Muscle Function Exam Questions

Q1.
(a) What is the role of phosphocreatine (PC) in providing energy during muscle
contraction?

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(2)

Scientists investigated the time for phosphocreatine (PC) to be re-formed in arm muscles
after the same exercise in healthy people of different ages. The exercise involved brief,
rapid contractions of arm muscles.

The figure below shows the scientists’ results. Each cross is the result for one person.

Age / years

(b) There is a lot of variation in the time taken for PC to be re-formed in people of a very
similar age.

Suggest one reason for this variation.

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(1)

(c) Use your knowledge of fast muscle fibres to explain the data in the figure.

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Muscle Function Exam Questions
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(Extra space) ________________________________________________________

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(4)
(Total 7 marks)

Q2.
(a) Describe the part played by each of the following in myofibril contraction.

(i) Tropomyosin

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(2)

(ii) Myosin

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(2)

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Muscle Function Exam Questions

(b) The table shows features of fast and slow muscle fibres.

Fast muscle Slow muscle

Feature
fibre fibre

Type of
Mainly anaerobic Mainly aerobic
respiration

High Low
Glycogen
concentration concentration

Capillaries Few Many

Use information from the table to suggest and explain one advantage of:

(i) the high glycogen content of fast muscle fibres

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(2)

(ii) the number of capillaries supplying slow muscle fibres.

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(2)
(Total 8 marks)

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Muscle Function Exam Questions

Q3.
The diagram shows two relaxed sarcomeres from skeletal muscle.

(a) When the sarcomeres contract, what happens to the length of

(i) the I-band

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(1)

(ii) the A-band?

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(1)

(b) The length of each sarcomere in the diagram is 2.2 μm. Use this information to
calculate the magnification of the diagram. Show your working.

Magnification ____________________
(2)

(c) People who have McArdle’s disease produce less ATP than healthy people. As a
result, they are not able to maintain strong muscle contraction during exercise. Use
your knowledge of the sliding filament theory to suggest why.

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Muscle Function Exam Questions
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(Extra space)________________________________________________________

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(3)
(Total 7 marks)

Q4.
This question should be written in continuous prose, where appropriate.

(a) Explain how a resting potential is maintained in a neurone.

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(4)

(b) In an investigation, an impulse was generated in a neurone using electrodes. During

transmission along the neurone, an action potential was recorded at one point on
the neurone. When the impulse reached the neuromuscular junction, it stimulated a
muscle cell to contract. The force generated by the contraction was measured. The
results are shown in the graph.

The distance between the point on the neurone where the action potential was
measured and the neuromuscular junction was exactly 18 mm.

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Muscle Function Exam Questions

(i) Use the graph to estimate the time between the maximum depolarisation and
the start of contraction by the muscle cell.

Time ____________________ ms
(1)

(ii) Use your answer to part (i) to calculate the speed of transmission along this
neurone to the muscle cell. Give your answer in mm per second.

Show your working.

Speed ____________________ mm s–1

(2)

(iii) Give one reason why the value calculated in part (ii) would be an
underestimate of the speed of transmission of an impulse along a neurone.

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(1)

Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter at neuromuscular junctions.

(c) Describe how the release of acetylcholine into a neuromuscular junction causes the
cell membrane of a muscle fibre to depolarise.

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Muscle Function Exam Questions
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(3)

(d) Use your knowledge of the processes occurring at a neuromuscular junction to

explain each of the following.

(i) The cobra is a very poisonous snake. The molecular structure of cobra toxin is
similar to the molecular structure of acetylcholine. The toxin permanently
prevents muscle contraction.

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(2)

(ii) The insecticide DFP combines with the active site of the enzyme
acetylcholinesterase. The muscles stay contracted until the insecticide is lost
from the neuromuscular junction.

