Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Biology · 4BI1 · Free · no account needed
The Thorax and Ventilation — exam questions
9 original Incandio exam-style questions on the Thorax and Ventilation, 19 marks, about 19 minutes of writing. Each one carries the command word, the tariff and the specification statement it assesses, exactly as a paper presents them. This is an original Incandio practice question, written to reflect the structure and demands of the qualification. It is not an official Pearson Edexcel past-paper question.
This is the practice set for The Thorax and Ventilation — the lesson that teaches it. Read the lesson first if the idea is new; come here when you want to find out whether you can turn it into marks. Completely free, no account needed to read.
What these questions ask of you
6 command words run through this set, and on Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Biology each one means something precise. Answering the wrong command is the commonest way a candidate who understands the lesson still loses the mark.
- Which (1 mark)
- one option chosen from the set given
- Name (1–2 marks)
- the correct term, spelled recognisably
- Give (1–2 marks)
- a short factual answer drawn from recall or from the data
- Describe (2–4 marks)
- developed, linked statements of WHAT happens — no reason required, but detail is Misread as: giving one bare statement where the tariff asked for a developed account
- Explain (2–4 marks)
- a causal chain — WHY it happens, each link a separate marking point Misread as: describing what happens without giving the reason it happens
- Suggest (1–3 marks)
- a plausible answer applying taught biology to a situation not taught
Assessed on Paper 1 (4BI1/1B) and Paper 2 (4BI1/2B), against AO1, AO2, AO3.
Where these sit in the specification
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Biology (4BI1) — statements 2.46 · 2.47. Incandio is aligned to this specification; it is not published by, endorsed by or affiliated with Pearson, and it reproduces none of Pearson's wording.
The 9 questions
Answer them on paper, then open the lesson's exam practice to have them marked. The mark scheme, the accepted and rejected answers and the annotated model answer are in Incandio and are not printed here — an answer beside its question is not practice.
-
Table 1 — the volume of the thorax and the air pressure inside the lungs at four points in one quiet breathing cycle. Point in cycle Volume of thorax / dm³ Pressure in lungs / kPa W — before breathing in 2.40 101.3 X — part way through breathing in 2.62 101.0 Y — end of breathing in 2.90 101.3 Z — part way through breathing out 2.65 101.6 (a)
(1)Give
Give the point in Table 1 at which the pressure inside the lungs is lowest.
Table 1 — the volume of the thorax and the air pressure inside the lungs at four points in one quiet breathing cycle. Point in cycle Volume of thorax / dm³ Pressure in lungs / kPa W — before breathing in 2.40 101.3 X — part way through breathing in 2.62 101.0 Y — end of breathing in 2.90 101.3 Z — part way through breathing out 2.65 101.6 (b)
(3)Explain
Explain the relationship between the two columns of figures in Table 1.
Table 1 — the volume of the thorax and the air pressure inside the lungs at four points in one quiet breathing cycle. Point in cycle Volume of thorax / dm³ Pressure in lungs / kPa W — before breathing in 2.40 101.3 X — part way through breathing in 2.62 101.0 Y — end of breathing in 2.90 101.3 Z — part way through breathing out 2.65 101.6 (c)
(2)Suggest
Suggest how Table 1 would differ if the same person were sprinting rather than at rest.
Table 1 — the volume of the thorax and the air pressure inside the lungs at four points in one quiet breathing cycle. Point in cycle Volume of thorax / dm³ Pressure in lungs / kPa W — before breathing in 2.40 101.3 X — part way through breathing in 2.62 101.0 Y — end of breathing in 2.90 101.3 Z — part way through breathing out 2.65 101.6 (Total for Question 1 = 6 marks)
-
(1)Which
Which structure separates the thorax from the abdomen?
Structure A the pleural membranes B the intercostal muscles C the diaphragm D the bronchioles (Total for Question 2 = 1 mark)
-
(1)Name
Name the two thin layers that surround each lung and reduce friction as it moves.
Figure 1 — the structures of the human thorax. (Total for Question 3 = 1 mark)
-
(2)Give
Give the structures, in order, that air passes through between the trachea and an alveolus.
Figure 1 — the structures of the human thorax. (Total for Question 4 = 2 marks)
-
(4)Describe
Describe what happens in the thorax when a person breathes in.
Figure 1 — the structures of the human thorax. (Total for Question 5 = 4 marks)
-
(2)Explain
Explain why breathing out during quiet rest requires no muscle contraction.
(Total for Question 6 = 2 marks)
-
(3)Suggest
A knife wound opens a hole through the chest wall into the space between the pleural membranes on one side. The lung on that side collapses. Suggest why.
(Total for Question 7 = 3 marks)
Have them marked, then defend the answer
Practice tells you the mark; teaching it back tells you whether you understand it. On Incandio a topic counts as mastered only once you have taught it and defended it.
- Mark these questions — 9 questions, marked on Incandio against the authored scheme, with the mistake you actually made named.
- Teach it — explain the Thorax and Ventilation to Ember, an AI pupil who does not have it yet and asks the awkward question.
- Defend it — argue it against Leonardo da Vinci over three rounds, marked against descriptors you can read first.
Completely free. No subscriptions, no paywalls, no account needed to start.
Back to the lesson
- The Thorax and Ventilation — You cannot suck air in. Breathing works by changing the size of a sealed box — and every part of the chest is built for that one job.
- All of Incandio Biology · Incandio Exam Practice