Nutrition in humans_LQ Past Paper Practice DL

Long Questions
1. 92-4a
Digestion of different types of food substances starts in different regions of the human alimentary canal. The extent
to which proteins, fats and starch are being digested in successive regions (A to E) of the alimentary canal can be
represented by the graph shown below:

(i) In which region (A to E) does digestion of proteins start? Name this region. (2 marks)
(ii) Which curve (X or Y) represents the digestion of starch? Explain your answer. (2 marks)
(iii) Name all the digestive juices found in region D. (3 marks)
(iv) In which region (A to E) does absorption of digested food occur most? ( (1 mark)
(v) Name region E and state its main function. (2 marks)

2. 93-1c
If you were a doctor, what dietary restriction would you recommend for the following patients? Explain the
biological principle behind your recommendation.
(i) patient A whose gall bladder has been removed (4 marks)
(ii) patient B who suffers from tooth decay (4 marks)

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Nutrition in humans_LQ Past Paper Practice DL

3. 93-2a
The following schematic diagram shows the relationship between some of the circulatory and digestive structures of
the human body:

(i) Several hours after taking a meal of bread and butter, which food substance will increase in the
largest amount
(1) in blood vessel P? (1 mark)
(2) in lymph vessel Q? (1 mark)
(ii) By means of a flowchart, indicate the route by which the food substance you mentioned (4 marks)
in (i) (2) is transported from lymph vessel Q to organ M. Include only the major organs
and vessels involved.
(iii) Certain cells in the lymphatic system are important in body defense. Briefly describe (3 marks)
how these cells carry out this function.

4. 95-3a
Plaque on tooth surface is mainly composed of bacteria. The graph below shows the changes in pH of the plaque of
a child in a certain period. The critical pH is the pH below which tooth decay may occur.

(i) Explain why the pH of the plaque drops after the intake of food. (2 marks)
(ii) Explain why a low pH in the plaque may cause tooth decay. (1 mark)
(iii) Based on the information provided, suggest one way of reducing the chance of tooth (2 marks)
decay. Explain your answer.
(iv) Draw a labeled diagram of a vertical section of a tooth at the early stage of decay. (4 marks)

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Nutrition in humans_LQ Past Paper Practice DL

5. 96-2c
The diagram below shows the alimentary canal and the associated glands of a man:

(i) What is the function of A? (1 mark)

(ii) Name the process by which food is moved along B. (1 mark)
(iii) Explain how the secretion from C helps the digestion of protein. (4 marks)
(iv) In an operation, a large part of D of the man was removed. Explain what change (2 marks)
will occur to his faeces.
(v) State two functions of E that are not related to digestion. (2 marks)

6. 99-2b
The diagram below shows part of the human digestive system:

(i) Structure A is removed from a patient by surgical operation. Explain why this (4 marks)
patient cannot digest fatty food property after the operation.
(ii) An obese (very fat) person had a surgical operation to remove part of structure D. (3 marks)
Explain why this method may lead to a significant reduction of his body weight several
months after the operation.
(iii) (1) Name one substance that is secreted by structure C directly into the blood. (1 mark)
(2) If a person failed to produce this substance, how would the homeostatic function (2 marks)
of structure B be affected? Give a reason for your answer

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Nutrition in humans_LQ Past Paper Practice DL

7. 01-1c
The X-ray photograph below shows a human molar:

(i) Using the letters in the photograph, state all the structure that is / are
(1) richly supplied with capillaries, (2 marks)
(2) rich in calcium salts. (2 marks)
(ii) Based on the X-ray photograph, make a labelled drawing of this tooth. (4 marks)
(iii) Explain how the process of digestion would be affected if a person lost most of this type (3 marks)
of tooth.

8. 03-2c
The function of the pancreas in some people may because impaired due to the blockage of the pancreatic duct. The
diagram below shows the pancreas and part of the alimentary canal:

(i) The faeces produced by such patients usually have a high fat content. Explain why. (3 marks)
(ii) In these patients, tissues of the pancreas may get digested. How would you account for (2 marks)
this?
(iii) Explain why the patients may produce urine containing glucose if the tissues of (4 marks)
the pancreas are damaged by digestion.

