Lesson 1.3.1

1.3.1 Interpreting illness and mortality data Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Biology, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 1.3.1, Interpreting illness and mortality data: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Biology (9BI0), Unit 1: Lifestyle, Health and Risk, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is the mortality rate per 100 000 people if 250 deaths occur in a population of 500 000 people over one year?

    • 50 deaths per 100 000 people
    • 5 deaths per 100 000 people
    • 500 deaths per 100 000 people
    • 250 deaths per 100 000 people

  2. Which measure gives the proportion of a population that has a disease at a given time?

    • Relative risk
    • Incidence
    • Mortality rate
    • Prevalence

  3. Which measure counts the number of new cases of a disease arising in a population over a set period?

    • Survival rate
    • Prevalence
    • Incidence
    • Odds ratio

  4. Why are age-standardised death rates used to compare mortality in different populations?

    • Measure life expectancy
    • Increase sample size
    • Adjust for age
    • Eliminate sample bias

  5. A town has 20 000 people, and 60 people die of CVD in a year. What is the CVD mortality rate per 100 000 people?

    • 30 per 100 000
    • 60 per 100 000
    • 300 per 100 000
    • 3000 per 100 000

  6. What type of variable is hot weather when ice cream sales correlate with drowning deaths?

    • Control variable
    • Independent variable
    • Confounding variable
    • Dependent variable

  7. What does a positive correlation between two measured variables indicate?

    • No relationship exists
    • One increases one decreases
    • Both increase together
    • Both decrease together

  8. What does a negative correlation between fruit intake and blood pressure show?

    • Positive relationship
    • No correlation
    • Direct cause
    • Inverse relationship

  9. Why might two separate epidemiological studies on the same risk factor produce conflicting results?

    • Same target population
    • Identical methodology
    • Different sample sizes
    • Controlled genetics

  10. A cohort of 10 000 people is followed for ten years. Of the 2000 people who smoke, 300 develop lung disease, compared with 200 of the 8000 non-smokers. What is the approximate relative risk for smokers?

    • About 6
    • About 1.5
    • About 10
    • About 0.2

  11. Which term describes a variable that is associated with both the risk factor and the disease, and so can give a false impression of a causal link?

    • Control variable
    • Confounding variable
    • Dependent variable
    • Independent variable

  12. Why does a statistical correlation between a risk factor and disease not prove causation?

    • Confounding factors exist
    • Sample size is large
    • Data is quantitative
    • Variables are continuous

  13. Which type of evidence provides the strongest support for a causal relationship?

    • Controlled intervention trial
    • Anecdotal report
    • Cross-sectional survey
    • Single case study

  14. A population of 5 million has 800 deaths. What is the crude death rate per 100 000?

    • 16
    • 12
    • 20
    • 8

  15. Why might recorded disease mortality rise without a true increase in incidence?

    • Decreased population size
    • Increased life expectancy
    • Lower reporting standards
    • Improved diagnosis methods

  16. What does a relative risk value greater than 1 indicate for an exposed group?

    • Lower risk
    • Zero risk
    • No risk difference
    • Higher risk

  17. What missing information prevents a fair comparison of crude death rates between two countries?

    • Age structure
    • Total population
    • Geographic area
    • Currency value

  18. A study reports that 15% of people with high LDL cholesterol had a heart attack, compared with 5% of people with normal LDL. What is the absolute difference in risk?

    • 3 percentage points
    • 15 percentage points
    • 300 percentage points
    • 10 percentage points

  19. What do confidence intervals show when presented alongside a risk estimate?

    • Statistical significance only
    • Precision of estimate
    • Causal proof
    • Sample selection bias

  20. Which study design provides the weakest evidence for establishing a causal link?

    • Cross-sectional survey
    • Longitudinal study
    • Prospective cohort study
    • Randomised controlled trial

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