plumiThe heart and monitoring heart function: OCR A‑Level Biology B questions
Every OCR A-Level Biology B exam question on 2.2.1 The heart and monitoring heart function, 2016–2025, with its mark scheme and examiner’s report.
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Q37(a)(i)
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Q37(a)(ii)
The whole paper ↗![June 2024 Paper 1, question 37(a)(ii): Explain one modification to the method that would reduce the effect of random error on the results. [2]](https://pub-e8a9dbab8e2a4d089f52b2a45e0d0b50.r2.dev/bank/h42201-jun24-37-aii-qp.webp?v=3)
Q37(a)(iii)
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Q5(a)
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Q5(b)(i)
The whole paper ↗![June 2024 Paper 2, question 5(b)(i): Use Fig. 5.2 to calculate the resting heart rate of this patient. Heart rate = beats min–1 [2]](https://pub-e8a9dbab8e2a4d089f52b2a45e0d0b50.r2.dev/bank/h42202-jun24-05-bi-qp.webp?v=3)
Q5(b)(ii)
The whole paper ↗![June 2024 Paper 2, question 5(b)(ii): Identify the heart problem indicated by the ECG in Fig. 5.2. [1]](https://pub-e8a9dbab8e2a4d089f52b2a45e0d0b50.r2.dev/bank/h42202-jun24-05-bii-qp.webp?v=3)
Q5(c)(i)
The whole paper ↗![June 2024 Paper 2, question 5(c)(i): Describe the feature of this ECG that shows the patient is having a myocardial infarction. [1]](https://pub-e8a9dbab8e2a4d089f52b2a45e0d0b50.r2.dev/bank/h42202-jun24-05-ci-qp.webp?v=3)
Q5(c)(ii)
The whole paper ↗![June 2024 Paper 2, question 5(c)(ii): Explain the circumstances in which a defibrillator should be used. [2]](https://pub-e8a9dbab8e2a4d089f52b2a45e0d0b50.r2.dev/bank/h42202-jun24-05-cii-qp.webp?v=3)
Q3(a)(i)
The whole paper ↗![June 2024 AS Paper 2, question 3(a)(i): Name the structures labelled G and H. G H [2]](https://pub-e8a9dbab8e2a4d089f52b2a45e0d0b50.r2.dev/bank/h02202-jun24-03-ai-qp.webp?v=3)
Q3(a)(ii)
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Q3(b)(i)
The whole paper ↗![June 2024 AS Paper 2, question 3(b)(i): All the volunteers were aged between 20–24 years of age. State one other factor that should be controlled to make the results valid. [1]](https://pub-e8a9dbab8e2a4d089f52b2a45e0d0b50.r2.dev/bank/h02202-jun24-03-bi-qp.webp?v=3)
Q3(b)(ii)
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Q3(b)(iii)
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Q3(b)(iv)
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All 87 questions on The heart and monitoring heart function, as a list
- June 2025, Paper 1, Q5 (1 mark): A student calculated cardiac output (CO) using the equation: CO = heart rate × stroke volume. What unit of measurement is appropriate for cardiac output? bpm cm
- June 2025, AS Paper 1, Q6 (1 mark): What would not be included in the emergency treatment given to an adult suffering a suspected heart attack? A Help them take their usual angina medication. B Of
- June 2024, Paper 1, Q6 (1 mark): Researchers studied the effect of nicotine on heart rate. Nicotine patches containing 4 mg of nicotine were placed on the skin of volunteers. During the first d
- June 2024, Paper 1, Q37(a)(i) (2 marks): The ECG trace for the mouse sedated with pentobarbital is shown below. 0.2 s Calculate the heart rate of the mouse sedated with pentobarbital. Heart rate = bpm
- June 2024, Paper 1, Q37(a)(ii) (2 marks): Explain one modification to the method that would reduce the effect of random error on the results. [2]
- June 2024, Paper 1, Q37(a)(iii) (2 marks): The researchers concluded: When using mice for cardiology studies it would be better to sedate them with isoflurane rather than them being conscious. Suggest on
- June 2024, Paper 2, Q5(a) (2 marks): Fig. 5.1 shows an electrocardiogram (ECG) of one beat of a healthy heart. Fig. 5.1 R P T Q S Describe the cause of the two waves labelled P and T in Fig. 5.1. P
- June 2024, Paper 2, Q5(b)(i) (2 marks): Use Fig. 5.2 to calculate the resting heart rate of this patient. Heart rate = beats min–1 [2]
- June 2024, Paper 2, Q5(b)(ii) (1 mark): Identify the heart problem indicated by the ECG in Fig. 5.2. [1]
- June 2024, Paper 2, Q5(c)(i) (1 mark): Describe the feature of this ECG that shows the patient is having a myocardial infarction. [1]
- June 2024, Paper 2, Q5(c)(ii) (2 marks): Explain the circumstances in which a defibrillator should be used. [2]
- June 2024, AS Paper 1, Q8 (1 mark): A group of students investigated the effect of nicotine on the heart rate of Daphnia magna, a species of water flea. The students recorded the heart rates of te
- June 2024, AS Paper 1, Q9 (1 mark): The following measurements were taken for an athlete at rest: • Heart rate = 55 beats per minute (bpm) Stroke volume = 80 cm3 • During mild exercise the cardiac
- June 2024, AS Paper 2, Q3(a)(i) (2 marks): Name the structures labelled G and H. G H [2]
- June 2024, AS Paper 2, Q3(a)(ii) (2 marks): State two safety precautions that should be taken during a heart dissection and explain why each is important. Precaution 1 Explanation Precaution 2 Explanation