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(2)
(Total 15 marks)

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Muscle Function Exam Questions

Mark schemes

Q1.
(a) 1. (Phosphocreatine) provides phosphate / phosphorylates;
Accept Pi or P in circle
Reject phosphorus

2. To make ATP;
Accept:
ADP + CP → ATP + C
Neutral – provides ATP
2

(b) One suitable suggestion;

eg

1. Genetic differences;

2. Level of fitness / amount of regular exercise done / mass of muscle;

3. Sex;

4. Ethnicity

5. Metabolic rate;

6. Number of fast / slow muscle fibres

Neutral lifestyle / diet / illness
1 max

(c) 1. Fast muscle fibres used for rapid / brief / powerful / strong contractions;

2. Phosphocreatine used up rapidly during contraction / to make ATP;

3. (As people get older) slower metabolic rate / slower ATP production /
slower respiration;

4. ATP used to reform phosphocreatine;

4
[7]

Q2.
(a) (i) 1. Moves out of the way when calcium ions bind;
1. Accept shape change with Ca2+
1. Don't accept just “calcium”

2. Allowing myosin to bind (to actin) / crossbridge formation;

1. Accept presence of calcium ions leads to movement

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Muscle Function Exam Questions
instead of binds
Accept references to troponin
2

(ii) 1. Head (of myosin) binds to actin and moves / pulls / slides actin
past;
Q

2. (Myosin) detaches from actin and re-sets / moves further along

(actin)
1. Accept myosin power stroke (to move actin)
1. Accept push
1. Accept crossbridges form instead of myosin head binds to
actin
1. Must refer to myosin head or crossbridges

3. This uses ATP;

2 max

(b) (i) 1. (Glycogen broken down) gives (lots of) glucose for glycolysis /
anaerobic respiration;
1. Give if context of anaerobic respiration clear

2. Glycolysis / anaerobic respiration not very efficient / only yields 2

ATP per glucose;
2. Accept anaerobic respiration is a quick source of ATP for
exercise
2. Accept very little ATP
2

(ii) 1. (Many capillaries) give high concentration / lots of oxygen / shorter

diffusion pathway for oxygen / large surface area for oxygen
exchange / diffusion / good glucose supply with little glycogen
present;

2. Allows high rate of / more aerobic respiration OR prevents build-up

of lactic acid / (muscle) fatigue;
3. Accept idea of aerobic respiration during endurance
events / long periods of exercise
2
[8]

Q3.
(a) (i) Decreases;
Accept any word that means a decrease e.g. shorter /
narrower / smaller etc
1

(ii) Nothing / stays the same length / does not change;

1

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Muscle Function Exam Questions
(b) 1. Two marks for correct answer of 29545-30455;
Correct answer = 2 marks outright. Range allows for a 1mm
error in measuring

2. One mark for incorrect answers in which candidate clearly divides

measured width by actual width;
Ignore rounding up
2

(c) (Idea ATP is needed for:)

1. Attachment / cross bridges between actin and myosin;

Accept the role of ADP in attachment

2. ‘Power stroke’ / movement of myosin heads / pulling of actin;

Not just ‘filaments slide’ as given in the question stem

3. Detachment of myosin heads;

4. Myosin heads move back / to original position / ‘recovery stroke’

3 max
[7]

Q4.
(a) membrane relatively impermeable / less permeable to sodium ions / gated channels
are closed / fewer channels;
sodium ions pumped / actively transported out;
by sodium ion carrier / intrinsic proteins;
inside negative compared to outside / 3 sodium ions out for two potassium ions in;
(if sodium mentioned but not in context of ions, negate 1
mark)
4

(b) (i) 1.6;

1

(ii) 18 ÷ 1.6 = 11.25;

multiply by 1000 to convert from ms to s / 11 250;

(correct method = 1 mark, i.e. or × 1000)

(correct answer based on (b)(i) = 2 marks)
2

(iii) time for transmission / diffusion across the neuromuscular junction /

synapse;
time for muscle (fibrils) to contract;
1 max

(c) movement by diffusion;

binding to receptors on (post-synaptic) membrane;
causing sodium channels to open / sodium ions to move in to muscle (cell);

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Muscle Function Exam Questions
3

(d) (i) toxin binds to / competes for / blocks the acetylcholine receptors;
acetylcholine can not depolarise the membrane / the toxin does not
cause depolarisation;
(allow references to generating action potentials instead of
depolarisation, do not allow references to impulses in
muscles)
2

(ii) acetylcholinesterase is unable to breakdown acetylcholine;

acetylcholine still available to depolarise the membrane /
generate action potentials in the membrane;
2
[15]

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