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Nutrition in humans_LQ Past Paper Practice DL

9. 04-1a
The photomicrograph below shows a cross section of the small intestine of a mammal:

(i) With reference to two features of X observable from the photomicrograph, explain how (4 marks)
these features facilitate the absorption of digested food substances.
(ii) Use a flowchart to show how amino acids are transported to the heart after entering X. (2 marks)
Indicate the major organs and blood vessels along the pathway.
(iii) Describe how the muscle layer helps the movement and digestion of food inside the (3 marks)
small intestine.

10. 05-3
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow:
For many years, doctors believed that gastric ulcer (damage and bleeding of the stomach wall) was caused by
excessive acid secretion in the stomach, so they used certain chemicals to treat ulcer patients. However, after
recovery, many patients might develop gastric ulcer again. In the 1980s, an Australian doctor, Barry Marshall,
observed that all his ulcer patients had a type of bacteria called Helicobacter pylori (幽門螺旋桿菌) in their
stomach. He therefore put forward a new hypothesis about gastric ulcer. Based on this hypothesis, he treated his
patients with antibiotics which are chemicals that kill bacteria. Many of his patients recovered rapidly and did not
develop gastric ulcer
(a) If gastric ulcer is caused by excessive secretion of acid, what kind of chemicals (1 mark)
should be used for treatment?
(b) Many doctors were surprised at Marshall’s observation because they thought that (1 mark)
bacteria could not survive in the stomach. Why did they think so?
(c) With reference to treatment used by Marshall, what do you think is his hypothesis about (1 mark)
gastric ulcer?
(d) Suggest a method to test Marshall’s hypothesis. What result would be obtained if his (2 marks)
hypothesis is correct?
(e) Explain the importance of the churning action of the stomach in the digestion of food. (3 marks)

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Nutrition in humans_LQ Past Paper Practice DL

11. 06-2
The table below shows the average amount of water entering the alimentary canal and the average amount being
absorbed in the intestine of a persons each day:

(a) Based on the above information, how much water is egested with faces each day? (1 mark)
(Note: Neglect the amount of water absorbed in the other parts of the alimentary canal.)
(b) Give two examples of secretions that enter the alimentary canal. (2 marks)
(c) (i) Based on one structural difference between the small intestine and the large (2 marks)
intestine, explain why a much larger volume of water is absorbed in the small
intestine.
(ii) Explain how the absorption of digested food facilitates the absorption of water in (2 marks)
the small intestine.

12. 07-6
Read the paragraph below and answer the questions that follow.
Gastric reflux describes a backflow of the gastric juice from the stomach into the oesophagus. This can irritate
and sometimes damage the lining of the oesophagus, giving a feeling of heartburn. In Hong Kong, the rate of
patient suffering from gastric reflux rose from 2.3 per 10 000 in 1996 to 6.2 per 10 000 in 2005. It is believed that
the alarming rise is related to the lifestyles of people in Hong Kong. These include having midnight snack right
before sleeping, excessive fatty foods, large meals, irregular mealtime, and drinking a lot of alcohol or coffee.
(a) (i) With reference to the content of gastric juice, suggest a probable reason for its (1 mark)
damage to the oesophagus.
(ii) Food entering the small intestine carries some gastric juice from the stomach. (3 marks)
Explain why the gastric juice does not normally damage the small intestine.
(b) Suggest why the backflow of gastric juice is more likely to occur if a person has a meal (3 marks)
just before sleeping.
(c) A patient suffering from severe gastric reflux will also likely to tooth decay. Give an (2 marks)
explanation for this.

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Nutrition in humans_LQ Past Paper Practice DL

13. 08-1
The following diagram shows part of the human digestive system.

(a) Describe how structure A helps the digestion of food. (4 marks)

(b) The table below lists some information about the components of the secretion (5 marks)
from structures B and C. Complete the table.

Some components of the secretion Function

B Mucus (i)
Hydrochloric acid (ii)
Protease (iii)
C Amylase Break down starch into maltose
Lipase (iv)
(v) Neutralize acid from gastric juice

14. 09-1
The diagram below shows the human digestive system:

(a) Describe the digestion processes that take place at part X. (2 marks)
(b) (i) Name structure Y. (1 mark)
(ii) With reference to one feature of structure Y observable in the above diagram, (2 marks)
explain how this feature facilitates the absorption of digested food.
(c) Explain a role of the digestive system in body defense. (2 marks)

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Nutrition in humans_LQ Past Paper Practice DL

