1. Which graph shows the effect of temperature on the activity of an enzyme?

A B

enzyme enzyme
activity activity

0 50 100 0 50 100
temperature / °C temperature / °C

C D

enzyme enzyme
activity activity

0 50 100 0 50 100
temperature / °C temperature / °C
2. The diagram represents enzyme action.

+ +

W X Y

What are parts W, X and Y in this chemical reaction?

enzyme product substrate

A W X Y
B X W Y
C X Y W
D Y W X

 The substrate fits into the enzyme at the active site and is split into the
products, which are released.
 This is known as the lock and key hypothesis.
3. The diagram represents a chemical reaction.

reactants product

Which diagram represents the enzyme for this reaction?

A B C
D

 Enzymes are proteins and have a specific shape, held in place by bonds.
 This is extremely important around the active site area as the specific shape
is what ensures the substrates will fit into the active site and enable the
reaction to proceed.
 The substrates fit into the active site of the enzyme like a key fits into a
lock.
 D is the only enzyme shape which has a complementary shape to the
reactants and subsequent product:
4. A food stain on a table cloth is where meat cooked in oil has been spilt.

It is washed in a biological washing powder.

Which combination of enzymes should be in the washing powder to remove the stain?

A amylase and lipase

B lipase and protease
C pectinase and amylase
D protease and pectinase

 Meat consists of protein which is digested by protease enzymes.

 Oil consists of lipids which are digested by lipase enzymes.
 Remember that enzymes are specific and therefore do not work on
substrates that will not fit into their active sites.
5. The diagrams show a protease enzyme catalysing the breaking of part of a protein molecule into
smaller pieces.

Which diagram has three correct labels?

A B
product
active site
substrate product

enzyme enzyme

C D

active site active site

substrate

enzyme substrate

product

 The substrate fits into the enzyme at the active site and the product is
released once the reaction has taken place.
6. The table shows the conditions in four test-tubes containing equal amounts of starch and salivary
amylase.

In which test-tube is the starch broken down fastest?

temperature
pH
/ °C
A 2 27
B 2 37
C 7 27
D 7 37

✓ Salivary amylase works best at a neutral pH (7).

✓ Increasing the temperature from 27⁰C to 37⁰C would increase the activity
of the enzyme as the more energy the molecules have the faster they move
and the number of collisions with the substrate molecules increases,
leading to a faster rate of reaction.

A is incorrect as the pH is too acidic for salivary amylase to work.

B is incorrect as the pH is too acidic for salivary amylase to work.

C is incorrect as the temperature is lower than the optimum so the

enzyme will not be working at its fastest rate.
7. The diagram represents the shape of an enzyme molecule.

active site

With which substrate would this enzyme most easily form an enzyme-substrate complex?

A B C D

✓ Enzymes are proteins and have a specific shape, held in place by bonds.
✓ This is extremely important around the active site area as the specific shape
is what ensures the substrate will fit into the active site and enable the
reaction to proceed.
✓ The substrate is a complementary shape to the active site and fits into it as
a key fits into a lock.

A is incorrect as the substrate would fit on the opposite side of

the enzyme from the active site.

B is incorrect as the substrate would fit around the entire enzyme,

not into the active site.

C is incorrect as the substrate is the same shape as the enzyme,

not complementary to it, so it would not fit into the active site.
8. What is true of all enzymes?

they are most effective

they are sugars
at pH7

A  
B  
C  
D  

A is incorrect as enzymes are proteins and can be most effective at a

range of pH levels depending upon the enzyme and where it is
produced.

B is incorrect as enzymes are proteins, not sugars.

C is incorrect as enzymes and can be most effective at a range of pH

levels depending upon the enzyme and where it is produced (eg,
enzymes produced in the stomach are most effective at pH 2,
whereas enzymes produced in the mouth are most effective at pH 7)
9. The diagram shows the effect of an enzyme working in the human digestive system.

enzyme at pH 1.5
and temperature 37 °C

protein amino acids

What would reduce the rate of production of amino acids?

A removing the amino acids as they are formed

B increasing the amount of protein

C raising the temperature to 40 °C

D raising the pH to 7.5

✓ Enzymes are proteins and have a specific shape, held in place by bonds.
This is extremely important around the active site area as the specific shape
is what ensures the substrate will fit into the active site and enable the
reaction to proceed.
✓ Enzymes work at specific pHs and changing the pH will denature the
enzyme, causing the bonds to break and the shape of the active site to
change.
✓ This means that the substrate will no longer fit into the active site and
therefore the rate of reaction will be much lower.

