EXERCISE

Section A: Answer

1C 6D 11 D
2A 7A 12 C
3B 8D 13 A
4D 9B 14 C
5B 10 C 15 B

Section B: Structured Questions (15 marks)

16 Seed germination
a) Monocot seed because the seed still have very big endosperm.

b) P: The seed absorb water. This process call imbibitions which trigger the embryo to synthesise gibberelin.
Q: Gibberelin is transported to the aleurone. This will stimulate the synthesis of various hydrolytic enzyme.
R: Hydrolytic enzymes are release from aleurone and digest stored food.
S: Products of hydrolysis are translocated to the embryo for germination (growth of the embryo)

c) Abscissic acid induce seed dormancy while gibberelic acid free the seed from dormancy.

17 HIV infection

a) Virus A: Human immunodeficiency virus Cell B: lymphocyte helper T cell

b) Reverse transcriptase, to synthesise the complementary DNA by using RNA from the HIV as a template.

c) i) The integration of viral DNA to the host’s DNA.

ii) The significant of step 4 to HIV is the genome is permanently carry by the lymphocyte and will replicate when
the cell divide. This will increase the number of copy of HIV genome.

d) HIV kills the helper T cells which is the key to trigger the immune response against the foreign particles including
pathogen. Helper T cell is HIV reproduction site. Without helper T cell, the immune system cannot give any
response and not able to fight any other pathogen which enters body.

Section C: Essay Questions (30 marks)

18 (a) Control of hormone in parthenocarpy and fruit ripening

Parthenocarpy (4m)
 Development of fruit without fertilization.
 Flower that has not been pollinated, when treated with auxin will stimulate the ovary in the flower to
produce enzymes that is needed for fruit development.
 The fruit produced are seedless.
 Parthenocarpy is also can be induced by gibberelin but it is indirectly.
 Gibberelin trigger the production of the auxin which then influences parthenocarpy.
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Fruit ripening (3m)
 Ethylene/ethene is ripening agent.
 Ethylene accelerates the colouring of ripe fruit which is yellowish by breaking down the chlorophyll.
 Ethylene also triggers the hydrolysis of middle lamella between cells to soften the fruit texture.
 Ethylene convert starch to sugar to make it sweet

(b) The mechanism of action by steroid and peptide hormone.

Action of steroid hormone (4m)
 Steroid hormone molecule is lipid type molecule.

 When steroid hormone arrives at its target cells, it passes through the plasma membrane into the
cytoplasm.
 In the cytoplasm, it binds to receptor molecule forming a hormone-receptor complex which then moves into
the nucleus.
 In the nucleus, the complex attaches to a specific gene and activates the process of transcription to
produce mRNA.
 mRNA moves to out of the nucleus into the cytoplasm and binds to ribosome where translation takes place
to produce proteins.
 These proteins have structural or enzymatic activity that changes the metabolism of the target cell. As long
as the gene is activated the response is continuous.
 Therefore steroid hormone action is long term response.
Action of peptide hormone (4m)
 Peptide hormones are polar molecule. They cannot pass through the phospholipids bilayer of the plasma
membrane.
 Since this hormone cannot enter target cells, they affect target cells by signal transduction mechanism.

 The peptide hormone act as the first messenger. It attaches itself to the receptor protein located on the outer
surface of the plasma membrane of target cell forming a hormone-receptor complex.
 The complex will activate the relay molecule (G protein) to binds with GTP.

 The activated G protein in turn stimulates the enzyme adenylate cyclase which converts ATP to cyclic
AMP(cAMP)
 cAMP act as second messenger. cAMP will initiate rapid and amplified reaction which called cascade effect
to influence cellular response.
 When the response is already enough, the hormone will be deactivated. It is short term effect.

19 (a) Pollen development in flowering plant (Diagram 1m, label meiosis 1m, explanations 4m)

Generative
Secretion of nucleus
walls exine
Meiosis I Meiosis II

Pollen Tetrad of Separate intine Pollen

mother four pollen pollen tube
cell cells grains nucleus

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  Pollen development occurs in each of the pollen sacs located on the anther
 Each sac contains a group of diploid parent cells known as pollen-forming parent cells.
 Each pollen-forming parent cell will later divide to form a tetrad, which comprises four haploid cells known
as microspore.
 The nucleus of the microspore then divides by mitosis forming a generative nucleus and tube nucleus.

 The cytoplasm volume is reduced to reduce the size and weight. The wall thickens.

(b) (i) Absolute growth curve. (Axis = 1m; shape of graph = 1m; explanation = 1m)

Growth Absolute growth curve is a graph which is plotted

parameter
based on sized (example: dry mass, height, or
(e.g.: mass,
cytoplasm contents) against time.
height)

Time

(ii) Absolute growth rate curve

Absolute growth rate curve is the curve obtained by

plotting growth rate against time. It is the increase in size
Growth
rate
(example: dry mass, height, or cytoplasm contents) per
unit time.

It is the
Time

(iii) Relative growth rate curve

Relative growth rate curve is the graph is the graph

% increase in obtained when the data on relative growth rate is plotted
size against time. Relative growth rate is the growth rate
expressed as the percentage of the size obtained at each
particular period of time, to the initial size.

Time

20 (a) Adaptation of renal corpuscle: (Any 3 x 2m = 6)

1. Glomerulus is highly branched. Hence the surface area for ultrafiltration is very high. The rate of ultrafiltration
is very fast.

2. The afferent arteriole is wider than the efferent arteriole. This results in a higher hydrostatic pressure in the
glomerulus. The hydrostatic pressure forces the blood fluid out from the blood capillary.

3. Endothelial cells of blood capillary with pores. The pore is too small for the blood cells to pass through but big
enough for dissolved substances. Therefore the basement membrane acts the only filter which will not allow
plasma protein to pass through. Hence the filtrate can pass through capillary wall very fast.

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4. The inner layer of the Bowmann’s capsule consists of podocytes. Podocytes have slits which is large enough
to allow blood fluid to pass through very fast to enter the lumen of nephron.

b) Role of ADH (any 6m)

 Arise in the blood’s osmotic pressure (water potential is lowered, becomes more negative) could be due to
low (Ingestion) of water, excessive sweating or large amounts of salts ingested.
 The antidiuretic hormone (ADH) is produced by the neurons in the hypothalamus is passes to the posterior
pituitary gland to be release into the blood stream and transported by blood to its target organ, the kidney.
 ADH binds to receptors in the plasma membrane of epithelial cells lining the collecting duct and distal
convoluted tubule.
 ADH activates a series of enzyme-controlled actions. Enzymes phosphorylase becomes activated.
 Phosphorylase causes vesicles with aqua proteins to move to the plasma membrane of distal convoluted
tubule and fuse with the plasma membrane.
 The proteins arrange themselves to form pore (aquaporins). The increase the number of aquaporins allow
rapids flow of water from the filtrate into the surrounding cortex of the kidney.
 Water then moves freely through the aquaporions, down its concentration gradient and enter the blood
capillary in the kidney. This is how water is reabsorbed.
 If the body fluid has enough water or excess of water, less ADH is produced. Therefore less water
reabsorptions.

c) Physiology of desert plant (3m)

 Desert plant practice CAM pathway in dark reaction of photosynthesis to ensure enough supplied of carbon
dioxide via stomatal pore but still able to prevent excess water loss through the same opening.
 These types of plants open the stomatal pore during night to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Night is cold in desert area, no evaporation of water, therefore no water vapour escape through the
stomatal opening. This will prevent water loss.
 During the day, stomatal pore close but the present of sunlight allowed the process of photosynthesis to
occur.