Edexcel IGCSE Biology (i) Excretion Question Bank
Practise excretion by linking lungs, kidneys and skin to waste removal, then interpreting nephron diagrams, urine data and osmoregulation evidence.
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2019
- Course
- Biology 4BI1
Exam points
- identify excretory organs and products, including lungs releasing carbon dioxide and water
- interpret nephron diagrams to locate ultrafiltration and selective reabsorption
- explain urine concentration changes using water reabsorption, ADH and dehydration data
Covered syllabus points
2.70 Metabolic waste gases2.71 Excretory products of lungs, kidneys and skin2.72B Kidney excretion and osmoregulation2.73B Urinary system structure2.74B Nephron structure2.75B Ultrafiltration2.76B Water reabsorption from the collecting duct2.77B Selective reabsorption of glucose2.78B ADH and blood water content2.79B Urine composition
(i) Excretion question 1
Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow.
Treating Kidney Disease
Chronic kidney disease affects approximately 12% of the world's population and many people are unable to obtain treatment. One method of treating chronic kidney disease is by dialysis. The diagram shows how kidney dialysis is done.
During dialysis, blood is taken from an artery in the arm and is pumped through a dialyser. In the dialyser, the blood passes through a long, coiled dialysis tube made of a thin partially permeable membrane. The tube is surrounded by dialysis fluid. The dialysis fluid contains glucose and ions at concentrations normally found in blood plasma, but does not contain urea. The urea passes from the blood into the dialysis fluid. The temperature in the dialyser is kept at . After passing through the dialyser, the blood is returned to a vein in the arm. Kidney dialysis can take up to three hours and must be done three times a week.
Scientists have now designed a new bioartificial kidney. This artificial kidney is a combination of engineering and living cells. This artificial kidney has a haemofilter made from artificial membranes that filter the blood. The substances filtered out of the blood then pass through a device called a bioreactor. This bioreactor absorbs useful substances back into the blood. The bioreactor is made of living nephron cells that are grown from stem cells. These cells are separated from the patient's blood by a silicon membrane to prevent the immune system rejecting them. Bioartificial kidneys are the same size as a human kidney and will be fitted inside the body to replace a kidney. The bioartificial kidney can react to changes in the body in the same way as a normal kidney.
Question (a)
(a)
Urea is an excretory product that is released by the kidneys.
Give the name of an excretory product that is released by the lungs.
[ 1 ]
Question (b)
(b)
The haemofilter in the bioartificial kidney filters the blood (Lines 13 and 14).
Where does ultrafiltration occur in a nephron?
A
Bowman's capsule
B
collecting duct
C
distal convoluted tubule
D
loop of Henle
[ 1 ]
Question (c)
(c)
The cells in the bioreactor absorb glucose from the filtrate in a way that is similar to the cells in a nephron (Lines 14 to 17).
Describe how the nephron absorbs glucose back into the blood from the filtrate.
[ 2 ]
Question (d)
(d)
The bioartificial kidney is connected to blood vessels and to the tube that transports urine to the bladder in the same way as the human kidney.
Which row of the table is correct?
Blood vessel bringing blood
into bioartificial kidney
Tube transporting
urine to bladder
renal artery
ureter
renal artery
urethra
renal vein
ureter
renal vein
urethra
[ 1 ]
Question (e)
(e)
Explain how the pituitary gland and the nephron cells in the bioreactor will respond in a patient who is dehydrated (Lines 20 and 21).
[ 3 ]
(i) Excretion question 2
The diagram shows a nephron of a kidney, with some of the structures labelled.
Question (a)
(a)
From which structure are substances forced out of the blood by ultrafiltration?
□ A
□ B
□ C
□ D
Question (b)
(b)
From which structure is glucose reabsorbed into the blood by selective reabsorption?
[ 1 ]
Question (c)
(c)
In homeostasis, the kidney is involved in the control of blood concentration.
[ 2 ]
Question (i)
(i)
State the name for the control of blood concentration.
[ 1 ]
Question (ii)
(ii)
Another function carried out by the kidney is excretion.
State what is meant by the term excretion.
[ 1 ]
Question (d)
(d)
Diabetes insipidus is a medical condition in which the body is unable to produce ADH. Explain how diabetes insipidus affects the control of blood concentration.
[ 4 ]
Question (e)
(e)
Desmopressin is a drug used to reduce the symptoms of diabetes insipidus.
[ 3 ]
Question (i)
(i)
Suggest what effect the drug would have on the nephron.
[ 1 ]
Question (ii)
(ii)
Describe the effects the drug would have on urine production.
[ 2 ]
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