A is incorrect as removing the products will not have any effect on the
rate of reaction.

B is incorrect as increasing the substrates will increase the rate of

reaction as they are more likely to collide with the enzymes.

C is incorrect as increasing the temperature to 40⁰C will cause the

molecules to move more quickly and collide more often, increasing
the rate of reaction.
10. Which group of compounds ensures that metabolic reactions take place effectively?

A carbohydrates

B enzymes

C fatty acids

D hormones

✓ Enzymes are biological catalysts – speeding up the rates of metabolic

reactions whilst remaining unchanged themselves.

A is incorrect as carbohydrates are not biological catalysts, but large

molecules that need to be broken down with the help of enzymes.

C is incorrect as fatty acids are not biological catalysts, but the

products of the breakdown of fats.

D is incorrect as hormones are not biological catalysts, but

chemicals produced by glands to stimulate changes in the body.
11. The diagram shows an experiment on the digestion of the protein in egg albumen by protease.

The protease was taken from a human stomach.

In which test-tube will the protein be digested most quickly?

A B C D

water-bath
at 37 °C

egg albumen egg albumen egg albumen egg albumen

+ + + +
protease dilute dilute dilute
hydrochloric hydrochloric hydrochloric
acid acid acid
+ +
protease boiled protease

 Remember protease enzymes from the stomach work best at an acidic pH.

A is incorrect as no hydrochloric acid has been added so the enzyme is

not at its optimum pH.

B is incorrect as not protease enzyme has been added.

D is incorrect as the protease enzyme has been boiled and therefore

will have denatured and not work.
12. Which effect does a gradual decrease in pH from 13 to 1 have on the action of amylase?

A slows it down only

B slows it down then speeds it up
C speeds it up only
D speeds it up then slows it down

 Amylase works best at around pH 7 so as the pH is lowered to 7 it will work

faster and then will slow down as the pH is further reduced to 1.

A is incorrect as this would mean that its optimum pH was alkaline,

which is not the case.

B is incorrect as this would mean that its optimum pH was acidic,

which is not the case.

C is incorrect as this would mean that it worked well at less alkaline,

neutral and acidic pHs, which is not the case.
13. An enzyme in potato cells causes oxygen to be produced from hydrogen peroxide.

Cubes of potato were incubated with hydrogen peroxide at different temperatures.

The numbers of bubbles of oxygen released per minute were counted at each temperature.

The table shows the results.

temperature / °C 15 25 35 45 55
number of bubbles / bubbles per minute 96 98 82 36 1

The results suggest the optimum temperature for the enzyme is between which two values?

A 15 °C and 35 °C

B 35 °C and 45 °C

C 35 °C and 55 °C

D 45 °C and 55 °C

 Beyond 35⁰C the number of bubble produced per minute drops significantly
to 36, showing that the rate of reaction has slowed down.
 This is an indication that the increase in temperature has had an effect on
the working of the enzymes.
14. Which graph shows the effect of temperature between 20 °C and 35 °C on the activity of a human
digestive enzyme?

A B

rate of rate of
reaction reaction

20 35 20 35
temperature / °C temperature / °C

C D

rate of rate of
reaction reaction

20 35 20 35
temperature / °C temperature / °C
15. Lactase is a human enzyme that catalyses the breakdown of lactose in milk.

At which temperature does lactase work fastest?

A 0 °C B 18 °C C 37 °C D 100 °C

✓ Enzymes work fastest at their ‘optimum temperature’ – in this question,

the optimum temperature is likely 37⁰C (this is human body temperature).

A is incorrect as at low temperature molecules have less kinetic

energy so they move slower and there are less collisions between
enzymes and substrates.

B is incorrect as 18⁰C is significantly lower than human body

temperature.

D is incorrect as heating to high temperatures (beyond the optimum)

will break the bonds that hold the enzyme together and it will lose its
shape. This is known as denaturation. Substrates cannot fit into
denatured enzymes as the shape of their active site has been lost.
16. The graph shows the effect of pH on a particular enzyme-controlled reaction.

rate of
reaction

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
pH

When is the enzyme not active?

A at pH 1 and pH 13
B at pH 3 and pH 11
C at pH 5 and pH 9
D at pH 7

✓ It is only at pH 1 and pH 13 that the rate of reaction of the enzyme is at

zero.
✓ In between these two pH values the enzyme will work at varying rates.
17. What happens to most enzymes above 60 °C?
A They are denatured.
B They are destroyed by white blood cells.
C They are digested.
D They are made more active.

