Lesson 3.6.2.1.1

3.6.2.1.1 Resting potential and the action potential Quiz: AQA Biology, Unit 6

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.6.2.1.1, Resting potential and the action potential: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Biology (7402), Unit 6: Organisms respond to changes in their internal and external environments, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is the approximate value of the resting potential of a neurone?

    • +40 mV
    • -20 mV
    • -70 mV
    • 0 mV

  2. Which ion is at a higher concentration outside the neurone at rest?

    • Potassium
    • Chloride inside only
    • Sodium
    • Calcium inside only

  3. At rest, the membrane of a neurone is more permeable to which ion?

    • Magnesium
    • Potassium
    • Sodium
    • Calcium

  4. What causes depolarisation during an action potential in a neurone?

    • Potassium ion influx
    • Sodium ion efflux
    • Potassium ion efflux
    • Sodium ion influx

  5. Which principle states an action potential occurs fully once threshold is reached?

    • Spatial summation principle
    • Refractory period principle
    • All-or-nothing principle
    • Saltatory conduction principle

  6. Which feature in myelinated motor neurones speeds up nerve impulses?

    • Dendron length
    • Axon diameter
    • Nodes of Ranvier
    • Schwann cell bodies

  7. Which ion movement primarily causes repolarisation of an axon?

    • Potassium ions out
    • Sodium ions out
    • Sodium ions in
    • Potassium ions in

  8. What drives sodium ion influx during an action potential?

    • Active transport mechanisms
    • Electrochemical gradients
    • Electrical gradient only
    • Concentration gradient only

  9. What determines the amplitude of an action potential once threshold is reached?

    • Stimulus strength
    • All-or-nothing principle
    • Axon diameter
    • Membrane capacitance

  10. A neurone's membrane moves from -70 mV to +40 mV at the peak of an action potential. What is the total change in potential?

    • 40 mV
    • 30 mV
    • 70 mV
    • 110 mV

  11. Which protein maintains resting ionic concentrations across the neurone membrane?

    • Sodium-potassium pump
    • Potassium leak channel
    • Calcium pump
    • Voltage-gated sodium channel

  12. What enables saltatory conduction to increase nerve impulse speed?

    • More potassium channels
    • Myelin insulation
    • Increased temperature
    • Wider axon diameter

  13. Why does an increased axon diameter speed up nerve impulses?

    • More myelin sheaths
    • Lower internal resistance
    • Increased surface area
    • Higher ion concentration

  14. How does a decrease in temperature affect nerve impulse conduction speed?

    • It slows conduction
    • It stops conduction instantly
    • It speeds conduction
    • It has no effect

  15. What causes the inside of a resting neurone to be negative?

    • Potassium ion efflux
    • Chloride ion absorption
    • Active protein transport
    • Sodium ion influx

  16. Which membrane permeability change causes the depolarisation phase?

    • Low sodium permeability
    • High sodium permeability
    • High calcium permeability
    • High potassium permeability

  17. How is a stronger stimulus intensity signaled in a neurone?

    • Greater amplitude
    • Slower conduction
    • Higher frequency
    • Longer duration

  18. What is the primary effect of myelin sheath loss in neurones?

    • Increased resting potential
    • Permanent depolarisation
    • Slower nerve conduction
    • Faster nerve conduction

  19. Which channels open first during neuronal depolarisation?

    • Voltage-gated sodium
    • Calcium ion channels
    • Voltage-gated potassium
    • Chloride leak channels

  20. What defines membrane hyperpolarisation?

    • More negative interior
    • Neutral membrane charge
    • Depolarisation plateau
    • More positive interior

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