- June 2024, AS Paper 2, Q3(b)(i) (1 mark): All the volunteers were aged between 20–24 years of age. State one other factor that should be controlled to make the results valid. [1]
- June 2024, AS Paper 2, Q3(b)(ii) (2 marks): The mean cardiac output of the group given brand Y was 4900 cm3 min–1 before taking the drink and 5800 cm3 min–1 two hours after taking the drink. Calculate the
- June 2024, AS Paper 2, Q3(b)(iii) (2 marks): The difference in mean heart rate between the three groups could be due to the different glucose content of each drink. Suggest how the scientist could improve
- June 2024, AS Paper 2, Q3(b)(iv) (4 marks): The cardiac output of all the volunteers increased after taking the high energy caffeine drink. Caffeine can affect the activity of the sino-atrial node (SAN) o
- June 2023, Paper 1, Q3 (1 mark): Which option explains why mammals need a mass transport system? A Diffusion distances are too short to supply sufficient oxygen to cells. B They have a double c
- June 2023, Paper 1, Q4 (1 mark): Doctors monitor the heart activity of their patients by using electrocardiograms (ECGs). The ECG traces below show normal heart activity and the heart activity
- June 2023, Paper 1, Q5 (1 mark): Four athletes were found to have the same resting cardiac output of 4000 cm3 min–1. 5 The athletes then started mild exercise and their heart rates and stroke v
- June 2023, Paper 1, Q32(a)(i) (2 marks): Identify the letter of the stage on the diagram that shows the heart in diastole and give a reason for your choice. Stage Reason [2]
- June 2023, Paper 1, Q32(a)(ii) (1 mark): Describe the role of the valve, labelled Y. [1]
- June 2023, Paper 1, Q32(b) (6 marks): (b)* State the location of specialised heart tissues and explain their role in controlling the cardiac cycle. [6] Additional answer space if required.
- June 2023, Paper 1, Q32(c)(i) (3 marks): The table shows the results of their investigation. (fo–fe)2 (fo–fe)2 Heart rate Observed Expected frequency frequency fe (fo) (fe) Male <140 bpm 24 19.7 18.5 >
- June 2023, Paper 1, Q32(c)(ii) (2 marks): The researchers hypothesised that the heart rates of female fetuses were higher than males. Use your calculated value for χ 2 in (c)(i) and the probability tabl
- June 2023, Paper 1, Q32(c)(iii) (1 mark): The researchers used probability calculations to determine the expected values for each group. Suggest why the researchers could not assume an expected value of
- June 2023, Paper 1, Q32(c)(iv) (1 mark): Suggest one modification to the investigation that could improve the validity of their results. [1]
- June 2022, Paper 1, Q34(a)(i) (3 marks): Use the diagram to complete the missing structures, letters and function in the table. Structure Letter Function Supplies heart muscle with oxygen Has receptors
- June 2022, AS Paper 1, Q12 (1 mark): Which statement about the transmission of electrical impulses through heart muscle is correct? A Impulses are transmitted from Purkyne tissue to the AVN. B Impu
- June 2022, AS Paper 1, Q22(a)(i) (1 mark): Complete the calculations for Seal 10. Write your answers in the table. [1]
- June 2022, AS Paper 1, Q22(a)(ii) (1 mark): Explain why a paired Student’s t-test is an appropriate statistical test to analyse the data in the table. [1]
- June 2022, AS Paper 1, Q22(a)(iii) (2 marks): The standard deviation (Sd) for this data = 2.42. Calculate the value for t. d n Use the formula: t = s d t = [2]
- June 2022, AS Paper 1, Q22(a)(iv) (2 marks): The null hypothesis for this part of the study stated: There is no difference between the heart rates of the young seals in daylight and darkness. The critical
- June 2022, AS Paper 1, Q22(b) (2 marks): M. leonina have physiological adaptations for deep sea diving. One of these adaptations includes the ability to alter their heart rates resulting in bradycardia
- November 2021, Paper 1, Q1 (1 mark): Mammals have mass transport systems to move substances around the body. Which feature of mammals, A to D, explains why they need mass transport systems? A low m
- November 2021, Paper 1, Q4 (1 mark): Which of the options, A to D, is the site of initiation of action potentials that lead to the contraction of heart muscle? A accelerator nerve B Purkyne fibres
- November 2021, Paper 1, Q33(a) (2 marks): When a person is suspected of having a heart attack it is a medical emergency and the first step of the emergency procedure is to call for an ambulance. State t
- November 2021, Paper 1, Q33(b)(i) (1 mark): Give one reason why note 5, but not note 1, mentions that the students ‘waited for two minutes’. [1]
- November 2021, Paper 1, Q33(b)(ii) (1 mark): Suggest one reason why the students decided that they could not repeat the investigation using 5% alcohol concentration. [1]
- November 2021, Paper 1, Q33(c)(i) (3 marks): Use the results in Table 33.1 to carry out a Student’s paired t-test for these data. Use the equations: 2 / ( d d ) - Standard deviation s = d n 1 - d n t = s d
- November 2021, Paper 1, Q33(c)(ii) (2 marks): The table of critical values for 5% significance level is shown in Table 33.2. Degrees of freedom Critical value 4 2.78 5 2.57 6 2.48 7 2.37 8 2.31 9 2.26 10 2.