15. 11-9b
Obesity is a known risk factor for a number of diseases.
(i) One health problem associated with obesity is gallstones (pebble-like substances (3 marks)
developed inside the gall bladder). Describe how food digestion would be affected if the
bile duct of an obese man is blocked by gallstones.
(ii) For health reasons, an obese woman is considering the following methods to lose weight.
Method 1: Taking a medicine that induces diarrhea (a condition in which watery faeces is egested)
Method 2: Inserting a silicone balloon into her stomach through the mouth and filling
it up with water (Figure 1)

(1) Suggest how the medicine in Method 1 can lead to a rapid removal of the faeces (1 mark)
in the woman’s intestine.
(2) From a nutritional point of view, suggest a harmful effect of the medicine in (1 mark)
Method 1 on the womans’ health.
(3) Explain how Method 2 can help the woman lose weight. (4 marks)
(4) Apart from the above methods, suggest a method which would help the woman (1 mark)
lose weight in a healthy way.

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Nutrition in humans_LQ Past Paper Practice DL

16. 12-10
In mammals, the production of bile salts is very limited at birth and during early developmental stages. In an
investigation of the effect of bile supplementation on fat digestion in piglets, four groups of piglets were fed with
the same diet except that bile was added to diets in the proportion of 0, 0.15%, 0.30% and 0.45% respectively for 15
days. Faecal samples were collected each day for analysis and the body weights of the piglets were monitored. The
results are shown in the table below:

Bile level in diet (%)

0 0.15 0.30 0.45
Average initial body weight (kg) 4.90 4.46 4.65 4.52
Average final body weight (kg) 7.15 7.36 7.81 7.92
Average dry weight of fat in the faeces (%) 6.52 5.81 4.65 3.78

(a) How do bile salts help with fat digestion? (2 marks)

(b) What was the effect of bile supplementation on fat digestion in the above investigation? (2 marks)
Explain your answer.
(c) Suggest why it is important to monitor the body weight of the piglets in this (1 mark)
investigation.
(d) Suggest an in vitro experimental method that allows a direct measurement of the (3 marks)
digestion of fat in a laboratory.

17. 13-3
Figure A shows a section of part of the human alimentary canal. Figure B shows another section of the same part
with blood vessels stained.

(a) Which part of the alimentary canal is shown in the figures? Support your answer with (2 marks)
evidence.
(b) For each of the above figures, describe one observable feature and explain how it is related to the
functioning of this part of the alimentary canal.
A: (2 marks)
B: (3 marks)

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Nutrition in humans_LQ Past Paper Practice DL

18. 20-4
The following diagram shows a cell membrane and the movement of some substances across it:

(a) Label structure A and B. (2 marks)

(ii) X and Y represent two different processes by which substances pass through the cell membrane.
(i) Give one digested product which is absorbed through process X in the human (1 mark)
body.
(ii) Give one digested product which is absorbed through process Y in the human (1 mark)
body.
(iii) The digested products absorbed through process X are transported from the small (3 marks)
intestine to the heart. Complete the following flowchart to show the vessels
involved in the transport.

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Nutrition in humans_LQ Past Paper Practice DL

19. 21-1
The diagram below shows the presence of gallstones in some parts of the human digestive system:

(a) Label structure A. (1 mark)

(b) With reference to two components of the secretion released from duct B, explain how (4 marks)
the condition shown in the above diagram would lead to a decrease in the rate of fat
digestion.

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Nutrition in humans_LQ Past Paper Practice DL

20. 23-10ab
Cassava is a crop which grows in areas with poor soil and a low rainfall. It produces starchy root tubers which
serves as a major food source in Africa.
(a) Give the location(s) where the chemical digestion of starch takes place in the human (1 mark)
digestive tract.
(b) Table I below shows some nutritional information of cassava while Table II lists the daily
energy and protein requirements recommended for boys at age 16.

In Africa, some low-income families may rely only on cassava for food for a long period.
(i) A 16-year old boy relies only on cassava for food. Calculate the fresh weight of (1 mark)
cassava he needs to consume so as to meet his recommended daily energy
requirement.
(ii) After consuming cassava only for a period of time, this boy develops swollen feet due to the
accumulation of tissue fluid.
(1) How much protein can he obtain from the amount of cassava consumed (1 mark)
in (i)?
(2) According to Table II, predict the difference of the blood protein level of (2 marks)
this boy when compared with that of normal healthy boys of the same
age. Explain your answer.
(3) Based on your answer in (2), explain why this would lead to the (2 marks)
accumulation of tissue fluid in his feet.

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