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CAIE A Level Biology 9700

Gas exchange questions

Exam-style questions on Gas exchange, ordered from foundation to challenge. Pick one, write your answer the way you would in the exam, and it comes back marked against the mark scheme, point by point.

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Written by Markquill to follow the Cambridge International syllabus. Markquill is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge International.

  1. Describe4 marksStandardDescribe how the structure of each of the following tissues in the human gas exchange system is adapted to its function: ciliated epithelium in the trachea and bronchi goblet cells smooth muscle in the walls of…
  2. Explain5 marksStandardAn oxygen molecule enters the trachea during inhalation. Describe the pathway it takes to reach the blood in the pulmonary capillaries. For each structure it passes through, explain how its structure is adapted to…
  3. Explain5 marksStandardA student inhales a breath of air. Describe the path taken by an oxygen molecule from the trachea to the blood in the lungs, and explain how the structures encountered along this path are adapted to facilitate…
  4. Describe4 marksStandardA scientist examines a section of lung tissue under an electron microscope. The image shows the alveolar wall consisting of a very thin layer of squamous epithelial cells, surrounded by a dense network of capillaries…
  5. Explain5 marksStandardA person inhales a breath of air containing oxygen molecules. Describe the path taken by an oxygen molecule from the trachea to the blood, and explain how the structures along this path are adapted to facilitate gas…
  6. Describe4 marksStandardA lung biopsy sample examined under an electron microscope reveals that the alveolar walls consist of a single layer of extremely flattened cells, with a dense network of capillaries in close contact. Describe how the…
  7. Explain5 marksStandardAn oxygen molecule enters the trachea during inhalation. Describe the complete path of this oxygen molecule from the trachea to the blood in a pulmonary capillary. Explain how the structures and tissues of the gas…
  8. Describe4 marksStandardA micrograph of a mammalian lung shows that the wall of an alveolus is lined with a single layer of very thin cells. Branches of the pulmonary capillary network are seen immediately adjacent to this layer. Describe how…
  9. Describe4 marksStandardA student is studying the gas exchange system of a mammal. They observe that the alveoli are lined with a very thin layer of cells and are surrounded by a dense network of capillaries. Describe how the structure of the…
  10. Explain5 marksStandardExplain how the structure of alveoli is adapted for efficient gas exchange with the blood in the surrounding capillaries.
  11. Describe4 marksStandardDescribe how the structure and activities of ciliated epithelial cells and goblet cells in the lining of the airways help to protect the gas exchange system from damage.
  12. Explain5 marksStandardA student examines a photomicrograph of a transverse section of a bronchus and observes cartilage, smooth muscle, ciliated epithelium, and goblet cells. The student also views an electron micrograph of an alveolus…
  13. Describe4 marksStandardThe alveoli of the human lungs are lined with a single layer of squamous epithelial cells. Each alveolus is surrounded by a dense network of capillaries whose walls are also one cell thick. Describe how the structure…
  14. Describe4 marksStandardA student examines a photomicrograph of a mammalian lung. She observes that the walls of the alveoli are lined with a very thin layer of squamous epithelial cells. Describe how the structure of the squamous alveolar…
  15. Describe4 marksStandardThe lining of the trachea and bronchi contains goblet cells and ciliated epithelial cells. Describe how these two types of cells work together to protect the gas exchange system from inhaled pathogens and particles.
  16. Describe4 marksStandardThe table below lists four tissues/structures found in the human gas exchange system. For each structure, describe its function in maintaining the health of the system or in facilitating gas exchange. Tissue/Structure…
  17. Explain5 marksStandardThe alveoli in the human lungs are the main sites of gas exchange. Explain how the structure of the alveoli and their associated blood capillaries are adapted to ensure rapid diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide…
  18. Explain5 marksStandardA student views transverse sections of the wall of two airways: one from the trachea and one from a bronchiole. The student notes that the tracheal wall contains prominent C-shaped pieces of cartilage and a relatively…
  19. Describe4 marksStandardDescribe the function of each of the following structures in the human gas exchange system: Cartilage in the walls of the trachea and bronchi Ciliated epithelium lining the airways Goblet cells in the airway epithelium…
  20. Describe4 marksStandardThe trachea and bronchi are lined with a layer of cells that includes ciliated epithelial cells and goblet cells. Describe how these cells work together to protect the gas exchange system from damage.