 Enzymes are proteins and have a specific shape, held in place by bonds. This
is extremely important around the active site area as the specific shape is
what ensures the substrate will fit into the active site and enable the
reaction to proceed.
 Heating to high temperatures(beyond the optimum) will break the bonds
that hold the enzyme together and it will lose its shape. This is known as
denaturation. Substrates cannot fit into denatured enzymes as the shape of
their active site has been lost.
 Optimum temperature for the majority of enzymes is around 40⁰C.
B is incorrect as white blood cells destroy foreign cells, not body enzymes. This is
not temperature dependent.

C is incorrect as enzymes enable digestion to take place, they are not generally
digested themselves. Again, this is not temperature dependent.

D is incorrect as 60⁰C is significantly above the optimum temperature for most

enzymes and heating them only increases activity up to the optimum
temperature.
18. An experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of pH on enzyme action. The graph shows
the results.

y-axis

x-axis

What are the labels for the x-axis and the y-axis?

x-axis y-axis

A pH rate of reaction
B pH
H time
C rate of reaction pH
D time
im pH

 The independent variable is always placed on the x axis. This is the factor
that is changed when investigating. In this case, the experiment would be
carried out at different pHs and so this is what is changed.
 The dependent variable is always palced on the y axis. This is the factor that
is measured to obtain the results. In this case, the rate of reaction of the
enzyme would be measured at different pHs.
19. The enzyme catalase, found in potato, speeds up the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide. The
reaction releases a froth of oxygen bubbles.

The diagram shows an experiment to find the effect of changes in pH on the rate of this reaction.

froth of oxygen bubbles

piece of potato
dilute hydrogen peroxide solution

The table shows the time taken for the froth of bubbles to reach the top of the test-tube at
different pH values.

Which pH is nearest to the optimum (best) for this enzyme?

A pH 4 B pH 5 C pH 6 D pH 7

 The quicker the froth reaches the top of the test tube, the faster the
enzyme is working.
20. What is a characteristic of all catalysts?

A They are broken down in the reaction.

B They are made of protein.
C They are not changed by the reaction.
D They do not change the rate of the reaction.

A is incorrect as catalysts are not chemically involved in the reaction

and do not get changed by it.

B is incorrect as not all catalysts are made of protein (enzymes are –

they are biological catalysts, but there are many non biological ones
eg iron filings).

D is incorrect as the function of a catalyst is to speed up the rate of a

reaction by bringing the reactants closer together.
21. The diagram shows the lock and key model of enzyme action.

1 2

Which is the enzyme and which is the substrate?

enzyme substrate

A 1 2
B 1 3
C 3 1
D 3 2

 1 = substrate
 2 = products
 3 = enzyme
22. The table shows the temperature and pH at which four different enzymes are most active.

Which enzyme is a protease from the stomach?

optimum temperature
optimum pH
/ °C

A 25 10
B 37 7
C 40 2
D 50 5

 Protease enzymes in the stomach work at an extremely acidic pH.

 Normal body temperature in mammals (which would be the optimum
temperature for the enzyme to work at) is 37 – 40 ⁰C.

A is incorrect as the temperature is too low and the pH is too

high.

B is incorrect as the pH is too high.

D is incorrect as the temperature is too high and the pH is also too

high.
23. Which statement is correct for all catalysts?

A They are enzymes.

B They are proteins.
C They speed up chemical reactions.
D They work in living organisms.

A is incorrect as while enzymes are catalysts, not all catalysts are

enzymes.

B is incorrect as many catalysts are inorganic (eg iron filings). Only

enzymes are proteins.

D is incorrect as catalysts can speed up the rate of reactions in any

system, not just living organisms.
24. Two enzyme-controlled reactions are shown.

enzyme 1
amino acids proteins

enzyme 2
proteins amino acids

From these reactions, what deduction can be made about enzymes?

A Enzyme 1 has been changed to enzyme 2.

B Enzyme 2 slows down the production of amino acids.
C Enzymes can build up large molecules.
D Enzymes only break down large molecules.

 Amino acids are small molecules and are the basic units of proteins.

A is incorrect as enzymes are specific to their substrates and do

not change from one type to another.

B is incorrect as enzyme 2 will speed up the production of amino acids.

D is incorrect as enzyme 1 is building up large molecules, so it is not

true to say that enzymes ONLY break down large molecules.
25. The temperature of an enzyme-controlled reaction is increased by 10 °C.

How does this affect the rate of reaction?

A It always increases the rate.