- November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q17 (1 mark): Which of the options, A to D, is part of the emergency treatment for a person suffering a suspected heart attack? A expired air resuscitation (EAR) B laying the
- November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q19 (1 mark): As part of a class investigation, a student used pulse rate measurements to find out the change in his heart rate when he was at rest and when he was exercising
- November 2020, Paper 3, Q1(b)(ii) (1 mark): The following measurements were made of the athlete during the race: Stroke volume = 165 cm3 Heart rate = 145 bpm Calculate the cardiac output for this athlete.
- November 2020, Paper 3, Q1(b)(iii) (1 mark): Explain why cardiac output decreases at very high heart rates. [1]
- November 2020, Paper 3, Q1(c)(i) (1 mark): Which one of the following patterns, visible in Fig. 1.3, would indicate that the patient may be having a heart attack. Place a tick (3) in the appropriate box.
- November 2020, Paper 3, Q1(c)(ii) (1 mark): The ECG trace in Fig. 1.4 was recorded using a smartphone app. 1 sec Fig. 1.4 Using Fig. 1.4 and your knowledge suggest why atrial fibrillation could lead to a
- November 2020, Paper 3, Q1(d) (6 marks): A student used the following method to investigate the effect of increasing duration of exercise on pulse rate. 1. Two sample groups of ten people were selected
- November 2020, AS Paper 1, Q4 (1 mark): A student was investigating the effect of cell size on the rate of diffusion using four different model cells. He calculated the surface area of each cell as: c
- November 2020, AS Paper 1, Q5 (1 mark): The diagram shows the pressure changes in the left side of the heart during one cardiac cycle. The state of the valves in the heart are shown at points W and X.
- November 2020, AS Paper 1, Q23(a) (2 marks): Using your knowledge and the diagrams, describe how the structure of the heart has been affected by HHS. [2]
- November 2020, AS Paper 1, Q23(b)(i) (2 marks): Suggest one effect on heart function that could be caused by reduced blood flow in the coronary artery. Give a reason for your suggestion. suggestion reason [2]
- November 2020, AS Paper 1, Q23(b)(ii) (2 marks): The heart is the ‘pumping’ mechanism of the mass flow transport system in mammals. Describe the advantages of a mass flow transport system. [2] for the next que
- June 2019, Paper 3, Q1(a) (2 marks): Suggest two improvements that could be made to the drawing in Fig. 1.1. 1 2 [2]
- June 2019, AS Paper 1, Q10 (1 mark): The diagram below shows the internal structure of a mammalian heart. Valves have been labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4. 2 3 1 4 Which of the rows, A to D, describes the p
- June 2019, AS Paper 1, Q11 (1 mark): A student was investigating the effect of exercise on heart function. Some of the results are shown in the table below. Heart rate Cardiac output (cm3 min–1) (b
- June 2019, AS Paper 2, Q3(a)(i) (2 marks): Using Table 3, state the times during the cardiac cycle when the bicuspid valve is closed. Justify your answer. [2]
- June 2019, AS Paper 2, Q3(a)(ii) (2 marks): Using Table 3, state the times during the cardiac cycle when the semilunar valve is open. Justify your answer. [2]
- June 2019, AS Paper 2, Q3(a)(iii) (1 mark): Using Table 3, calculate the heart rate in beats per minute. heart rate = beats per minute [1]
- June 2018, Paper 1, Q9 (1 mark): Which of the options, A to D, is the heart chamber in which electrical activity is initiated? A left atrium B left ventricle C right atrium D right ventricle Yo
- June 2018, AS Paper 1, Q8 (1 mark): A group of students investigated the effects of ethanol on the heart rate of the water flea, Daphnia pulex, and then analysed their results using a paired Stude
- June 2018, AS Paper 1, Q19 (1 mark): The diagram shows the external structure of the mammalian heart. C B D A Which of the blood vessels, A to D, carry oxygenated blood to the heart muscle? Your an
- June 2018, AS Paper 2, Q2(a)(i) (1 mark): Explain why it is important to record the resting heart rates of patients before starting treatment with digoxin. [1]
- June 2018, AS Paper 2, Q2(a)(ii) (1 mark): State one variable that would need to be taken into account when conducting this study. [1] Fig. 2 shows the results for one of the patients in this study. 100.