  21. Describe4 marksStandardThe photomicrograph shows a transverse section through the wall of a bronchus. Describe the distribution and function of each of the following tissues in this structure: (i) cartilage (ii) smooth muscle
  22. Describe4 marksStandardThe alveoli in human lungs are lined with squamous epithelium. Describe the features of this epithelium that make it well adapted for efficient gas exchange between alveolar air and blood.
  23. Explain5 marksStandardA student looks at transverse sections of a human trachea and a bronchiole. The trachea wall contains C-shaped rings of cartilage and a layer of smooth muscle. The bronchiole wall contains a relatively thick layer of…
  24. Describe4 marksStandardDescribe the structural features of the squamous epithelium lining the alveoli that are adapted for efficient gas exchange.
  25. Describe4 marksStandardA student examines a stained section of lung tissue under a light microscope. They observe thin-walled alveoli lined with a single layer of flattened cells, and numerous capillaries in close contact with the alveoli…
  26. Describe4 marksStandardDescribe the roles of ciliated epithelial cells and goblet cells in maintaining the health of the gas exchange system.
  27. Explain5 marksStandardA student is studying the human gas exchange system. She traces the path of an oxygen molecule from the trachea to the blood. Describe the structures the oxygen molecule passes through and explain how each structure is…
  28. Explain5 marksStandardExplain the pathway of an oxygen molecule as it moves from the trachea into the blood of a pulmonary capillary. In your answer, name the structures it passes through and describe how each structure is adapted to…
  29. Explain5 marksStandardA student examines slides of a transverse section of the trachea and a transverse section of a bronchiole. She notes clear differences in the distribution of cartilage and smooth muscle. Explain how the structure of…
  30. Describe4 marksStandardDescribe one structural feature of each of the following parts of the human gas exchange system that is adapted to its function: (a) cartilage in the trachea (b) smooth muscle in bronchioles (c) ciliated epithelium in…
  31. Explain5 marksStandardExplain how the structure of the alveoli in the mammalian lung is adapted for efficient gas exchange between alveolar air and blood in the capillaries.
  32. Explain5 marksStandardA student examines microscopic slides of transverse sections of the trachea and a bronchiole from a human lung. They observe that the trachea has prominent C-shaped pieces of cartilage in its wall, with smooth muscle…
  33. Explain5 marksStandardA photomicrograph of lung tissue shows alveoli with very thin walls, each surrounded by a dense network of capillaries. The alveolar walls consist of a single layer of flattened cells, and the inner surface is lined…
  34. Describe4 marksStandardA person has a genetic condition that results in non-functional cilia on the ciliated epithelial cells lining the trachea. Describe how ciliated epithelial cells and goblet cells normally work together to protect the…
  35. Describe4 marksStandardThe table below lists four tissues found in the human gas exchange system. Describe the function of each tissue. Tissue Function (i) Cartilage (ii) Smooth muscle (iii) Elastic fibres (iv) Squamous epithelium
  36. Describe4 marksStandardDescribe the functions of each of the following structures in the human gas exchange system: ciliated epithelium goblet cells smooth muscle elastic fibres
  37. Describe4 marksStandardThe table below lists four structures found in the human gas exchange system. For each structure, describe its function in the gas exchange system. Structure Function Cartilage Ciliated epithelium Goblet cells Smooth…
  38. Explain5 marksStandardA medical researcher is studying the structure of alveoli in mammalian lungs. She notes the following features: The walls of alveoli are very thin, consisting of a single layer of squamous epithelial cells. Each…
  39. Explain5 marksStandardA student examines a stained section of human lung under a light microscope. The walls of the alveoli are seen to consist of a single layer of flattened cells. Numerous capillaries are observed in close contact with…
  40. Explain5 marksStandardA student examines transverse sections of a human trachea and a bronchiole under a light microscope. The student notes the following: The wall of the trachea contains C-shaped rings of cartilage and a noticeable layer…
  41. Explain5 marksStandardAn oxygen molecule enters the human gas exchange system through the trachea. Explain how the structures of the airways and the alveoli are adapted to enable efficient gas exchange between the air and the blood.
