Transport in Animals

20 Grade 10 Biology questions on Transport in Animals, with worked marking schemes. 20 questions are available on this topic in full.

1. Question 1

   1 mark

   Which sequence correctly traces a drop of blood in a human from the moment it enters the heart from the lungs to the moment it leaves the heart for the body?

   A. Left atrium, right ventricle, aorta

   B. Left atrium, left ventricle, aorta

   C. Right atrium, right ventricle, pulmonary artery

   D. Right atrium, left ventricle, pulmonary vein

   (1 mark)

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2. Question 2

   2 marks

   State two functions of blood plasma other than the transport of oxygen.

   (2 marks)

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3. Question 3

   5 marks

   Describe how oxygen is transported from the lungs to a muscle cell in the leg of a learner running during a school sports day.

   (5 marks)

   Marking scheme

   1 mark each, maximum 5: 1. Oxygen diffuses from the alveoli into the blood in the lung capillaries. 2. It combines with haemoglobin in red blood cells to form oxyhaemoglobin. 3. Blood is carried by the pulmonary vein to the left atrium, then the left ventricle. 4. The left ventricle pumps the blood into the aorta and on through arteries and arterioles to the leg. 5. In the leg capillaries the oxygen concentration is low (and carbon dioxide from respiration is high), so oxyhaemoglobin breaks down and releases oxygen. 6. Oxygen diffuses out of the capillary, through the tissue fluid, into the muscle cell down a concentration gradient. Award any five of the six points.

4. Question 4

   4 marks

   Distinguish between an artery and a vein with reference to wall thickness, lumen size, presence of valves and direction of blood flow.

   (4 marks)

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5. Question 5

   1 mark

   A nurse at a dispensary in Kitui explains that a patient with blood group O can donate red cells to patients of other ABO groups. This is possible because group O red cells:

   A. Carry both anti-A and anti-B antibodies on their surface

   B. Carry neither A nor B antigens on their surface

   C. Are too small to be attacked by the recipient's antibodies

   D. Carry both A and B antigens, which match every recipient

   (1 mark)

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6. Question 6

   1 mark

   Capillaries are described as being well adapted for exchange of materials between blood and body cells. The adaptation MOST directly responsible for rapid diffusion across the capillary is that the capillary:

   A. Has a wall one cell thick, giving a very short diffusion distance

   B. Has a thick muscular wall that squeezes substances out

   C. Carries blood at the highest pressure found anywhere in the body

   D. Has valves along its length that direct substances into cells

   (1 mark)

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7. Question 7

   3 marks

   Suggest why a patient who has lost a large volume of blood in a road accident must be given blood of a compatible group rather than blood from any donor.

   (3 marks)

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8. Question 8

   1 mark

   A tilapia in a fish pond in Kirinyaga has a single circulation, while a cow grazing beside the pond has a double circulation. The main advantage of double circulation to the cow is that:

   A. Oxygenated and deoxygenated blood are kept separate and blood reaches body tissues at high pressure

   B. Blood can carry carbon dioxide and oxygen in the same red blood cell at once

   C. The cow needs less oxygen than the fish because it lives on land

   D. Blood passes through the heart only once, which saves energy

   (1 mark)

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9. Question 9

   1 mark

   Blood leaving the left ventricle of a goat passes through the aorta. Compared with the wall of the vena cava, the wall of the aorta is:

   A. Thicker and more elastic, because it withstands and smooths out high pressure surges

   B. Thicker but non-elastic, because valves inside it prevent backflow

   C. Similar in thickness, because all blood vessels carry the same volume of blood

   D. Thinner, because blood is moving away from the heart and has lost pressure

   (1 mark)

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10. Question 10

    4 marks

    A family moves from Mombasa, which is at sea level, to a high-altitude town such as Nyahururu. After several weeks each member is found to have a higher red blood cell count than before. Explain this change.

    (4 marks)

    Marking scheme

    1 mark each: 1. Air at high altitude contains less oxygen than air at sea level (the air is thinner). 2. Less oxygen therefore diffuses into the blood and combines with haemoglobin, so the body cells receive less oxygen than they need. 3. The red bone marrow responds by producing more red blood cells. 4. More red blood cells mean more haemoglobin, so a given volume of blood carries more oxygen and the demand of the tissues is once again met. Credit also: a faster breathing rate and heart rate in the first few days, which increases the oxygen taken in and the rate at which blood is circulated (alternative to point 3).

