2

Paper 2Hard16 marks

A healthy adult volunteer completed two separate 40-minute exposures in a climate chamber, one at 10°C and one at 34°C. Clothing and activity (seated) were the same in both exposures. Measurements and observations at the end of each exposure are shown.

Air temperature / °CCore temperature / °CSkin blood-flow index / arbitrary unitsSweat production / g h⁻¹Shivering
1037.0240observed
3437.172360not observed

A higher skin blood-flow index indicates greater blood flow near the skin.

(a)

Calculate the percentage increase in skin blood-flow index from 10°C to 34°C. State how core temperature changed.

[3]
(b)

Explain how vasoconstriction and shivering could help the volunteer at 10°C. State how hair erection could contribute to thermoregulation in humans.

[5]
(c)

In a separate 40-minute period at each temperature, the volunteer was free to act. At 10°C, the volunteer put on an insulated coat and moved into shelter. At 34°C, the volunteer moved into shade, removed an outer layer of clothing and rested. Core temperature at the end was 37.0°C at 10°C and 37.1°C at 34°C.

A research team concluded that these behavioural actions alone were sufficient to maintain core temperature, and that physiological responses were not important. Evaluate this conclusion using the table and the follow-up observations. Include physiological and behavioural responses, and one limitation of the evidence.

[8]

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