B It always decreases the rate.
C It may increase or decrease the rate.
D It has no effect on the rate.

 Whether the rate increases or not depends on how high the temperature
now is.
 If the increase in 10°C has taken it beyond the optimum temperature then
the rate will slow down.
 If the increase in 10°C takes it closer towards the optimum temperature
then the rate will speed up.

A is incorrect as if the temperature is already at 40°C and this is

increased to 50°C then the enzymes will start to denature and the
rate will decrease.

B is incorrect as if the temperature is at 10°C and the temperature is

increased to 20°C then the rate will also increase as the molecules
will move faster and collide more.

D is incorrect as it will increase or decrease the rate so it definitely

does have an effect.
26. In an experiment, the effect of temperature on the action of amylase is investigated.

Six different test-tubes are set up, each containing a mixture of amylase and starch solution.

Which condition should not be kept the same in each of the six test-tubes?

A concentration of amylase
B pH
C temperature
D volume of starch solution

 If the condition being investigated is temperature, then this is the

independent variable and should be different in each test tube to get a
good range of results.

A is incorrect as the concentration of the enzyme is one of the things

that needs to be kept the same to make the experiment fair.

B is incorrect as pH is one of the things that needs to be kept the same

to make the experiment fair.

D is incorrect as the volume of starch solution is one of the things that

needs to be kept the same to make the experiment fair.
27. The graph shows the effect of pH on the rate of reaction of three different enzymes.

enzyme 2

enzyme 1 enzyme 3

rate of
reaction

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
pH

What does the graph show?

A Each enzyme works best at a different pH.

B Each enzyme works best over a narrow temperature range.
C Enzymes work best in acid conditions.
D Enzymes work best in alkaline conditions.

 For enzyme 1, the rate of reaction is quickest at pH 1.5, making this its
optimum pH.
 For enzyme 2, the rate of reaction is quickest at pH 7, making this its
optimum pH.
 For enzyme 3, the rate of reaction is quickest at pH 14, making this its
optimum pH.

B is incorrect as the graph gives no information about temperature.

C is incorrect as only enzyme 1 works best in acid conditions.

D is incorrect as only enzyme 3 works bes in alkaline conditions.

28. Some plants digest insects and use the nutrients for growth.

What must these plants produce to digest the insects?

A acids
B alkalis
C enzymes
D hormones

 Enzymes are biological catalysts which means they speed up the rate of a
reaction without being changed themselves.
 Digestion is an example of a reaction that requires the action of enzymes to
speed up the breakdown of large food molecules.

A, B and D are all incorrect as none of these will speed up the rate of reaction to
breakdown large substrate molecules into smaller products.
29. The graph shows the effect of pH on the activity of two enzymes.

enzyme
activity

1 2 3
pH

At which pH is the activity of both enzymes the same?

A 1 B 3 C 5 D 8
30. Four identical mixtures of starch and amylase were kept at different temperatures. The graph
shows the time taken for the starch to be completely digested at each temperature.

At which temperature is the rate of reaction quickest?

time for
starch to
be digested

A B C D
temperature

 The rate of reaction is the quickest when the starch takes the least time to
be digested.
31. Equal quantities of a protein-digesting enzyme were added to 5 cm3 of protein solutions of
different pH. Each tube was kept at 37 °C.
The amount of amino acid in each tube was measured after 3 minutes. The results are shown in
the table.

amount of amino acid

pH
/ arbitrary units

1 10
2 9
3 7
4 2
5 1
6 1
7 1
8 0

At which pH was the enzyme most active?

A 1 B 7 C 8 D 10

 The more amino acid present, the quicker the enzyme is working to digest
the protein.
32. Four test-tubes were set up as shown in the diagram.

In which tube is the starch digested most quickly?

A B C D

water bath water bath

at 15 °C at 35 °C

starch solution starch solution

and amylase and amylase

starch solution starch solution

and boiled amylase and boiled amylase

A is incorrect as the temperature is low so the enzyme will not work at

its maximum rate.

B is incorrect as the amylase has been boiled which means that it will
have denatured and not work at all.

D is incorrect as the amylase has been boiled which means that it will
have denatured and not work at all.
33. A human digestive enzyme breaks down its substrate at a fast rate at 35 °C.
What would occur if the enzyme and substrate were kept at 75 °C?

A The enzyme would stop working and be denatured.

B The reaction would continue at the same rate.
C The reaction would take place more quickly.
D The reaction would take place more slowly.

