Practise 58 real questions on Disease, immunity and biotechnology from 2021 to 2026. See the answer and explanation as soon as you answer.
Disease, immunity and biotechnology is one of the 13 main topics in our O Level Biology (Cambridge (CAIE) 5090) question bank, and about 10% of its real questions come from it. Tayyari Karo has 58 real questions on this topic from 2021 to 2026, from Paper 1, Paper 2, Paper 3, Paper 4; 47 are multiple choice and marked instantly, and the rest are structured questions with a model answer. By difficulty: 49 medium, 6 easy, 3 hard.
Work through the questions below, then open the explanation for each one. Redo the ones you missed a few days later.
These are real past-paper questions. Think of your answer first, then open the explanation.
Cholera is caused by a toxin produced by a bacterium. What are the effects of this toxin? 1 Person becomes dehydrated. 2 Ions are secreted into the small intestine. 3 Water moves into the intestine by osmosis.
Answer: A. 1, 2 and 3
The toxin makes ions enter the intestine, water follows by osmosis, and the person becomes dehydrated.
Which nutrient deficiency causes scurvy?
Answer: C. vitamin C
The spread of HIV was reduced in many countries between 1990 and 2010. Which action assisted this reduction?
Answer: B. health education
A car driven at 110 km/h by a driver who has not consumed alcohol travels a certain distance before stopping. If the driver consumes alcohol, the distance travelled before reacting increases by 20%. What is the total distance travelled before stopping?
Answer: B. 100 m
A patient shows unexplained weight loss, severe thirst and frequent urination; tests show high glucose in urine. Which condition is diagnosed?
Answer: B. diabetes
What are the roles of the female mosquito and the malarial pathogen in the spread of malaria?
Answer: C. vector / parasite
7 (a) Explain how long-term active immunity develops in the human body after infection by a pathogen. [7]
(b) In any group of humans, there is variation in how well each person's immune system responds to infections. Suggest factors which may contribute to this variation. [3]
(a) The pathogen carries antigens on its surface which the body recognises as foreign; lymphocytes with the complementary antibody are stimulated to divide by mitosis and form a clone; these lymphocytes secrete large numbers of antibodies; each antibody has a shape complementary to the antigen and locks on to it; the antibodies make the pathogens clump together, mark them so that phagocytes engulf them, or neutralise their toxins; after the infection some of these lymphocytes remain as memory cells; if the same pathogen enters again the memory cells produce antibodies much more quickly and in much greater quantity, so the pathogen is destroyed before symptoms appear; the immunity is describe …
The full model answer is in the app.
| Session | Paper 1 | Paper 2 | Paper 3 | Paper 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May/June 2026 | 5 | 2 | – | – |
| May/June 2025 | 3 | 2 | – | – |
| Oct/Nov 2025 | 5 | 1 | – | – |
| May/June 2024 | – | 1 | – | – |
| Oct/Nov 2024 | 5 | 1 | – | – |
| May/June 2023 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Oct/Nov 2023 | 6 | – | 1 | 1 |
| May/June 2022 | 6 | 1 | – | – |
| Oct/Nov 2022 | 6 | – | – | – |
| May/June 2021 | 6 | 1 | – | – |
| Oct/Nov 2021 | 4 | – | – | – |
58 real O Level Biology (5090) questions on Disease, immunity and biotechnology from 2021 to 2026, from Paper 1, Paper 2, Paper 3, Paper 4. Each one shows the year, session and paper it came from.
Yes. Every question shows the correct answer and a short explanation the moment you answer.
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