This question was attempted by few candidates and their performance was poor.  In part (a) candidates wrote out of context by listing stroke volume, lactic acid, hardening of heart and pumping of blood from the aorta as the term pulse rate.  In part (b) candidate messed up by writing irrelevants such as social, mental and physiological as factors that affect pulse rate.

The expected answers were as follows:
2(a)      PULSE RATE
It is the wave of distension and elongation felt in an artery as blood flows through it,    due to the contraction of the left ventricle forcing blood into the aorta.
 (b)       FACTORS THAT AFFECT PULSE RATE

• sex
• exercise/physical activities
• age
• position of the body
• emotion  -  fear, anger, tension, excitement, grief
• health status