Lesson T2.2.4

T2.2.4 Aerobic and anaerobic respiration compared Quiz: KS3 Biology, Unit 2

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson T2.2.4, Aerobic and anaerobic respiration compared: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 Biology (National Curriculum), Unit 2: Material cycles and energy, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which statement compares oxygen use correctly?

    • Aerobic respiration uses oxygen, anaerobic respiration does not
    • Anaerobic respiration uses oxygen, while aerobic respiration does not
    • Neither type uses glucose
    • Both types use oxygen as a reactant

  2. Which type of respiration releases more energy per glucose molecule?

    • Anaerobic respiration
    • Aerobic respiration
    • Neither releases energy
    • Both release the same amount

  3. Which type of respiration is more likely to cause muscle fatigue?

    • Oxygen supply exceeding demand
    • Aerobic respiration producing carbon dioxide
    • Anaerobic respiration producing lactic acid
    • Aerobic respiration producing water

  4. Which respiration does a marathon runner mainly use over a long race?

    • Anaerobic respiration, because long runs need little energy
    • Fermentation, because it releases more energy
    • Aerobic respiration, because oxygen can keep up
    • Neither type, because muscles do not respire during running

  5. Which condition would most likely make an organism switch to anaerobic respiration?

    • The temperature is very low
    • Oxygen supply cannot meet energy demand
    • Oxygen supply is greater than energy demand
    • Plenty of light is available

  6. What are the products of anaerobic respiration in yeast?

    • Oxygen and glucose, which are used up by the yeast cells
    • Carbon dioxide and water, which are made in the mitochondria
    • Lactic acid and water, which are made by human muscles
    • Ethanol and carbon dioxide

  7. Which statement about the location of respiration is correct?

    • Both types happen only in chloroplasts
    • Aerobic respiration happens only in the nucleus
    • Anaerobic respiration happens only in the mitochondria
    • Glucose is first broken down in the cytoplasm

  8. Why does lactic acid need oxygen to be removed from muscles?

    • Oxygen turns lactic acid into glucose
    • Oxygen stops lactic acid forming
    • Oxygen dissolves lactic acid into carbon dioxide
    • Oxygen is needed to break lactic acid down

  9. Which type of respiration produces carbon dioxide in human cells?

    • Both produce carbon dioxide only
    • Neither produces carbon dioxide
    • Aerobic respiration
    • Anaerobic respiration in muscles

  10. Which type of respiration is typical of a short sprint?

    • Photosynthesis, because sprinters use light energy from the sun
    • Fermentation, because yeast cells are found inside the muscles
    • Anaerobic respiration, as energy is needed faster than oxygen arrives
    • Aerobic respiration only, because sprinting needs no energy at all from food

  11. What is a disadvantage of anaerobic respiration in humans?

    • Lactic acid builds up and causes muscle fatigue
    • It makes the muscles glow brightly during exercise
    • It produces too much oxygen for the blood stream to carry
    • It removes carbon dioxide from the lungs and the blood

  12. Which pair compares the two types of respiration correctly?

    • Both produce ethanol and give no energy
    • Both use oxygen and give the same energy
    • Aerobic uses no oxygen and gives less energy; anaerobic uses oxygen and gives more energy
    • Aerobic needs oxygen and gives more energy; anaerobic gives less

  13. Why do fish in an overcrowded tank sometimes gasp at the surface?

    • Fish stop making lactic acid in their gills and muscles
    • Fish need more carbon dioxide to breathe in crowded water
    • Dissolved oxygen falls, so aerobic respiration slows
    • Fish turn glucose into oxygen gas in their gills

  14. Why do yeast cells respire anaerobically in bread dough?

    • Yeast cannot respire at all without a supply of air
    • The dough is full of light that the yeast can use
    • Little oxygen is present in the dough
    • The dough contains lots of oxygen from the flour

  15. Which statement about lactic acid and ethanol is correct?

    • Ethanol is made by human muscles, while lactic acid is made by yeast
    • Muscles make lactic acid; yeast makes ethanol
    • Both are made by plants in photosynthesis
    • Both are made by aerobic respiration in mitochondria

  16. Why do athletes train to improve aerobic fitness?

    • So muscles store more lactic acid in the blood during rest
    • So muscles can photosynthesise during exercise
    • So muscles can use oxygen to supply energy for longer
    • So muscles stop respiring during rest periods

  17. Which two gases are exchanged between the blood and the lungs?

    • Hydrogen and ethanol
    • Lactic acid and oxygen
    • Oxygen and carbon dioxide
    • Nitrogen and water vapour, which are both in exhaled air

  18. What is the end product of anaerobic respiration in flooded plant roots?

    • Lactic acid only, which is made by flooded root cells
    • Ethanol and carbon dioxide
    • Glucose and starch, which are stored in the flooded roots
    • Oxygen and water, which are both made in the root cells

  19. Why do plant roots in waterlogged soil eventually become damaged?

    • They respire anaerobically and cannot release enough energy
    • They stop taking in water entirely from the wet soil around them
    • They absorb too much light from the soil around them
    • They make too much oxygen in the root cells in the soil

  20. Which feature of the lungs makes gas exchange efficient?

    • A thick waxy coating that blocks gases from the blood
    • A strong flow of water through the alveoli
    • A large surface area with a thin, moist lining
    • Narrow airways with no blood supply at all to the walls

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