Decomposition and decay GCSE questions
Cover the answers and try these Decomposition and decay checks first. The full quiz in the app includes hints.
How to use these
Write your answer, then check. If you miss one, open the Decomposition and decay lesson before you retry.
Practice questions
Cover the answers and have a go first. Worked solutions are underneath.
The main decomposers are
Decomposers return carbon to the air mainly as
Decay is fastest when conditions are
Turning a compost heap adds
Common mistakes
- Decay is not "the smell". Smell can happen; the biology mark is microbes + respiration + recycling.
- Boiling kills microbes (cooking); refrigeration only slows them. Do not say a fridge sterilises.
- Do not incubate unknown rotting food at 37 °C as if it were the microorganism RP. If you culture microbes, school incubators are 25 °C, not 37 °C.
- Compost is not fertiliser made in the Haber process. It recycles what was already in the plants.
Answers and working
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