- June 2018, AS Paper 2, Q2(a)(iii) (1 mark): Using Fig. 2, state the range in the resting heart rates for this patient before and after eight weeks of treatment with digoxin. Before treatment After eight w
- June 2018, AS Paper 2, Q2(a)(iv) (2 marks): Calculate the percentage change in the mean resting heart rates of this patient. [2]
- June 2018, AS Paper 2, Q2(b)(i) (2 marks): What is the role of the AVN in coordinating the heart action? [2]
- June 2018, AS Paper 2, Q2(b)(ii) (2 marks): Suggest how the action of digoxin on the AVN could lead to a decrease in resting heart rate and how this could affect cardiac function. [2]
- June 2017, Paper 1, Q9 (1 mark): The graph below shows pressure changes in the left side of the heart during the cardiac cycle. Four points on the graph are labelled A to D. Key: = aortic press
- June 2017, AS Paper 1, Q12 (1 mark): A patient was admitted to hospital with a resting heart rate of 40 bpm. Their electrocardiogram (ECG) trace showed that the distance between the QRS peaks was l
- June 2017, AS Paper 2, Q2(a) (2 marks): Using Fig. 2, calculate the heart rate to two significant figures. Answer = bpm [2]
- June 2017, AS Paper 2, Q2(b) (2 marks): Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a medical condition affecting the heart resulting in an abnormal heart rhythm. One of the signs of SVT is that the atria d
- June 2017, AS Paper 2, Q2(c) (4 marks): Patients suffering from SVT for a prolonged period of time may suffer a heart attack and can go into cardiac arrest. Describe the first aid procedure used to tr
- June 2016, AS Paper 1, Q4 (1 mark): The chart shows the main stages that occur during one cardiac cycle for an adult at rest. Timings are shown for some of the stages. ventricular diastole systole
- June 2016, AS Paper 1, Q14 (1 mark): The pressure of blood flowing through the heart changes during the cardiac cycle. The table shows some values for the pressures in the chambers of the right sid
- June 2016, AS Paper 1, Q17 (1 mark): A patient was admitted to hospital complaining of chest pains. An ECG (electrocardiogram) was taken on arrival. A copy of the patient’s ECG trace is shown below
- June 2016, AS Paper 1, Q25(a) (1 mark): The teacher advised the students that these factors were not suitable for their investigation. For each factor, suggest why it is not suitable for this investig
- June 2016, AS Paper 1, Q25(b)(i) (1 mark): During the repeat investigation, it was noticed that Student 8 had a lower than expected heart rate during exercise. This anomaly was circled in the results tab
- June 2016, AS Paper 1, Q25(b)(ii) (1 mark): The students highlighted the results of Student 1 who appeared to have heart rates that were much lower than those of the other students. Suggest one explanatio
- June 2016, AS Paper 1, Q25(b)(iii) (3 marks): The students made the following conclusion about resting heart rates: ‘All resting heart rates were in the normal range within one standard deviation.’ Variance
- June 2016, AS Paper 1, Q25(b)(iv) (1 mark): Do the results calculated in (b)(iii) support the conclusion made by the students? Justify your answer. [1]
- June 2016, AS Paper 2, Q3(a)(i) (2 marks): Name the parts of the heart labelled in Fig. 3.1. M N [2]
- June 2016, AS Paper 2, Q3(a)(ii) (2 marks): Fig. 3.2 shows a drawing of one side of the dissected heart. Fig. 3.2 State two pieces of advice that could be given to improve the drawing in Fig. 3.2. [2]
- June 2016, AS Paper 2, Q3(b)(i) (1 mark): Suggest why an adult with ASD would have an increased cardiac output from the right ventricle. [1]
- June 2016, AS Paper 2, Q3(b)(ii) (2 marks): Suggest why the muscles of an adult with ASD will fatigue more quickly. [2]
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