Blood vessels — artery / vein / capillary
AQA GCSE Biology revision on Blood vessels — artery / vein / capillary. Aligned to the AQA GCSE Biology 8461 specification. This bank has 25 practice questions on this topic.
Sample questions (3 of 25)
-
Question 1
Which structural feature allows capillaries to efficiently exchange substances with body cells?
- A) Walls are one cell thick
- B) Walls contain elastic tissue
- C) Lumen is very wide to flow
- D) Valves prevent backflow now
Show answer
Answer: Walls are one cell thick
The extremely thin walls of capillaries are composed of a single layer of endothelial cells. This short diffusion path allows oxygen, glucose, and waste products to move rapidly between the blood and surrounding tissues.
-
Question 2
Why do arteries possess a thick layer of elastic fibres and smooth muscle?
- A) To withstand high pressure
- B) To allow rapid gas exchange
- C) To reduce friction for flow
- D) To store blood for later
Show answer
Answer: To withstand high pressure
Blood leaves the heart at high pressure, which would rupture thinner vessels. The elastic fibres allow the artery to stretch and recoil, maintaining blood pressure even when the heart relaxes between beats.
-
Question 3
What is the primary function of valves found within the veins?
- A) They regulate blood volume
- B) They stop backflow of blood
- C) They increase flow velocity
- D) They filter out pathogens
Show answer
Answer: They stop backflow of blood
Veins carry blood at a much lower pressure than arteries. Because the blood is often moving against gravity, valves are necessary to prevent the blood from flowing backwards when movement slows down.
Want to test yourself on the remaining cards for this topic?
22 more questions on Blood vessels — artery / vein / capillary — plus mistakes tracking and spaced repetition across the whole Biology spec.