Revision questions written by year 10 students for the AQA B1.3 unit.

1. B1.3 Hormones & Drugs
• Revision Workbook
• Written by 10XA

2. Statins
Statins are drugs that lower blood cholesterol levels. Cholesterol
is a fat that clogs up arteries and veins and if levels get to high it will
cause cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease are problems in
the cardiovascular system, such as heart attack and stroke. If all over
50’s took statins then 2000 people wouldn’t die prematurely.
Scientists have created a new drug
which counters the effects of cholesterol.
These are called statins, and they lower the
amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream.
Statins also stop your liver creating too much
cholesterol. The best effects from this drug are
from well you use them alongside a healthy,
low fat diet.
Some people think that they send out the wrong message, that
they allow people to eat badly and get away with it and there are side
effects such as liver damage and muscle problems.

3. A Question On Statins.
Give the 2 best arguments for and against
statins and explain why you chose these.

4. Evaluate the arguments of the
use of PED’s
By Felix Osborn and Siji Oyenekan

5. The use of PED’s
PED’s are secretly used throughout the
world, from sports to bodybuilders. PED’s are
used by sports stars because they want to beat
their competitors and gain respect but it ruins
the enjoyment of viewing sport and it is bad
sportsmanship. It can also be bad for you in the
short or long term.

6. What are the ethics of using PED’s

7. The problems of drug abuse
• Drug abuse does not only affect an individual but can also have larger impacts on a national
scale this is because millions of people every year take medicine such as statins or smoke or
drink alcohol
• Drugs have all sorts of health implications and some can be very damaging to an individual
for example cannabis can cause mental illness
• On the other hand drugs like alcohol are more costly to the NHS and this consequently costs
the tax payer more money
• It affects businesses as people can turn to crime to pay for their drug addiction
• In the UK there are 2,000 deaths a year linked to illegal drugs whereas 9,000 die from alcohol
abuse every year and 90,000 people die from smoking every year

8. Question on drug abuse
“drugs like nicotine and alcohol should be
outlawed”
Explain what problems this could cause

9. Double-Blind Trials
In the development of drugs.

10. What is a double-blind trial?
 A double blind trial is a test to see how effective a drug is on humans.
How does it work?
 A number of patients with the target disease agree to take part in the
trials.
 They are given a placebo(that doesn’t contain the new drug) or the new
drug. Patients and doctors are unaware of who's been given what until
the end of the trial.
 The patients health is monitored carefully.
What’s the placebo?
 The placebo does not contain the new drug however often it contains a
drug currently used for treatment. Therefore the patient is not deprived
of treatment.

11. Link the development of drugs
with the Double-Blind Trial and
explain the process.

12. Addiction and withdrawal symptoms
Addiction is where the drugs change chemical
processes in your body, this makes you become
addicted to them and you can’t manage properly
without them. Some drugs such as heroin and cocaine
are very addictive.
Withdrawal symptoms are when addicts try and stop
using drugs. The symptoms are often, feeling very un
well, they could also have
headaches, sweating, shaking, and cravings for the drug
they tried to stop using.

13. Our Question
Describe and explain 3 withdrawal symptoms

14. Plant hormones
Phototropism
Gravitropism
Auxins

15. Gravitropism
Phototropism Gravitropism can be seen in
roots and shoots. Auxin has
Phototropism is the response a different effects on root and
plant has towards light. shoot cells. High levels of auxin
It can clearly be seen when a make shoot cells grow more but
young shoot responds to light from inhibit the growth of root cells.
only one side. The shoot will bend This is why roots and shoots
towards the light. Auxin moves to respond differently to gravity.
the side where the light is falling
and to the unlit side . The cells on
that side respond to and the
hormone and grow until the plant
is growing towards the light.
Auxin
The responses of plant roots and
shoots to light, gravity and
moisture are controlled by a
hormone called auxin. The
response happens because of an
uneven distribution of this
hormone in the growing root or
shoot. As a result the shoot
grows in the right direction.

16. Question
Explain the mechanism by which auxin controls a
plant’s response to light, gravity and moisture.

17. Developing new medicines
By Alfie Talbot and Dan Allen

18. Revision page
• A new drug needs to be: Effective, Safe, Stable and easy to take into and
remove from the body.
• To create a new medicine it takes up to 12 years.
• It can cost up to 350 million.
• Lots of different possible new drugs are tested out, finding whether they
are toxic and can do the job.
• They are tested on: cells, tissues and whole organs. Also the drug needs to
be tested on the sort of person it will be given to e.g. Pregnant woman.
Process- once a basic drug has been created it is then tested on animals, if
signs are positive the drug is then tested on humans in a small dose. Further
tested are carried on until a safe, stable and effective is created.

19. Question time
Why must the process for creating a drug take
so long?

20. Thalidomide
• Thalidomide was developed as a sleeping pill in the 1950s.
• In those days crucial testing was skipped such as that on pregnant animals.
• It was then found to stop morning sickness and seemed to have only
positive effects on adults.
• Thalidomide was found not to be safe for fetuses.
• It caused terrible defects in the babies of women in the earlier stages of
pregnancy.
• This led to new law that drugs must be treated on pregnant animals to
test their effects on fetuses.
• Thalidomide was then found to treat leprosy but once again caused
serious birth defects.
• Its use for treatment on leprosy has now been banned.
• However it is now used carefully for people with autoimmune diseases
and some cancers.

21. Question.
• Explain the reasons for the ban of
Thalidomide to treat leprosy and link that to
the use of a legal substance that you think
should be banned, with reasons.

22. Types of Drugs
By Altu Mardell
&
Freddie Linley

23. Illegal Drugs
Illegal drugs are drugs that cannot be purchased by
people because it has been banned by the
government. Some examples are:
Depressant drugs are drugs that slow down brain
activity. They make you feel relaxed and you become
more pronounced with your present attitude.
Hallucinogen drugs like cannabis use chemicals that
distort the brain and confuse it into believing what is
not reality.

24. Legal Drugs
Legal drugs are drugs that are buyable from
pharmacy's and hospitals, they are used to help with
medical conditions. Some examples are:
Caffeine is a drug that in drinks like coffee and Cola.
It gives you energy and helps to get you going
through the day.
Alcohol is a substance that is in alcoholic drinks. It is
a depressant and can be addictive.