D3.
3 Homeostasis
1. Identify the line in the table below which gives the correct responses of the skin to a drop in
environmental temperature. (RV-2025-SL-Paper 1)
Sweat glands Arterioles Erector pili muscles
A. Increase sweat production Vasodilation Relax
B. Decrease sweat
Vasoconstriction Contract
production
C. Increase sweat production Vasoconstriction Relax
D. Decrease sweat
Vasodilation Contract
production
2. Which row is correct for insulin? (RV-2025-SL-Paper 1)
Stimulated by: Secreted by:
A. High blood glucose concentration Beta cells
B. High blood glucose concentration Alpha cells
C. Low blood glucose concentration Beta cells
D. Low blood glucose concentration Alpha cells
3. Which row is correct for glucagon?(RV-2025-SL-Paper 1)
Stimulated by: Secreted by:
A. High blood glucose concentration Beta cells
B. High blood glucose concentration Alpha cells
C. Low blood glucose concentration Beta cells
D. Low blood glucose concentration Alpha cells
4. How would the body respond to a rise above normal body temperature? (2025-HL-Paper
1-P30)
Type of feedback negative Response
A. positive increased secretion from sweat glands
B. positive spread limbs to increase surface area
C. negative vasodilation of skin blood vessels
D. negative shivering
5. Arterioles in the skin contain muscle fibres which contract. What is the function of these
fibres?
A. To move capillaries further from the skin when the body is too cold
B. To reduce blood flow to the skin when the body is too cold
C. To move capillaries closer to the skin when the body is too warm
D. To increase blood flow to the skin when the body is too warm
6. Which of the following best defines homeostasis?
A. The body’s ability to respond to external changes
B. The maintenance of internal conditions within narrow limits
C. The process of changing external conditions to match internal conditions
D. The tendency of organisms to reproduce
7. The graph shows small fluctuations in human body temperature over a period of a few
hours. What type of feedback control could cause the changes at the points marked X and Y?
X Y
A. Negative feedback Positive feedback
B. Positive feedback Negative feedback
C. Negative feedback Negative feedback
D. Positive feedback Positive feedback
8. Define homeostasis and list three examples of variables maintained by homeostasis in [3]
humans.
9. Explain how negative feedback loops maintain homeostasis and compare the [5]
consequences of negative and positive feedback.
10. Describe how the body regulates blood glucose levels in response to rising and [5]
falling concentrations, including the roles of insulin, glucagon, and pancreatic cells.
11. Biological systems are sensitive to temperature changes, so they have mechanisms to
resist temperature changes. (2025-SL-Paper 2-Q8)
(a) Explain the mechanisms involved in thermoregulation in humans. [7]
(b) Explain the relationship between temperature and the activity of enzymes. [4]
12. Tuberculosis (TB) is an airborne infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium
tuberculosis, and it infects about 10 million people each year. The research was carried out in
Peru to see if diabetes increases TB infection. 112 TB patients were investigated, 17 of which
had diabetes and 33 had pre-diabetes can affect the incidence of TB. During the research,
smear microscopy tests were carried out to investigate the bacterial load of each patient, and
the results of these are shown below. The smear results are rated negative (no bacteria
detected), scanty/1+ (very low bacterial load), 2+ (medium bacterial load), and 3+ (high
bacterial load)
1. Calculate the difference in percentage between the incidence of 3+ smears in patients
who only have TB and in patients that are diabetic. [1]
2. Describe the pattern shown in this graph.
[2]
3. Deduce from these results whether there is a link between diabetes and TB infections,
and discuss the evidence supporting your conclusion. [3]
Smoking can also cause an increase in TB. Research into the combined effect of smoking and
diabetes was carried out in Taiwan. Groups of patients were split into diabetic smokers,
diabetic non-smokers, non-diabetic smokers and non-diabetic non-smokers in 3 regions of
Taiwan. The results of 972 TB patients are shown below, 581 with diabetes and 628 without
diabetes. 649 of them were non-smokers and 323 were smokers. Clinical records were used
to record the gender, age and result of the pre-treatment smear (negative, scanty, 1+, 2+, 3+,
4+). The results are shown below.
4. Compare and contrast the results from the first research with the data for the
non-smoking groups in the graph provided above. [2]
5. Suggest the importance of knowing the mean precent (%) of the population that has
diabetes and mean % of the population that are smokers in Taiwan, when investigating if [2]
diabetes and smoking increase the risk of TB infection.
6. Evaluate the evidence provided by the data in the two graphs and table to support the
hypothesis that diabetics who smoke have an increased risk of TB infection. [3]
7. From 2000 to 2008, there has been an overall increase in the cases of type II diabetes in
Taiwan.
(a) Distinguish between type I and type II diabetes.
[1]
(b) State one factor that may cause this increase in the incidence of type II diabetes.
[1]
13. The glucose tolerance test is a method used to diagnose diabetes. In this test, the patient
drinks a concentrated glucose solution. The blood glucose concentration is monitored to
determine the length of time required for excess glucose to be cleared from the blood. When
displayed on a graph, the results are known as a blood glucose response curve.
1. With reference to Figure 6, distinguish between the person with diabetes and the person
with normal glucose metabolism with respect to:
(a) the concentration of glucose at time zero (before the consumption of the glucose
drink) [1]
(b) the length of time required to return to the level at time zero
[1]
(c) the maximum glucose level reached. [1]
(d) the time before glucose levels start to fall. [1]
2. A fasting blood sugar test measures blood glucose aer an overnight fast (not eating). [1]
Predict, with a reason, whether a person with diabetes would have lower or higher than
normal blood glucose in a fasting blood glucose test.
14. The graph shows the mean blood glucose levels in a study of 300 people, 10 minutes after
eating a meal and 3 hours after eating a meal. Of the 300 people studied, 100 people were
non-diabetic, 100 people had untreated Type 1 diabetes and 100 people had untreated Type 2
diabetes. (2023-RV-SL-Paper 2)
(a) Compare and contrast the blood glucose levels of people without diabetes and those [2]
with diabetes.
(b) Suggest one variable, other than those already mentioned in the question, that needs
to be controlled to make this study valid. [1]
(c) Predict how the mean blood glucose concentration after 3 hours would change if the
Type 1 diabetics were injected with insulin 15 minutes after eating. [1]
(d) Explain the effect of insulin on blood glucose levels. [1]
(e) State the name of the cells that make and secrete insulin. [1]
(f) Calculate the percentage change between the blood glucose concentration of people [1]
with Type 2 diabetes 10 minutes after eating a meal and 3 hours after eating a meal.
(g) Explain why Type 2 diabetics have a lower blood glucose concentration 3 hours after
eating a meal, compared to Type 1 diabetics. [2]
