AQA GCSE Biology

Nervous system & neurones

AQA GCSE Biology revision on Nervous system & neurones. Aligned to the AQA GCSE Biology 8461 specification. This bank has 25 practice questions on this topic.

Sample questions (3 of 25)

  1. Question 1

    Which component of a neurone is responsible for speeding up the transmission of electrical impulses?

    • A) The myelin sheath
    • B) The dendrite core
    • C) The synaptic cleft
    • D) The axon terminal
    Show answer

    Answer: The myelin sheath

    The myelin sheath is a fatty layer that surrounds the axon of many neurones. It insulates the axon, forcing the electrical impulse to jump between gaps called nodes of Ranvier, which significantly increases the speed of nerve impulse conduction.

  2. Question 2

    What is the specific name for the microscopic gap between two communicating neurones?

    Show answer

    Answer: synapse

    When an electrical impulse reaches the end of a neurone, it cannot jump the physical gap to the next cell. Instead, the signal is converted into a chemical messenger called a neurotransmitter that diffuses across the synaptic cleft to trigger an impulse in the next neurone.

  3. Question 3

    Which sequence correctly identifies the pathway of a reflex arc?

    • A) Stimulus, sensory, relay, motor, effector
    • B) Stimulus, receptor, sensory, motor, relay
    • C) Receptor, motor, relay, sensory, effector
    • D) Stimulus, relay, sensory, motor, receptor
    Show answer

    Answer: Stimulus, sensory, relay, motor, effector

    A reflex arc starts with a stimulus detected by a receptor. The impulse travels through a sensory neurone to the central nervous system, passes through a relay neurone in the spinal cord, and is sent via a motor neurone to an effector to produce a response.

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