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Cambridge O Level Biology 5090 Flashcards
51 question-and-answer cards covering Biology 5090 as it is examined in Cambridge O Level. 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.
24 sample cards from the Biology 5090 deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
State the three external conditions that affect the rate of photosynthesis (limiting factors).
Light intensity, carbon dioxide concentration, and temperature.
What is a 'limiting factor' in photosynthesis?
A factor present in such short supply that it restricts (limits) the rate of photosynthesis; increasing it raises the rate until another factor becomes limiting.
Give three adaptations of a leaf for efficient photosynthesis.
Large flat surface area (to absorb light); thin (short diffusion distance for gases); many chloroplasts in palisade cells near the top; network of veins for transport; stomata for gas exchange.
What is the function of the xylem in a flowering plant?
Xylem transports water and dissolved mineral ions from the roots up to the leaves (one direction, upward). It also provides support.
What is the function of the phloem in a flowering plant?
Phloem transports (translocates) sucrose and amino acids (manufactured food) from the leaves to other parts of the plant, in both directions.
Define 'transpiration'.
The loss of water vapour from the leaves (and other aerial parts) of a plant by evaporation, mainly through the stomata, and its diffusion into the atmosphere.
State four factors that increase the rate of transpiration.
Increased temperature, increased light intensity (stomata open), decreased humidity, and increased air movement (wind).
How are root hair cells adapted for the absorption of water and mineral ions?
They have a long, thin extension (root hair) giving a large surface area for absorption, a thin cell wall for short diffusion distance, and many mitochondria for active uptake of mineral ions.
Define a 'balanced diet'.
A diet containing all the nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water) in the correct amounts and proportions to maintain good health.
State the deficiency disease caused by lack of vitamin C and lack of vitamin D.
Vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy. Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets (in children).
State the role of the mineral iron and the deficiency disease caused by lack of it.
Iron is needed to make haemoglobin in red blood cells. Its deficiency causes anaemia.
What is the role of dietary fibre (roughage) and what is its main source?
Fibre adds bulk to food, aids peristalsis and prevents constipation. Its source is plant material (e.g. cellulose cell walls in vegetables, fruits, wholegrains).
List, in order, the main regions of the alimentary canal from mouth to anus.
Mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine (duodenum then ileum), large intestine (colon then rectum), anus.
Define 'ingestion', 'digestion', 'absorption' and 'egestion'.
Ingestion: taking food into the body (mouth). Digestion: breakdown of large insoluble molecules into small soluble ones. Absorption: movement of digested food into the blood. Egestion: removal of undigested food (faeces) through the anus.
What is peristalsis?
Waves of muscular contraction and relaxation of the circular and longitudinal muscles in the gut wall that push food along the alimentary canal.
Name the enzyme in saliva, its substrate and product.
Salivary amylase; it breaks down starch into maltose (a sugar).
State the functions of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.
It kills bacteria/microorganisms in food, and provides the acidic (low) pH that is the optimum for the enzyme pepsin (protease) to work.
What is the role of bile in digestion, where is it made and where is it stored?
Bile emulsifies fats (breaks large fat droplets into small ones, increasing surface area for lipase) and neutralises stomach acid. It is made in the liver and stored in the gall bladder.
Name the products of complete digestion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
Carbohydrates -> simple sugars (glucose). Proteins -> amino acids. Fats -> fatty acids and glycerol.
How is the small intestine (ileum) adapted for absorption?
It is long and has many villi and microvilli giving a very large surface area; villi have thin (one-cell-thick) walls, a good blood supply (capillaries) and a lacteal for fats, giving efficient absorption.
What is 'assimilation'?
The movement of digested food molecules into the cells of the body where they are used, becoming part of the cells (e.g. glucose used in respiration, amino acids built into proteins).
List the four components of human blood and one function of each.
Red blood cells (carry oxygen as oxyhaemoglobin); white blood cells (defence against pathogens); platelets (clotting); plasma (transports dissolved substances, e.g. CO2, nutrients, hormones, urea, heat).
How is a red blood cell adapted to its function?
Biconcave shape gives a large surface area for oxygen absorption; contains haemoglobin to carry oxygen; has no nucleus so it carries more haemoglobin; flexible to squeeze through capillaries.
State the function of the four chambers of the heart and which side carries oxygenated blood.
Right atrium and right ventricle pump deoxygenated blood to the lungs; left atrium and left ventricle pump oxygenated blood to the body. The left side carries oxygenated blood and has a thicker muscular wall.
What this deck covers
The Biology 5090 deck follows the Cambridge O Level Biology 5090 syllabus — 11 chapters and 28 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 4.6 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 151 characters, which is long enough to carry the reasoning and short enough to say out loud.
A deck like this earns its keep on the second and third pass. Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then use the cards to find the specific facts that have not stuck.
Biology 5090 flashcards FAQ
How many Biology 5090 flashcards are in this Cambridge O Level deck?
51 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.
Are these Cambridge O Level flashcards free?
Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 51-card deck is free inside the Examius app.
What do the Biology 5090 cards cover?
They follow the Cambridge O Level Biology 5090 syllabus — 11 chapters and 28 topics — so the questions track what is actually examinable.
How should I use these flashcards?
Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then drill the deck. Examius schedules each card with spaced repetition, so cards you keep missing come back sooner and ones you know drift further apart.