OCR GCSE Biology B (Twenty First Century)
OCR GCSE Biology B B5.3 How do hormones control responses in the human body? Exam Questions
Free OCR GCSE Biology B exam questions for B5.3 How do hormones control responses in the human body?, with a mark scheme for every pack. Covers the endocrine system, glands and hormones, comparing nervous and hormonal control, adrenaline, thyroxine, negative feedback and the pituitary gland.
B5.3 How do hormones control responses in the human body? exam questions
2 question packs of real past exam questions, each with its mark scheme. Do not stop after a few: answer as many as you can without notes, then mark every answer with the mark scheme. The more questions you do, the more quickly you will spot how examiners ask about each idea.
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About OCR GCSE Biology B B5.3 How do hormones control responses in the human body?
B5.3 explains how the endocrine system uses hormones carried in the blood to coordinate slower, longer-lasting responses than the nervous system. You need to name the main glands and their hormones, describe how hormones reach target organs, and compare hormonal and nervous control. Adrenaline in the fight or flight response and thyroxine controlled by negative feedback are key examples. The pituitary gland is often called the master gland because its hormones control other glands. This topic leads directly into homeostasis in B5.4 and reproductive hormones in B5.5. Examiners frequently test negative feedback loops and comparisons with nerves.
What you need to know
- Endocrine glands Glands secrete hormones directly into the blood. Key glands: pituitary, thyroid, adrenal glands, pancreas, ovaries and testes.
- Hormones Hormones are chemical messengers carried in the blood plasma to target organs, which have receptors for them.
- Nerves versus hormones Nervous responses are fast, short-lived and act on a precise area; hormonal responses are slower, longer-lasting and can act more widely.
- Pituitary gland The pituitary in the brain secretes hormones such as TSH and ADH, and FSH and LH, many of which stimulate other glands to release their hormones.
- Adrenaline Adrenaline from the adrenal glands increases heart rate and breathing rate and raises blood glucose, boosting oxygen and glucose supply to muscles in a fight or flight situation.
- Thyroxine and negative feedback Thyroxine from the thyroid controls metabolic rate. When thyroxine levels are low, the pituitary releases TSH to stimulate thyroxine release; when high, TSH release is inhibited. This negative feedback keeps levels stable.
Common mistakes in B5.3 How do hormones control responses in the human body?
- Saying hormones travel along nerves. Hormones travel in the blood.
- Writing that hormones affect every cell equally. Only target cells with the right receptors respond.
- Describing negative feedback without the reversing step. Explain that a change in level triggers a response that brings it back towards normal.
- Mixing up adrenal and renal. Adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys and make adrenaline.
- Stating hormonal responses are always slow. Adrenaline acts within seconds, but effects generally last longer than nervous responses.
Try three B5.3 How do hormones control responses in the human body? exam-style questions
1. Name the gland that produces thyroxine. (1 mark)
Show the mark scheme answer
Thyroid gland.
2. Give two differences between nervous and hormonal control. (2 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Nervous is faster; nervous effects are shorter-lasting; nervous uses electrical impulses along neurones whereas hormones are chemicals in the blood; nervous acts on a precise area.
3. Explain how negative feedback controls the level of thyroxine in the blood. (4 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
If thyroxine level falls, the pituitary detects this and releases more TSH; TSH stimulates the thyroid to release thyroxine; when thyroxine rises above normal, TSH release is inhibited; so thyroxine returns to the normal level.
B5.3 How do hormones control responses in the human body? FAQs
What does OCR GCSE Biology B B5.3 cover?
It covers the endocrine glands, how hormones reach target organs, comparing hormonal and nervous control, adrenaline, thyroxine and negative feedback.
Which paper is B5.3 examined in?
J257 has two papers at each tier, Breadth in Biology and Depth in Biology, and content from any chapter, including B5, can be assessed on either one. Expect it to be linked to ideas about science and to other chapters.
How do I draw a negative feedback loop?
Start with the normal level, show a change, a detector, the hormone response, and the effect that reverses the change, with arrows forming a loop back to normal.
