139 exam-style questions on Skills in the study of sports, exercise and health science with answers and explanations. Six real samples below — the full set is free with an account.
A track sprinter completes a 30 s all-out effort on a cycle ergometer against a fixed braking force. Which quality is this test designed to measure?
Answer: Anaerobic power output and its decline
The 30 s maximal effort is predominantly anaerobic, drawing on the phosphagen system and anaerobic glycolysis, with the aerobic system already contributing a measurable share. Peak power and the fall in power across the effort are therefore its outcome measures, whereas maximal oxygen uptake requires expired air to be analysed during an incremental protocol.
A physiologist compares a laboratory treadmill protocol with the multi-stage fitness test for assessing a hockey squad. Which feature makes the treadmill protocol the more valid measure of maximal oxygen uptake?
Answer: Oxygen uptake is measured from expired air
In the laboratory protocol oxygen uptake is measured from expired air, whereas the multi-stage fitness test predicts it from the level reached using a regression equation. A predicted value carries the error of that equation on top of the error of the performance itself.
A cyclist works at a steady submaximal intensity and her respiratory exchange ratio settles at 0.85. What does this value indicate about the fuels being oxidised?
Answer: Carbohydrate and fat are both contributing
A ratio of about 1.00 indicates carbohydrate alone and about 0.70 indicates fat alone, so an intermediate value shows both fuels contributing. The ratio drifts towards 1.00 as intensity rises and carbohydrate use increases.
Two swimmers have the same hamstring and lower-back extensibility, yet the one with longer arms relative to her legs records the higher sit-and-reach score. Which limitation of the test does this illustrate?
Answer: Limb proportions influence the score achieved
The score is the distance the fingertips travel past the toes, so favourable limb proportions produce a good score without greater hamstring or lower-back extensibility. The test therefore compares athletes only in relative terms.
A team physiologist records the sum of skinfolds at seven marked sites in a group of rowers. What does this sum provide?
Answer: An estimate of subcutaneous fat only
Calipers compress a double fold of skin and the fat directly beneath it, so the sum tracks subcutaneous fat only and says nothing about visceral fat or muscle mass. Converting the sum into a percentage adds the error of the prediction equation, which is why many laboratories report the raw sum.
A coach palpates the radial pulse for 15 s immediately after a shuttle-run test and multiplies the count by four. Which limitation does this method introduce?
Answer: Recovery has already begun, so the value is too low
Heart rate falls steeply in the first seconds of recovery, so a count that begins after the effort underestimates the true exercise heart rate, and the error grows with every second of delay. A chest strap logging every beat during the run removes this problem.
139 Skills in the study of sports, exercise and health science questions — free with an account. Spaced repetition, streaks and full exam simulations included.
Practise them freeThis platform is independently developed and is not endorsed by, affiliated with, or sponsored by the International Baccalaureate Organization. “International Baccalaureate” and “IB” are registered trademarks of the IBO.