Lesson 3.6.1.1.1

3.6.1.1.1 Responses that increase survival: tropisms, taxes and kineses Quiz: AQA Biology, Unit 6

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.6.1.1.1, Responses that increase survival: tropisms, taxes and kineses: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Biology (7402), Unit 6: Organisms respond to changes in their internal and external environments, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is a tropism?

    • A movement of an animal away from all light
    • A directional growth response of a plant to a directional stimulus
    • A reflex action carried out by the spinal cord
    • A non-directional change in speed of an animal

  2. What is a taxis?

    • A change in the rate of movement that does not depend on direction
    • A growth response of a root tip to water
    • A directional movement of a whole organism towards or away from a stimulus
    • A protective reflex that occurs in the brain

  3. What is a kinesis?

    • A directional movement towards a light source
    • A non-directional change in the speed of movement or rate of turning in response to a stimulus
    • A plant growth response to gravity
    • A reflex involving three neurones

  4. Which plant hormone-like substance is involved in the response of shoots to light?

    • Insulin
    • Acetylcholine
    • Adrenaline
    • Indoleacetic acid (IAA)

  5. What is the function of a simple reflex?

    • It produces a rapid, protective response to a stimulus without the need for conscious thought
    • It makes a plant grow towards water
    • It causes the heart to beat faster
    • It increases the rate of photosynthesis

  6. How many neurones are involved in a three-neurone simple reflex arc?

    • One: motor only
    • Two: sensory and motor
    • Four: sensory, relay, motor and effector
    • Three: sensory, relay and motor

  7. In a shoot, what happens to IAA on the shaded side when a plant is exposed to light from one direction?

    • It accumulates on the shaded side, promoting cell elongation there
    • It moves to the light side and stops elongation there
    • It is destroyed on the shaded side only
    • It is removed from the shoot by transpiration

  8. A woodlouse moves faster and turns more often in dry air than in humid air. What type of response is this?

    • Tropism
    • Reflex
    • Kinesis
    • Taxis

  9. A maggot moves towards a light source. What is this response?

    • Chemotropism
    • Kinesis
    • Positive phototaxis
    • Negative geotropism

  10. A woodlouse is placed in a choice chamber with two different humidity conditions. Which is the most suitable dependent variable?

    • The temperature of the chamber
    • The colour of the chamber walls
    • The number of woodlice in each compartment after a set time
    • The number of legs on each woodlouse

  11. A woodlouse investigation shows it moves 12 cm per minute in dry conditions and 4 cm per minute in damp conditions. How many times faster is it moving in dry conditions?

    • 4 times
    • 1/3 times
    • 8 times
    • 3 times

  12. Why does a root respond differently from a shoot to the same concentration of IAA?

    • Roots are more sensitive, so a concentration that promotes shoot elongation inhibits root elongation
    • Roots produce IAA only when they are in light
    • Shoots are more sensitive to IAA only in the dark
    • Roots contain no IAA receptors at all

  13. Which observation is the best evidence that a response is a taxis rather than a kinesis?

    • The organism stops moving after the stimulus is removed
    • The organism moves faster when the stimulus is stronger
    • The organism moves consistently towards or away from the stimulus
    • The organism turns more often in the stimulus

  14. A plant is grown in the dark and then exposed to light from one side only. What response is expected?

    • The shoot bends towards the light because IAA promotes elongation on the shaded side
    • The shoot grows straight up because IAA is equal on both sides
    • The shoot does not bend because IAA is only made in the dark
    • The shoot bends away from the light because IAA is destroyed by light

  15. Why are taxes and kineses useful to a mobile organism?

    • They allow the organism to produce its own IAA
    • They increase the rate of photosynthesis in the organism
    • They make the organism grow new tissue
    • They help the organism remain in a favourable environment

  16. Which feature of a three-neurone reflex makes it protective?

    • It produces a rapid response without the need for the brain to process the information first
    • It involves only plant cells
    • It takes several hours to produce a response
    • It involves the release of hormones into the blood

  17. In the shoot response to light, what advantage does bending towards light give the plant?

    • It increases the light received by leaves, so more photosynthesis can take place
    • It removes the need for water
    • It prevents the plant from producing IAA
    • It increases the number of roots

  18. A kinesis investigation with mealworms measures how often they turn at different light intensities. Which result would show a kinesis?

    • They move away from the light in a straight line
    • They turn more often in bright light, but do not move towards or away from the light
    • They move consistently towards the light source
    • They turn only when the light is switched off

  19. A plant shoot is exposed to light from one direction. Which factor changes the shoot's response most directly?

    • The amount of water in the soil only
    • The number of chloroplasts in the root
    • The length of the plant's roots
    • The uneven distribution of IAA across the shoot

  20. Which of the following statements about IAA and cell elongation is correct?

    • IAA causes cells to divide but never elongate
    • Higher IAA concentration on one side increases cell elongation on that side of a shoot
    • IAA only affects the cell membrane of roots
    • IAA reduces cell elongation in all shoots

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