Movement: skeleton, joints and musclesIB MYP Biology: Subtopic test

1. 1
   A handball goalkeeper in Denmark dives across the goal to block a shot. Her shoulder swings her arm in a wide circle to reach the ball, and her elbow bends and straightens as she stretches out and pulls her hand back.

   (a)

   Which type of joint is the goalkeeper's shoulder?

   [1 mark]

   • AHinge
   • BFixed
   • CBall and socket
   • DGliding

   (b)

   Her skeleton does more than allow her to move. Which of these is another function of the skeleton?

   [1 mark]

   • ADigesting food
   • BProducing hormones for growth
   • CAbsorbing oxygen
   • DMaking blood cells in the bone marrow

   (c)

   Explain how the biceps and triceps work together to bend and then straighten her elbow.

   [2 marks]

   Total for question 1: 4 marks

2. 2
   A physiotherapist is explaining knee injuries to a young runner who twisted her knee during a cross-country race in Kenya. The scan shows no broken bones, but there is some damage to the soft tissues in and around the joint where her thigh bone meets her shin bone. Her Achilles tendon, which joins her calf muscle to her heel bone, is also sore.

   (a)

   The knee is a hinge joint. Which movement does it allow?

   [1 mark]

   • ABending and straightening in one plane only
   • BRotating in all directions
   • CSliding freely in any direction
   • DNo movement at all

   (b)

   Which tissue covers the ends of the bones in the knee, reducing friction and absorbing shocks?

   [1 mark]

   • ATendon
   • BCartilage
   • CLigament
   • DMuscle

   (c)

   State the function of a tendon and explain why a torn Achilles tendon would stop the runner pushing off the ground with her foot.

   [2 marks]

   Total for question 2: 4 marks

3. 3
   A sports science student wants to find out whether eight weeks of daily biceps curls, lifting a 2 kg weight by bending the elbow, increases the number of curls a person can do in one minute. She tests six volunteers from her class at the start and again after the eight weeks. The mean number of curls rises from 18 to 27.

   (a)

   State a testable hypothesis for this investigation with a scientific reason, and identify one variable that the student must control.

   [3 marks]

   (b)

   Evaluate the investigation by identifying two weaknesses in the method and suggesting an improvement for each.

   [4 marks]

   Total for question 3: 7 marks

4. 4
   A hospital in a country with an ageing population treats many older patients whose hip joint is painful because the cartilage has worn away. Doctors can replace the damaged joint with an artificial one made of metal and plastic. The operation is costly, and patients need several weeks of physiotherapy afterwards.

   (a)

   Explain how the structure of the hip, a ball and socket joint, allows the leg to move smoothly and safely, and why worn cartilage causes pain.

   [6 marks]

   (b)

   Discuss and evaluate the hospital's use of artificial hip replacement operations for older patients.

   [6 marks]

   Total for question 4: 12 marks

End of questions