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Immune System Defense Worksheet

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Immune System Defense Worksheet

Read the case file, then solve each task. Use the evidence in the passage and data table. Remember: immune responses are complex, and this worksheet describes simplified examples.

Case file: The scrape

During a game, Jarrah scrapes her knee. The break in her skin allows some microbes to enter. Nearby tissues release chemical signals that contribute to inflammation, which can bring immune cells to the area. Some white blood cells, including phagocytes, can engulf microbes. If a particular pathogen gets past these early defences, lymphocytes may take part in a more specific response. B cells can make antibodies that bind to particular targets on a pathogen. Some B and T lymphocytes become memory cells. If the same pathogen is encountered again, these cells can help the body respond more quickly. Vaccines safely expose the immune system to a harmless form, part, or instructions for making a pathogen target, allowing immune memory to develop without needing to experience the disease itself.

1.Which event in Jarrah’s case file most directly weakens the body’s first physical barrier?

The scrape breaks the skin
A phagocyte engulfs a microbe
A B cell makes an antibody
A memory cell recognises a pathogen

2.Match each defence with its role.

Skin
Phagocyte
Antibody
Memory lymphocyte

Cell that can help the body respond more quickly to a familiar pathogen
Physical barrier that helps prevent microbes entering
White blood cell that can engulf microbes
Protein that binds to a particular target

3.Put these events in a sensible order for a specific immune response after a pathogen gets past early defences: antibodies bind to targets; a pathogen enters; specific lymphocytes respond.

4.Complete the sentence: Phagocytes can help defend the body by microbes, while B cells can make that bind to particular targets.

Evidence from a vaccine study

The results below are hypothetical and simplified. They show the average amount of a particular antibody measured in a group of volunteers after an initial vaccine dose and a later booster dose.

Time after dose

Initial dose

Booster dose

Before dose

1 week

2 weeks

4 weeks

5.At which listed time was the average antibody level highest after the booster dose?

6.Compare the antibody levels at 2 weeks after the initial dose and 2 weeks after the booster. How many times as high was the booster result?

7.What does the higher antibody level after the booster suggest about immune memory? Give one conclusion supported by the table and one limitation of the data.

8.True or false: Antibodies are generally specific to particular targets, rather than working equally well against every pathogen.

TrueFalse

9.According to the case file, phagocytes can engulf microbes, while antibodies bind to particular targets on a pathogen. Explain how these actions differ.

10.A friend says, “Vaccines work by killing every pathogen as soon as it enters the body.” Correct this claim using the case file, and explain one reason handwashing can still help vaccinated people.