Lesson T1.4.2

T1.4.2 Breathing and lung volume Quiz: KS3 Biology, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson T1.4.2, Breathing and lung volume: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 Biology (National Curriculum), Unit 1: Structure and function of living organisms, written with Revision Ninja.

Host it live on the board and students join with a game code on their own devices, or revise alone with Free Play. The answers are revealed in the game.

Host this setFree Play

The 20 questions

  1. What happens to air pressure inside the chest when inhaling?

    • Pressure increases
    • Pressure stays constant
    • Pressure decreases
    • Pressure equals zero

  2. What motion does the diaphragm make when inhaling?

    • Stretches and rises
    • Expands and twists
    • Contracts and flattens
    • Relaxes and domes

  3. Which direction do the ribs move when a person breathes in?

    • Up and out
    • Down and out
    • Down and in
    • Up and in

  4. What happens to chest volume when a person breathes out?

    • Volume doubles
    • Volume decreases
    • Volume stays constant
    • Volume increases

  5. What piece of equipment measures lung volume?

    • Thermometer
    • Spirometer
    • Barometer
    • Ammeter

  6. What is the name for the volume of air breathed in and out in one normal breath?

    • Residual volume
    • Tidal volume
    • Vital capacity
    • Cardiac output

  7. A spirometer records 3.2 litres of air breathed out after a deep breath. What is this lung volume?

    • 32 litres
    • 0.32 litres
    • 0.032 litres
    • 3.2 litres

  8. A person's lung volume increases from 2.5 litres to 3.5 litres during a breath. By how much does it increase?

    • 0.5 litres
    • 2 litres
    • 1 litre
    • 6 litres

  9. What causes lung volume to increase during breathing in?

    • Stomach expansion
    • Flattened ribcage
    • Collapsed chest cavity
    • Enlarged chest cavity

  10. How does air naturally move into the lungs during inhalation?

    • High to low pressure
    • Equal pressure flow
    • Active muscle suction
    • Low to high pressure

  11. What does a pressure model explain in the respiratory system?

    • Digestive enzymes
    • Muscle contraction
    • Gas movement
    • Heart rate control

  12. What happens to a person's breathing during strenuous exercise?

    • Becomes shallow and slow
    • Increases rate and depth
    • Decreases rate and depth
    • Stays completely constant

  13. Why is a higher breathing rate needed during periods of exercise?

    • Muscles require more water
    • More oxygen needed
    • Lungs need cooling down
    • Less carbon dioxide produced

  14. A student's lung volume is 4.0 litres after a deep breath and 1.5 litres after a breath out. How much air moved?

    • 1.5 litres
    • 5.5 litres
    • 2.5 litres
    • 4.0 litres

  15. What two physical factors does the breathing pressure model link together?

    • Volume and pressure
    • Density and gravity
    • Temperature and mass
    • Speed and friction

  16. Which muscles help the ribcage move during breathing?

    • Hamstrings
    • Calf muscles
    • Intercostal muscles
    • Biceps and triceps

  17. How must internal lung pressure change to draw air inwards?

    • Rise above outside pressure
    • Fall below outside pressure
    • Match the outside pressure
    • Drop to absolute zero

  18. What is the term for maximum air breathed out after a deep breath?

    • Vital capacity
    • Cardiac output
    • Tidal volume
    • Residual volume

  19. A scientist measures tidal volume as 0.5 litres at rest and 2.0 litres during exercise. What is the increase?

    • 2.5 litres
    • 4.0 litres
    • 1.5 litres
    • 0.5 litres

  20. Which chest change increases internal pressure to force air out?

    • Chest gets smaller
    • Chest gets larger
    • Diaphragm flattens
    • Ribs move up

All KS3 Biology quizzes