  42. Explain5 marksStandardExplain how the structure of alveoli and their associated capillaries are adapted to maximise the rate of gas exchange between alveolar air and blood.
  43. Explain5 marksStandardA histologist is examining a photomicrograph of a section of human lung tissue. She notes that the alveoli are surrounded by a dense network of capillaries and have walls that appear very thin. Describe and explain how…
  44. Explain5 marksStandardDescribe the path that an oxygen molecule takes from the trachea to the blood in the pulmonary capillaries. In your answer, name the structures it passes through and explain how the tissues and cells of the gas…
  45. Explain5 marksStandardA student observes transverse sections of the trachea and a bronchiole under a light microscope. In the trachea, the wall contains C-shaped rings of cartilage and a layer of smooth muscle. In the bronchiole, no…
  46. Explain5 marksStandardThe human gas exchange system includes airways of varying diameters, from the trachea to the bronchioles. Compare the structure of the trachea with that of a bronchiole and explain how the distribution of cartilage and…
  47. Describe4 marksStandardA student identifies the following tissues in the wall of a bronchus from a photomicrograph: ciliated epithelium, goblet cells, smooth muscle, and elastic fibres. Describe the function of each of these tissues in the…
  48. Describe4 marksStandardA student examines a stained section of the tracheal wall under a light microscope. Two types of cells are clearly visible: ciliated epithelial cells and goblet cells. Describe the roles of these two cell types in…
  49. Describe4 marksStandardDescribe the roles of ciliated epithelial cells and goblet cells in the lining of the trachea and bronchi in protecting the gas exchange system.
  50. Explain5 marksStandardExplain how the distribution of cartilage and smooth muscle differs between the trachea and a bronchiole, and how these differences are related to the functions of these structures in the gas exchange system.
  51. Explain5 marksStandardA student examines a prepared slide of mammalian lung tissue under a light microscope. They observe numerous hollow sacs (alveoli) with extremely thin walls, each surrounded by a dense network of capillaries. The inner…
  52. Explain5 marksStandardA student examines transverse sections of a trachea and a bronchiole under a light microscope. The trachea wall contains distinct C-shaped rings of cartilage, while the bronchiole wall contains no cartilage but has a…
  53. Describe4 marksStandardThe trachea and bronchi are lined with ciliated epithelial cells and goblet cells. Describe how these two cell types help to protect the gas exchange system from infection and damage.
  54. Explain7 marksChallengeExplain how the structure of the human gas exchange system enables efficient gas exchange. In your answer, refer to the path taken by an oxygen molecule from the trachea to the blood in a pulmonary capillary.
  55. Describe7 marksChallengeDescribe the roles of ciliated epithelial cells and goblet cells in maintaining the health of the human gas exchange system.
  56. Describe6 marksChallengeDescribe how the structure of an alveolus and its associated blood capillaries is adapted to enable efficient gas exchange.
  57. Describe5 marksChallengeDescribe how the structure of each of the following tissues is adapted to its function in the human gas exchange system: ciliated epithelium goblet cells cartilage squamous epithelium of alveoli elastic fibres
  58. Explain6 marksChallengeThe human lung contains millions of alveoli surrounded by a network of capillaries. Explain how the structure of the alveoli and the associated capillaries is adapted to maximise the rate of gas exchange with the blood.