IGCSE Biology 0610 Paper 1 Practice Paper (Multiple Choice, 40 marks)

2026-10-29

40 questions · 40 marks · 45 minutes

This is an original multiple-choice practice paper written for the IGCSE Biology 0610 syllabus (cells, enzymes, plant and human nutrition, transport, gas exchange, excretion, coordination, reproduction, inheritance, ecology and human influence). Choose the best answer for each question. Each question carries 1 mark.

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Question paper PDF Answer key PDF

Questions

Question 1 (1 mark)
Which structure is found only in plant cells?

A. cell wall

B. cell membrane

C. mitochondrion

D. ribosome

Question 2 (1 mark)
A specimen image measures 30 mm; the actual length is 0.5 mm. What is the magnification?

A. x15

B. x60

C. x6

D. x600

Question 3 (1 mark)
Potato strips in distilled water gain mass from 4.0 g to 4.6 g in 30 minutes. What is the percentage increase?

A. 13%

B. 60%

C. 15%

D. 6%

Question 4 (1 mark)
Why does the rate of an enzyme-catalysed reaction fall sharply well above the optimum temperature?

A. the enzyme is broken down into amino acids

B. the substrate concentration falls

C. the number of enzyme molecules increases

D. the active site changes shape

Question 5 (1 mark)
Pondweed in bright light releases 48 bubbles in 4 minutes. What is the average rate of bubble production?

A. 12 per minute

B. 48 per minute

C. 4 per minute

D. 192 per minute

Question 6 (1 mark)
What is the main function of the spongy mesophyll in a leaf?

A. to keep the leaf rigid

B. to allow gas diffusion and store gases

C. to make glucose

D. to transport water

Question 7 (1 mark)
What does xylem mainly transport?

A. amino acids

B. oxygen

C. water and mineral salts

D. glucose

Question 8 (1 mark)
Each heartbeat ejects 75 cm3 of blood and the heart rate is 64 beats per minute. What is the cardiac output per minute?

A. 139 cm3/min

B. 4500 cm3/min

C. 6400 cm3/min

D. 4800 cm3/min

Question 9 (1 mark)
Which type of blood vessel has the thickest, most elastic wall?

A. artery

B. vein

C. capillary

D. lymph vessel

Question 10 (1 mark)
Why is the wall of an alveolus only one cell thick?

A. it stops pathogens entering

B. it shortens the diffusion distance for gases

C. it increases the surface area for gas exchange

D. it reduces water loss

Question 11 (1 mark)
A student breathes 18 times per minute, taking in 500 cm3 of air each breath. What volume of air is inhaled per minute?

A. 900 cm3/min

B. 1000 cm3/min

C. 9000 cm3/min

D. 518 cm3/min

Question 12 (1 mark)
Normal urine contains no glucose. What is the main reason?

A. glucose cannot be filtered

B. glucose is broken down in the bladder

C. glucose leaves the body in sweat

D. glucose is selectively reabsorbed in the kidney tubule

Question 13 (1 mark)
In a reflex action, which neurone carries the impulse from the receptor to the spinal cord?

A. sensory neurone

B. motor neurone

C. relay neurone

D. sympathetic nerve

Question 14 (1 mark)
Which hormone increases in the blood when blood glucose concentration rises?

A. oestrogen

B. insulin

C. adrenaline

D. thyroxine

Question 15 (1 mark)
A primary consumer receives 15 000 kJ of energy. If 10% of energy is transferred, how much reaches the secondary consumer?

A. 15 000 kJ

B. 150 000 kJ

C. 1500 kJ

D. 150 kJ

Question 16 (1 mark)
In the food chain grass, locust, frog, snake, the frog is which type of consumer?

A. primary consumer

B. tertiary consumer

C. producer

D. secondary consumer

Question 17 (1 mark)
What is the main route by which carbon returns from living organisms to the atmosphere?

A. respiration by decomposers

B. photosynthesis

C. transpiration

D. nitrogen fixation

Question 18 (1 mark)
A squirrel population rises from 960 to 1 200. What is the percentage increase?

A. +40%

B. +25%

C. +20%

D. +24%

Question 19 (1 mark)
Why is an energy pyramid never inverted?