 Enzymes are proteins and have a specific shape, held in place by bonds. This
is extremely important around the active site area as the specific shape is
what ensures the substrate will fit into the active site and enable the
reaction to proceed.
 Enzymes work fastest at their ‘optimum temperature’ – in this question, the
optimum temperature is likely 37⁰C (this is human body temperature
meaning this enzyme is probably a human enzyme).
 Heating to high temperatures(beyond the optimum) will break the bonds
that hold the enzyme together and it will lose its shape. This is known as
denaturation. Substrates cannot fit into denatured enzymes as the shape of
their active site has been lost.
 Denaturation is irreversible - once enzymes are denatured they cannot
regain their proper shape and activity will stop.
34. The diagram shows the action of amylase.

amylase part of a
starch molecule

What is the function of the enzyme amylase?

A breaks down the substrate into amino acids

B changes the product into the substrate
C increases the rate of starch breaking down into glucose
D increases the rate of starch breaking down into maltose

A is incorrect as amino acids make up proteins, not starch.

B is incorrect as enzymes change the rate of the substrate into the

product.

C is incorrect as amylase breaks starch into the disaccharide

maltose, not the monosaccharide glucose.
35. What are enzymes made of?

A carbohydrates
B DNA
C fats
D proteins

A is incorrect as carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the

organism.

B is incorrect as DNA is the chemical that makes up our genes

and chromosomes.

C is incorrect as fats function as store of energy in organisms.

36. At which temperature do most enzymes from the human body become completely denatured?

A 0 °C B 27 °C C 40 °C D 65 °C

 Enzymes work fastest at their ‘optimum temperature’ – in this question,

the optimum temperature is likely to be ~40⁰C (37⁰C is human body
temperature).
 Heating to high temperatures (significantly beyond the optimum) will break
the bonds that hold the enzyme together and it will lose its shape. This is
known as denaturation. Substrates cannot fit into denatured enzymes as
the shape of their active site has been lost.

A is incorrect – at this temperature enzymes will be inactive but not

denatured.

B is incorrect – this is below their optimum so they will not work as

fast as they could but none will be denatured.

C is incorrect as this would be the optimum temperature for the

enzymes.
37. Six test-tubes were set up at different temperatures. Each contained identical solutions containing
starch and amylase mixtures. The table shows the time taken for the reactions to finish in each
test-tube.

At which temperature does the amylase work best?

A 15 °C B 35 °C C 45 °C D 65 °C

9 The better the enzyme works, the quicker the reaction will be finished.
38. The graph shows how the rate of an enzyme-controlled reaction changes with temperature.

rate of
reaction

temperature X

What is happening within the temperature range marked X?

A The enzyme is becoming denatured.

B The enzyme is being used up.
C The reaction is occurring at body temperature.
D The reaction is occurring at the optimum temperature.

 Heating to high temperatures (beyond the optimum) will break the bonds
that hold the enzyme together and it will lose its shape. This is known as
denaturation. Substrates cannot fit into denatured enzymes as the shape of
their active site has been lost.
 Denaturation is irreversible - once enzymes are denatured they cannot
regain their proper shape and activity will stop.

B is incorrect as enzymes are catalysts and therefore do not get

used up in the reactions they are involved in.

C is incorrect as there are no numbers on this graph that can

identify what temperature the enzymes are working at.

D is incorrect as the reaction would go fastest at the optimum

temperature.
39. Which graph shows the effect of temperature on the activity of a human digestive enzyme?

A B

rate of rate of
reaction reaction

20 70 20 70
temperature / °C temperature / °C

C D

rate of rate of
reaction reaction

20 70 20 70
temperature / °C temperature / °C

 Low temperatures do not denature enzymes; they simply make them move
more slowly and so the rate of reaction is slower; up to the optimum
temperature, heating enzymes makes them work more quickly.
 Heating to high temperatures(beyond the optimum) will break the bonds
that hold the enzyme together and it will lose its shape. This is known as
denaturation. Substrates cannot fit into denatured enzymes as the shape of
their active site has been lost.
 Denaturation is irreversible - once enzymes are denatured they cannot
regain their proper shape and activity will stop.
40. Which substance is an enzyme?

A bile
B fibrinogen
C lipase
D maltose

 Remember that enzymes often end in ‘ase’ unless they are protease
enzymes.

A is incorrect as bile is produced by the liver and digests

fats mechanically by breaking them up into smaller
droplets, not chemically breaking bonds like enzymes do.

B is incorrect as fibrinogen is protein involved with blood clotting.

D is incorrect as maltose is a disaccharide that is eventually

broken down to glucose.