Biology Baseline Test

1) A

2) A

3) B

4) B

5) A

Structured Questions

1) A)

B) Flower D contains the anther and the stamen. This produces pollen, which can be seen in
Fig 1.1. Moreover, the stigma is undeveloped at stage D. The pollen produced can be
dropped on the stigma in Stage E, taking it to the ovary. This stigma is fully developed.

C) The flower has large, colorful petals to attract the insect. This will make the bee land on
the petal for pollination. These flowers have a scent to attract the insect. The pollen of these
flowers are sticky as well to ensure pollination. There is also nectar present which will attract
the insect towards the flower.

2) A) i) Oxygen
ii) endosperm
iii) There is additional mass which won’t be not included in the calculations. Example of
this additional mass is the mass of the seed coat.

B) Explain the changes in mass over the first five days of:
i) The food storage region: The mass of the food storage region decreases over the five
days. After the five days, the mass of the food storage decreases from 200g to 96g. This is
because the food is digested with the help of enzymes. The starch in the food storage gets
converted to glucose for respiration.
ii) the radicle and plumule: The mass of the radicle and the plumule increase over the five
days. Over the five days, the mass of the radicle and plumule increase from 2g to 36g. The
radicle is the first part of the seed to grow during germination. This is the region where
growth takes place. The end products of respiration will be used for growth in the radicle
and plumule. Thus the mass increases.

C) If the seedlings were exposed to light from day 2 to day 5, suggest and explain
what would happen to the dry masses of:

i) the food storage region: The food storage region will continue to lose mass over the
remaining days as respiration will continue to take place and the starch in the food region
will be necessary for respiration. However, the rate of decrease of the mass of the food
storage region will be slower than before.

ii) radicle and plumule: The radicle and plumule will continue to gain mass over the
remaining days as growth will continue to happen in the presence of light. The rate of
increase of mass will be faster than before as light will lead to increased growth of the
radicle and plumule.