B5 Blood

Question 1

Complete the sentence

Blood is a …….., consisting of many similar cells working together.

Answer 1

Tissue

Question 2

List the 3 cells that make up blood and the liquid the are suspended in.

Answer 2

Red blood cells
White blood cells
Platelets

Plasma

Question 3

What are red blood cells and plasma responsible for?

Answer 3

Transporting substances around the body

Question 4

What is plasma?

Answer 4

Basically blood minus the blood cells.

Pale yellow liquid which carries everything that needs transporting around your body.

Question 5

List 7 things that are transported by plasma

Answer 5

Blood cells - red, white and platelets

Water

Food products - glucose and amino acids from the small intestine to all body cells

Carbon dioxide from body cells to lungs

Urea from body cells to the lungs

Hormones

Antibodies

Question 6

What is the role of red blood cells?

Answer 6

To carry oxygen

Question 7

Where do red blood cells carry oxygen to?

Answer 7

From the lungs to all the cells in the body.

Question 8

How is the structure of a red blood cell adapted to its function?

Answer 8

Small and flexible
Biconcave disc shape
Packed with haemoglobin
No nucleus

Question 9

How is the shape of red blood cells adapted to its function?

How does this help?

Answer 9

They have a biconcave disc shape to give a large surface area to volume ratio.

This increases the rate at which oxygen can diffuse into and out of the cell.

Question 10

What does haemoglobin contain?

Answer 10

Iron

Question 11

Where does blood get its red colour from?

Answer 11

Haemoglobin

Question 12

What happens to haemoglobin in the lungs?

Answer 12

It combines with oxygen to give oxyhaemoglobin.

Question 13

What happens to haemoglobin in the body tissues?

Answer 13

It releases oxygen to the cells

Question 14

Why don’t red blood cells have a nucleus?

Answer 14

To free up space for more haemoglobin, so they can carry more oxygen

Question 15

How does being small and flexible help red bloods cells?

Answer 15

They can easily pass through tiny capillaries close to the body cells

Question 16

How can having a low number of red blood cells make you feel?

Answer 16

Tired

Question 17

Why does having a low number of red blood cells make you feel tired?

Answer 17

Because less oxygen can be transported around the body, and so there is less aerobic respiration taking place to produce ATP.

Question 18

Name the substance that combines with oxygen and gives red blood cells their colour (1 mark)

Answer 18

Haemoglobin

Question 19

Describe three ways in which red blood cells are adapted to carry oxygen (3 marks)

Answer 19

Any three from:

Red blood cells have a large surface area to volume ration for absorbing oxygen

They don’t have a nucleus, which allows more room for carrying oxygen

They contain haemoglobin, which can combine with oxygen in the lungs and release it in body tissues

They’re small and flexible so they can easily pass through tiny capillaries

(1 mark for each correct answer up to 3)