11. Question 11

    1 mark

    During a games lesson, a learner's calf muscles squeeze the veins in the legs. Semilunar valves in these veins ensure that:

    A. Blood pressure in the veins rises to match arterial pressure

    B. Blood flows in one direction only, towards the heart

    C. Oxygen is prevented from leaving the blood too early

    D. Blood is pumped with greater force than in arteries

    (1 mark)

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12. Question 12

    1 mark

    A learner traces the path taken by glucose that has been absorbed from the small intestine after a school lunch. Which blood vessel carries this glucose directly from the small intestine to the liver?

    A. Hepatic vein

    B. Hepatic artery

    C. Renal vein

    D. Hepatic portal vein

    (1 mark)

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13. Question 13

    5 marks

    Identify the lymphatic system's role in the body and state two ways in which lymph vessels differ from blood capillaries.

    (5 marks)

    Marking scheme

    Role — any THREE, 1 mark each (maximum 3): 1. Returns excess tissue fluid from the tissues back to the blood circulation. 2. Absorbs and transports digested fats from the villi of the small intestine (lacteals). 3. Produces and houses lymphocytes and filters micro-organisms at the lymph nodes, contributing to defence against disease. Differences — any TWO, 1 mark each (maximum 2): 4. Lymph vessels begin as blind-ended tubes in the tissues, while blood capillaries form a continuous network linking arterioles to venules. 5. Lymph vessels contain valves and carry fluid in one direction only, towards the neck veins; blood capillaries have no valves. 6. Lymph flows slowly under low pressure, moved by body and muscle movement rather than by the pumping of the heart, while blood in capillaries is driven by heart pressure. 7. Lymph vessel walls are made of several layers of cells, while a blood capillary wall is only one cell thick.

14. Question 14

    1 mark

    A learner is told that lymph is formed from tissue fluid. Which ONE feature distinguishes lymph from blood plasma?

    A. Lymph contains no water whereas plasma is mostly water

    B. Lymph lacks red blood cells and large plasma proteins

    C. Lymph flows inside arteries whereas plasma flows inside veins

    D. Lymph carries no white blood cells at all

    (1 mark)

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15. Question 15

    1 mark

    A Grade 10 learner examines a sample of human blood and notes that one cell type is biconcave and lacks a nucleus. Which statement best explains why this cell has no nucleus?

    A. It creates more space for haemoglobin and improves oxygen-carrying capacity

    B. It enables the cell to engulf bacteria more efficiently

    C. It makes the cell lighter so it floats on top of the plasma

    D. It allows the cell to divide faster so red cells are replaced quickly

    (1 mark)

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16. Question 16

    1 mark

    A farmer in Naivasha is told her dairy cow has anaemia. Which observation would MOST directly support this diagnosis?

    A. The cow's blood has a reduced haemoglobin content

    B. The cow's blood clots more slowly than normal after a cut

    C. The cow has an unusually high number of white blood cells

    D. The cow's plasma contains fewer antibodies than normal

    (1 mark)

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17. Question 17

    4 marks

    A herder in Marsabit notices that a cut on his camel stops bleeding within a few minutes. Describe the process by which the bleeding stops.

    (4 marks)

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18. Question 18

    3 marks

    Account for the fact that blood flows in one direction only through the mammalian heart.

    (3 marks)

    Marking scheme

    1 mark each: 1. Atrioventricular valves (tricuspid and bicuspid) close when the ventricles contract, preventing backflow of blood into the atria. 2. Semilunar valves at the base of the aorta and pulmonary artery close when the ventricles relax, preventing backflow from the arteries into the ventricles. 3. Valves are shaped and anchored (by tendons in the case of the atrioventricular valves) so that they open in one direction only, in response to the pressure difference across them. Credit also: the atria contract before the ventricles, setting up a pressure gradient that drives blood forward (alternative to point 3).

19. Question 19

    3 marks

    Explain why the wall of the left ventricle is thicker than the wall of the right ventricle in a mammal.

    (3 marks)

    Marking scheme

    1 mark each: 1. The left ventricle pumps blood to the whole body (systemic circulation), while the right ventricle pumps only to the lungs, a much shorter distance. 2. A greater force/pressure is therefore needed from the left ventricle to overcome the resistance of the long systemic vessels. 3. The thicker cardiac muscle allows a more powerful contraction to generate that higher pressure. Credit also: the thinner right ventricle wall prevents damage to delicate lung capillaries by excessive pressure (alternative to point 3).

20. Question 20

    3 marks

    State three structural adaptations of a red blood cell that suit it for the transport of oxygen.

    (3 marks)

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