HKDSE Biology – a modern approach 5

Suggested answers to coursebook exercises

27 Regulation of Body Temperature

Check your progress

27.1 Regulation of body temperature

True or false

1. F
2. T
3. T
4. F (1 mark each)
(Total: 4 marks)

27.2 The skin and body temperature regulation

A. Matching

1. E
2. G
3. H
4. I
5. D
6. C
7. B
8. F
9. J
10. A (1 mark each)
(Total: 10 marks)

B. Fill in the blanks

When it is hot When it is cold
1. hairs (lie flat/raised) lie flat raised
2. erector muscles
relax contract
(relax/contract)
3. arterioles near the skin surface
dilate constrict
(dilate/constrict)

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 HKDSE Biology – a modern approach 5
Suggested answers to coursebook exercises

4. sweating (increases/decreases) increases decreases

(1/2 mark each)
(Total: 4 marks)

27.3 Muscles and heat production

27.4 Hormonal control of body temperature

Multiple choice

1. B
2. D
3. B (1 mark each)
(Total: 3 marks)

27.5 The hypothalamus as the regulatory centre

27.6 Behavioural control of body temperature

Multiple choice

1. D
2. A
3. B
4. C (1 mark each)
(Total: 4 marks)

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 HKDSE Biology – a modern approach 5
Suggested answers to coursebook exercises

Revision Exercise

Structured questions

1. (a) layer X: epidermis (1 mark)

layer Y: dermis (1 mark)
(b) Any two of the following: (2 marks)
- It provides physical protection / prevents invasion of pathogens / prevents water loss.
- It produces vitamin D.
- It provides camouflage / protective colour.
(c) Structure C contracts (1 mark)
and pulls the base of structure A which therefore becomes erect. (1 mark)
A thicker layer of air is trapped among structure A. (1 mark)
As a result, less heat is lost from the skin. (1 mark)
(d) structure D (1 mark)
When the air temperature is higher than the body temperature, the body can only lose
heat to the surroundings by the evaporation of sweat. (1 mark)
but not by radiation and conduction when it is against the temperature gradient.
(1 mark)
(Total: 11 marks)

2. (a) rate of oxygen consumption / carbon dioxide production / heat loss (1 mark)
(b) The metabolic rate increases. (1 mark)
This is because when the air temperature decreases from 30ºC to 25ºC, the rate of heat
loss from the body / skin increases. (1 mark)
Increase in metabolic rate helps maintain the body temperature constant / compensates
the increase in heat loss. (1 mark)
(c) Sweating increases (1 mark)
so that more heat can be lost from the skin by the evaporation of sweat. (1 mark)
Vasodilation occurs / Arterioles in the skin dilates (1 mark)
so that more blood flows through the capillaries near the skin surface and more heat
can be lost by conduction and radiation. (1 mark)
(d) This is because heat loss by conduction and radiation could not occur from 37ºC to
40ºC /against temperature gradient. (1 mark)
In addition, the water heat lost by the evaporation of sweat would be reduced
significantly when the relative humidity rose to 99%. (1 mark)
As a result, the body would be over-heated / enzymes in the body would be denatured.
(1 mark)
(Total: 11 marks)

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 HKDSE Biology – a modern approach 5
Suggested answers to coursebook exercises

3. (a) Both the rate of sweating and rate of blood flow through capillaries (1 mark)
increased after exercise. (1 mark)
(b) The body temperature increased (1 mark)
because muscle contractions produced a lot of heat during exercise. (1 mark)
(c) As the body temperature increased during exercise, sweating increased, so that more
heat could be lost from the skin by evaporation of sweat. (1 mark)
Moreover, the rate of blood flow through capillaries also increased so that more heat
could be lost from the skin by radiation and conduction. (1 mark)
The combined effect canceled out the increased heat production during exercise
(1 mark)
so as to restore the body temperature to normal / prevent over-heating. (1 mark)
(d) Hairs would lie flat on the skin. (1 mark)
This change contributes to temperature regulation by reducing the thickness of air
trapped between hairs (1 mark)
so as to promote heat loss by radiation and conduction. (1 mark)
(Total: 11 marks)

© 2010 Aristo Educational Press Ltd. 4