A. decomposers use no energy

B. energy is recycled in a food chain

C. much energy is lost at every trophic level

D. numbers rise at higher trophic levels

Question 20 (1 mark)
Run-off rich in nitrate enters a lake. Which consequence is most likely?

A. the lake water heats up rapidly

B. the lake becomes acidic and kills all fish

C. minerals immediately settle out

D. algal blooms, then oxygen depletion as they decay

Question 21 (1 mark)
Large-scale deforestation raises atmospheric carbon dioxide. Which is a direct reason?

A. total photosynthesis decreases

B. respiration stops completely

C. rainfall increases

D. soil temperature falls

Question 22 (1 mark)
Which feature is characteristic of sexual reproduction?

A. reproduction is always fastest

B. the offspring show more genetic variation

C. the offspring are identical to the parent

D. only one parent is needed

Question 23 (1 mark)
What is the main function of an anther?

A. to protect the ovules

B. to store nectar

C. to produce pollen grains

D. to receive pollen

Question 24 (1 mark)
Dandelion fruits have a parachute of hairs. Which dispersal method suits them best?

A. animal dispersal

B. water dispersal

C. explosive action

D. wind dispersal

Question 25 (1 mark)
An individual of genotype Tt is crossed with one of genotype tt. What proportion of the offspring is Tt?

A. 50%

B. 25%

C. 75%

D. 100%

Question 26 (1 mark)
How many chromosomes are in a human body cell?

A. 48

B. 46

C. 23

D. 44

Question 27 (1 mark)
According to natural selection, which individuals are most likely to pass on their characteristics?

A. the longest-lived individuals

B. the most variable individuals

C. those best adapted to survive and reproduce

D. the largest individuals

Question 28 (1 mark)
Why do populations of bacteria become resistant to antibiotics?

A. bacteria learn to resist the antibiotic

B. human antibodies make bacteria stronger

C. antibiotics make bacteria larger

D. some bacteria already carry resistance alleles, which the antibiotic selects

Question 29 (1 mark)
A plant loses 250 cm3 of water in 5 hours. What is the average water loss per hour?

A. 50 cm3/h

B. 1250 cm3/h

C. 5 cm3/h

D. 250 cm3/h

Question 30 (1 mark)
What is the advantage of stomata closing on a hot dry midday?

A. the leaf becomes cooler

B. less water is lost by transpiration

C. more carbon dioxide is absorbed

D. photosynthesis speeds up

Question 31 (1 mark)
Why are root hair cells efficient at absorbing water?

A. they reduce transpiration

B. they store much starch

C. they greatly increase the absorbing surface area

D. they contain much chlorophyll

Question 32 (1 mark)
Of 40 seeds sown, 34 germinate. What is the germination percentage?

A. 34%

B. 40%

C. 68%

D. 85%

Question 33 (1 mark)
Why does refrigeration slow down food spoilage?

A. microbial enzyme activity and reproduction slow down

B. microorganisms are all killed

C. all water in the food evaporates

D. oxygen is completely removed

Question 34 (1 mark)
In anaerobic conditions yeast converts glucose into ethanol and which other substance?

A. water

B. carbon dioxide

C. oxygen

D. lactic acid

Question 35 (1 mark)
An enzyme works at 12 units per minute at 20 C and 30 units per minute at 40 C. What does this show?

A. temperature has no effect on enzymes

B. the enzyme is fully denatured at 40 C

C. 40 C is closer to the optimum temperature

D. the enzyme is denatured at 20 C

Question 36 (1 mark)
Which pathogen is not made of cells?

A. bacterium

B. fungus

C. protoctist

D. virus

Question 37 (1 mark)
How does vaccination prevent disease?

A. it stimulates antibody production so the response is faster later

B. it kills every pathogen in the body at once

C. it supplies antibiotics

D. it replaces white blood cells

Question 38 (1 mark)
What is the main role of bile in digestion?

A. it absorbs glucose

B. it emulsifies fats into small droplets

C. it digests protein

D. it digests starch

Question 39 (1 mark)
Long-term lack of vitamin C causes which disease?

A. rickets

B. anaemia

C. scurvy

D. beri-beri

Question 40 (1 mark)
Through which structures does air reach the tissues of an insect directly?

A. lungs

B. gills

C. skin

D. tracheae

Full answers and explanations are in the answer key PDF. Work without a calculator where possible, as in the real Paper 2.