CH 13 EXCRETION IN HUMANS

Note: 1. Urea is formed in the liver from excess amino acids. 2. CO 2 is excreted through the lungs. 3. Kidneys excrete
urea, excess water and salts.

(a) Define the term excretion.

(b) Fig. 3.1 shows a section through a kidney. 03/O/N/07

Using label lines and the letters given, label the following on Fig. 3.1.
F where filtration occurs, R the renal artery, U where urine passes to the bladder.
Fig. 8.1 shows the structures that produce urine and excrete it from the body.

Name the structures labelled L and M.

Write your answers on Fig. 8.1. [2]
(ii) Urea is excreted in the urine.
Name the organ that produces urea and suggest how urea is transferred to the kidneys.
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(b) In an investigation, the volume of urine produced by a student each day is measured.
The results are shown in Table 8.1.
Suggest three possible reasons for the lower volume of urine produced by the student on
day 5.
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2 .....................................................................................................................................................................
3 ......................................................................................................................................................................
(c) Outline three processes used in the treatment of sewage to make the water it contains safe
for human use.
1 ......................................................................................................................................................................
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3 ..........................................................................................................................................................................
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1 The kidneys remove metabolic waste from the liquid part of the blood. Name:
(i) the liquid part of the blood;……………………….
(ii) the process that involves removing metabolic waste from the body………………………….
Fig. 1.1 shows a kidney tubule and its associated blood vessels.

Table 1.1 shows the concentrations of some substances in the blood at X, the fluid at Y and the urine at Z.

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Fig. 3.1 shows the excretory system in a human male.

(b) Urine contains urea. (i) State where urea is produced in the body…………………………..
(ii) Name the substance which is broken down to produce urea……………………………
Table 3.2 compares the amounts of four different substances in blood plasma and urine.

22/M/J/15
9 (a) The kidney is an excretory organ. Name two other excretory organs in humans and in each case state a substance that
the organ excretes. 21/O/N/10
1. organ…………………………………………..substance excreted…………………………………….
2. organ………………………………………… substance excreted……………………………………..
(b) Table shows the amounts of some substances in the blood in the renal artery and in the renal vein of a healthy person.

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Green plants are living organisms and excrete substances Suggest one substance that plants excrete. 21/M/J/13
Fig. 6.1 shows a human kidney and the ureter attached to it.

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(c) (i) State where urea is formed……………………………

(ii) Explain why urea has to be produced.
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(iii) State how urea travels to the kidney.
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Fig. 5.1 shows a cross-section of a kidney.

Give one example, other than glucose, of a substance that is reabsorbed into the blood from the renal tubule
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(i) The composition of the dialysis fluid changes as it passes through the dialysis machine.
Complete Table 5.1 using the words ‘low’, ‘high’, ‘same’ or ‘none’ to show how the
concentration of each substance changes in the dialysis fluid.

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Kidney transplants are the most common organ transplants. Describe the advantages of a kidney transplant
compared with dialysis.
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The lungs and the kidneys are excretory organs of the human body.
(a) (i) Define the term excretion.
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(ii) State an excretory product that is passed out through the lungs.
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(iii) Outline the role of the liver in excretion.
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People with kidney disease are often treated in renal dialysis clinics. Their blood passes through tubes lined
with a special membrane for about three hours.(i) State two waste substances that are removed from the
blood by dialysis.
1 ...................................................................... 2 ………………………………………………………
(ii) Kidney patients may be given a kidney transplant. State one advantage and one disadvantage of kidney
transplants compared with dialysis.
advantage...........................................................................................................................................
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Disadvantage .....................................................................................................................................
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Explain the role of the kidney in excretion.

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(d) Testosterone is a steroid hormone that is also taken as a drug to improve sporting performance.(i) Define
the term hormone.
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(ii) State where testosterone is produced in the body.......................................................................................
(iii) State why testosterone is taken by some people to improve sporting performance.
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The half-life of a drug is the time it takes for the concentration in the blood to decrease by a factor of a half.
The half-life of one form of testosterone taken to improve sporting performance is 7 days. A person received
an injection of this form of testosterone. A blood sample taken almost immediately showed its concentration to
be 50 ng cm−3.Predict the concentration after 14 days, assuming the person does not have another injection,
and show your working.

............................................. ng cm −342/O/N/16
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State the substance or substances in Table 2.1 which:(i) has molecules which are too large to be filtered;
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(ii) has molecules which are small enough to be filtered but is completely reabsorbed from the fluid in the
kidney tubule; .....................................................................................................................................
(iii) increases in concentration as fluid moves along the kidney tubule.
1 ............................................................ 2 ..............................................................
(c) State three structures through which the fluid from region 4 passes as it leaves the body.
1 ………………………………………..2 ............................................3 ..........................................................
(d) One role of the kidney is to maintain the concentration of the blood plasma.Name the process of
maintaining constant conditions within the body. ............................................................................. 32/O/N/14
Fig. 2.1 shows a dialysis machine for treating people who have kidney failure. The dialysate (dialysis fluid) is a solution
of glucose and salts.

(b) Explain how, when the patient is receiving dialysis treatment (i) the loss of plasma proteins and red blood cells is
prevented,………………………………………………………………………………………………..........
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(c) A person with kidney failure received regular dialysis treatment for 17 days. Fig. 2.2 shows how the concentration of
urea in the blood changed over the 17 days.

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Calculate the decrease in the concentration of urea in the blood from the beginning of dialysis until the end of the
treatment…………………………………………………………………………………….
Describe the changes that occur in the urea concentration in the blood over the period shown in Fig. 2.2. You will gain
credit for using the data in Fig. 2.2 in your answer.
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(iv) Explain the changes in urea concentration in the blood as shown in Fig. 2.2.
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(a) The kidney is an excretory organ. Name two other excretory organs in humans and in each case state a substance that
the organ excretes. 21/O/N/10
1. organ………………………………………….substance excreted…………………………………………..
2. organ………………………………...............substance excreted ………………………………………..

A healthy kidney controls the excretion of urea and other waste products of metabolism from the blood.
After kidney failure there are two possible treatments: dialysis or a kidney transplant. Fig. 4.1 shows how blood and
dialysis fluid move through a dialysis machine. 31/M/J/11

Describe the changes that occur to the blood as it flows through the dialysis machine from A to B.
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(c) Two brothers have to make a difficult decision.One brother, with blood group AB, has kidney failure and is on
dialysis.The healthy brother has agreed to donate one of his kidneys to his brother. He has to
have a blood test.Their father has blood group A and their mother has blood group B.
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 The brothers have a sister who has blood group O.(i) Explain how this girl has blood group O when her parents have
different blood groups. You must use the space below for a genetic diagram to help your answer.

Protein is one nutrient present in a balanced diet. The body cannot store protein, so any excess amino acids are broken down
in the process of deamination, as shown in Fig. 5.1.

31/M/J/08

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