Lesson 3.3.4.1.1

3.3.4.1.1 Circulatory system, arteries, veins and capillaries Quiz: AQA Biology, Unit 3

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.3.4.1.1, Circulatory system, arteries, veins and capillaries: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Biology (7402), Unit 3: Organisms exchange substances with their environment, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which vessel carries deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle to the lungs?

    • The vena cava
    • The pulmonary artery
    • The aorta
    • The pulmonary vein

  2. Which blood vessel carries oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium?

    • The pulmonary artery
    • The vena cava
    • The coronary artery
    • The pulmonary vein

  3. Which vessels supply the heart muscle itself with oxygenated blood?

    • The vena cava, which carries blood from the body to the right atrium.
    • The pulmonary veins, which return blood from the lungs.
    • The renal arteries, which branch from the aorta to supply the kidneys.
    • The coronary arteries, which branch from the aorta.

  4. What is the structural feature of an artery that adapts it to carry blood at high pressure?

    • A thick wall of cartilage with a large lumen and no elastic tissue.
    • A thin wall with no elastic fibres and a very wide lumen.
    • A wall made only of endothelium with valves at regular intervals.
    • A thick muscular and elastic wall with a narrow lumen.

  5. What is the function of valves in veins?

    • They increase the pressure of blood as it flows through the veins.
    • They produce a pulse felt through the skin over the artery.
    • They release oxygen from haemoglobin into the tissue fluid.
    • They prevent backflow, maintaining a unidirectional flow of blood towards the heart.

  6. What is the structural feature of a capillary that makes it an effective exchange surface?

    • It has a cellulose wall reinforced with lignin that prevents any exchange with tissues.
    • It has a wall only one cell thick, with a narrow lumen that brings blood close to tissues.
    • It has a thick muscular wall that prevents substances from leaving the blood plasma.
    • It has a wide lumen with several cells in the wall to store and release oxygen.

  7. How is tissue fluid formed from the blood in a capillary bed?

    • Co-transport with sodium ions removes water from the lumen into the cells of the wall.
    • Hydrostatic pressure at the arterial end forces water and small solutes out through gaps between cells.
    • Active transport moves red blood cells out of the capillary into the surrounding tissues.
    • Osmosis draws large plasma proteins out of the capillary into the cells at the venous end.

  8. What happens to most of the tissue fluid at the venous end of a capillary bed?

    • It stays in the tissues permanently, because the capillary walls become impermeable.
    • All of it leaves the capillary and enters the arteries to be returned to the heart.
    • Most of it is reabsorbed into the capillary, while the rest drains into the lymphatic system.
    • It is converted into red blood cells by the cells in the surrounding tissue.

  9. Which feature of the coronary arteries is most relevant to the heart's blood supply?

    • They carry deoxygenated blood from the body to the right atrium of the heart.
    • They supply the heart wall, and blockage of them can cause a heart attack.
    • They carry blood from the lungs back to the heart in a single pulse.
    • They carry blood from the kidneys to the liver for filtration of toxins.

  10. Which feature of the circulation maintains a unidirectional flow of blood through the heart?

    • The thin walls of the atria, which allow blood to move forwards by osmosis.
    • The valves, which open and close in response to pressure changes during the cardiac cycle.
    • The large diameter of the aorta, which pushes blood in one direction only.
    • The coronary arteries, which contract to pump blood in a single direction.

  11. During ventricular systole, which valves are open and which are closed?

    • The atrioventricular valves are open and the semilunar valves are closed.
    • Both the atrioventricular valves and the semilunar valves are closed.
    • Both the atrioventricular valves and the semilunar valves are open.
    • The semilunar valves are open and the atrioventricular valves are closed.

  12. The pressure in the left ventricle rises rapidly, and the pressure in the aorta follows. Which event is taking place?

    • Atrial systole, in which the atria contract and fill the ventricles with blood.
    • Ventricular systole, in which the ventricle contracts and pumps blood into the aorta.
    • Atrial diastole, in which the atria relax and draw in blood from the veins.
    • Ventricular diastole, in which the ventricle relaxes and draws in blood from the atria.

  13. Why does the pressure in capillaries fall progressively along their length?

    • The capillary walls become thicker along the length, which reduces the pressure in the lumen.
    • The capillaries contain valves that stop the flow of blood, which reduces the pressure.
    • Friction between the blood and the vessel walls reduces the pressure as blood flows along the capillary.
    • The heart stops pumping blood once it reaches the capillaries, which reduces the pressure steadily.

  14. A student claims that veins have higher blood pressure than arteries, because they carry blood back to the heart. Evaluate this claim.

    • The claim is wrong, because blood pressure falls as it moves through the circulation, so veins have lower pressure.
    • The claim is correct, because the veins must push blood against gravity to return it to the heart.
    • The claim is correct, because veins have thicker walls and a narrower lumen than arteries.
    • The claim is partly correct, because veins have a higher pressure only during ventricular systole.

  15. Which chamber of the heart receives oxygenated blood from the pulmonary veins?

    • The right ventricle
    • The left ventricle
    • The left atrium
    • The right atrium

  16. Which vessel returns deoxygenated blood from the upper body to the right atrium?

    • The renal vein, which drains the kidneys and enters the inferior vena cava.
    • The superior vena cava
    • The aorta, which carries oxygenated blood away from the left ventricle.
    • The pulmonary artery, which leads from the right ventricle to the lungs.

  17. A person has a stroke volume of 70 cm^3 and a heart rate of 75 beats per minute. What is their cardiac output?

    • 1050 cm^3 per minute
    • 525 cm^3 per minute
    • 5250 cm^3 per minute
    • 52.5 cm^3 per minute

  18. Which description of atrial systole is correct?

    • The ventricles contract and close the AV valves so that blood is forced into the aorta.
    • The atria relax and draw in blood from the pulmonary veins while the semilunar valves are open.
    • The semilunar valves close and the atria fill with blood that has returned from the aorta.
    • The atria contract and push the remaining blood through the open AV valves into the ventricles.

  19. A student claims that all tissue fluid returns to the capillary at the arterial end. Evaluate this claim.

    • The claim is right, because hydrostatic pressure is highest at the venous end, pushing fluid back into the capillary.
    • The claim is partly right, because tissue fluid returns to the capillary only through the lymphatic system.
    • The claim is right, because plasma proteins are absorbed at the arterial end by active transport.
    • The claim is wrong, because most tissue fluid returns at the venous end, and the rest drains into lymph vessels.

  20. What is the main reason arteries show elastic recoil between heartbeats?

    • Cartilage rings hold the artery open against the force of blood pressure at all times.
    • Smooth muscle contracts continuously to pump blood through the artery without the heart.
    • Semilunar valves close in the artery during diastole to hold the blood in the artery.
    • Elastic fibres stretch when blood is pumped in and recoil to maintain pressure between heartbeats.

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