General Synoptic Questions From Unit 5 Scientific Article Questions

Jan 2011
1)

Name one retinal photoreceptor protein (second paragraph on page 2) and describe its function.
(2)

2)

Suggest why genes are only partly responsible for the development of cancer and heart disease.
(3)

3)

Explain how RNA templates are used to specify the chemical structure of a protein.
(6)

4)

About 10 million years ago, an event led to the production of antifreeze protein in one Antarctic fish. Explain
why almost all Antarctic fish now contain antifreeze protein.
(3)

Jun 2011
5)

Describe how adenoviruses in the blood are recognised and destroyed by the immune system (page 3,
paragraph 4).
(5)

6)

Explain the connection between high blood pressure and atherosclerosis.

(3)

7)

A proteasome is a barrel-shaped multi-protein complex that chops proteins down into their component amino
acids for reuse.
Explain how muscle protein can be chopped into amino acids inside a cell.
(2)

8)

Explain what is meant by repolarisation of a cardiac muscle cell or a nerve cell.

(2)

9)

Suggest why large numbers of mitochondria are found in muscle cells.

(2)

Jan 2012
10)

Describe two symptoms of Parkinsons disease.

(2)

11)

Patients with Parkinsons disease have little of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the motor cortex of their
brains.
Explain how dopamine agonists might be a useful treatment for Parkinsons disease (paragraph 10).
(2)

12)

Dopamine is not given to the patients as it is not effective. However, the precursor L-Dopa (levadopa) can be
given to patients.
Suggest why L-Dopa might be a useful treatment for patients with Parkinsons disease.
(3)

13)

Describe how fMRI can be used to monitor the activity of different areas of the brain (paragraph 62).
(3)

June 2012
14)

Describe the structure of triglyceride fat found in white adipose tissue (WAT).
(2)

Jan 2013
15)

A larger VO2max means more oxygen can enter a mitochondrion and therefore more energy can be
released from fuel (paragraph 8).

Name two substances, other than oxygen, that need to enter the mitochondrion to enable energy to be
released from fuel.
(2)
16)

Describe the structure of glycogen (paragraph 11).

(3)

17)

The ACE gene codes for the synthesis of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) (paragraph 25).
Complete the table by naming two nucleic acids involved in each of the processes described.
(2)

18)

A variant of the APOE gene could put individuals at increased risk in contact sports. DNA profiling is a
technique that can be used in genetic screening.
Suggest how DNA profiling could be carried out to identify this variant of the APOE gene (paragraph 27).
(4)

19)

Name two greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

Give one source of each of these gases.
(2)

June 2013
20)

Give two structural differences between cellulose and starch.

(2)

21)

Describe the role of the human nervous system in returning a slightly raised body temperature to its normal
level.
(4)

22)

Explain how shivering generates heat to return a slightly reduced body temperature to its normal level.
(2)

23)

Suggest how Buffenstein and Horsby introduced cancer-causing genes into cells from naked mole rats
(paragraph 13).
(3)

24)

If we had to breathe the rank air found in the tunnels of naked mole rats, it would leave us gasping for air
(paragraph 33).
Describe how the mechanism involved in the control of breathing rate in humans would respond to this rank
air.
[N.B. rank air has approx. 5% CO2]
(5)

Jan 2014
25)

The unique merger gave rise to all complex, or eukaryotic, cells (paragraph 4).
The presence of a nucleus is characteristic of eukaryotic cells.
Describe the structure of a nucleus.
(3)

26)

In MELAS syndrome (paragraph 40), a mutation can occur in a gene that codes for an enzyme involved in
oxidative phosphorylation.
This causes lactate (lactic acid) to accumulate in the body.
Suggest how this mutation in MELAS syndrome causes lactate to accumulate in the body.
(5)

27)

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis cannot help women whose mitochondria are all mutant (paragraph 46).
(i) Give a reason why people may wish to use preimplantation genetic diagnosis.
(1)
(ii) Give an ethical reason why people may not wish to use preimplantation genetic diagnosis.
(1)

June 2014 (GCE)

28) MPF triggering (paragraph 6) starts the process of mitosis. Suggest three events that occur at the beginning
of mitosis in a plant cell that may be triggered by MPF.
(3)
29) Suggest how cells sensitive to pH are involved in controlling heart rate.
(4)
30) Explain how the structure of the cell surface membrane of a motor neurone is related to the conduction of a
nerve impulse along its axon.
(6)
31) Poliovirus, like Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a retrovirus. Poliovirus was able to infect HeLa cells
(paragraph 25).
Give three differences between the structure of the genetic material in poliovirus and the genetic material in
HeLa cells. N.B. HeLa cells are human cells
(3)
32) Scientists had studied genes by breeding animals then breeding their offspring to see how genetic traits are
passed from one generation to the next (paragraph 33).
When this was done using a brown mouse and a white mouse, it was found that in the F2 generation
(second generation of offspring), 75% of the mice were brown.
In the space below, draw genetic diagrams to describe and explain the genotypes of the parents and their
offspring in the previous two generations.
(4)
33) Scientists knew that there was a string of DNA at the end of each chromosome called a telomere
(paragraph 60) and they also knew that human cancer cells contain an enzyme called telomerase
(paragraph 61).
State four chemical elements found in both telomeres and telomerase.
(2)
Jan 2015 (IAL)
34) Scientists are encouraged to use non-animal alternatives in their research (paragraphs 3 and 5).
Name one non-animal alternative that can be used in research and give an advantage of this alternative
method.
(2)
35) Explain why new medicines are tested on animals before they are tested on humans (paragraph 7).
(2)
36) The article states that Molecular mechanisms and those involved in cell differentiation and propagation are
frequently identical across a wide range of species (paragraph 11).
Discuss this statement by making reference to the molecular mechanisms involved in switching genes on
and off.
(4)
37) The article states that drug-resistant infections are a major problem in both developed and developing
countries (paragraph 22).
Explain how drug-resistance evolves in organisms that cause infection.

(3)
38) The article discusses absolutism as an ethical position with regard to animal testing (paragraphs 28 and 29).
Suggest what is meant by the term absolutism.
(2)
39) The article states that there is an alternative to such absolutism (paragraph 29). People who believe in this
alternative ethical position are called relativists.
Suggest the opinion a relativist would have with regard to using animals in research.
(1)
40) The article states that scientists who use animals for testing are expected to reduce the number of animals
used in research to the minimum required for meaningful results (paragraph 37).
Explain why reducing numbers below the minimum required could produce results that are not meaningful.
(2)
41) Suggest how gene therapy for motor neuron degeneration diseases such as ALS might be carried out
(paragraph 42).
(3)
42) An investigation that used animals was carried out by Hubel and Weisel. These scientists used kittens to
investigate brain development. Explain how this work helped to develop explanations of human brain
development.
(5)