Topic 1 1819 Ver B [50 marks]

The giant alga Acetabularia has a feature that suggests it is an exception to the cell theory. What feature is this?
1. [1 mark]
A. It lacks a nucleus.

B. It lacks a cell wall.

C. It has only one mitochondrion.

D. It lacks subdivision into separate cells.

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]

Which functions of life are carried out by all unicellular organisms?

2. [1 mark]
A. Response, homeostasis, growth and photosynthesis
B. Metabolism, ventilation, reproduction and nutrition
C. Response, homeostasis, metabolism and growth
D. Reproduction, ventilation, response and nutrition

Markscheme
C

Examiners report
[N/A]

3. Which sequence shows increasing relative size? [1 mark]

Markscheme
A
 Examiners report
[N/A]

What causes cells to differentiate?

4. [1 mark]
A. Sufficient nutrition
B. Full expression of all genes
C. Specialized functions at different stages of embryo development
D. Expression of some genes with suppression of other genes

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
N/A

[Source: Adapted from www.biology-resources.com. Copyright 2004–2017 D G Mackean & Ian Mackean. All rights reserved.]

5. Which function is accomplished by structures X and Y in the Paramecium? [1 mark]

Markscheme
A

Examiners report
[N/A]
6. What distinguishes prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells? [1 mark]

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
Some teachers complained that eukaryotic cells are not compartmentalized. In section 1.2 of the guide it specifically mentions this as a
characteristic to take into consideration.

7. Animal cells often secrete glycoproteins as extracellular components. What is a role of these glycoproteins? [1 mark]
A. Adhesion

B. Additional energy reserve

C. Membrane fluidity

D. Water uptake

Markscheme
A

Examiners report
This question was answered well by half the candidates and the discrimination index was very high, this means that capable candidates
studied the extracellular function of glycoproteins well.

8. What is a role of cholesterol in animal cells? [1 mark]

A. It increases body fat.

B. It controls membrane fluidity.

C. It lines the inner wall of capillaries.

D. It is a constituent of bile.

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]
 Which evidence falsifies the Davson–Danielli model?
9. [1 mark]
I. The presence of globular proteins within the phospholipid bilayer

II. Non-polar amino acids cause proteins to remain embedded in membranes

III. Membrane proteins remain in a fixed position inside a membrane

A. I only

B. I and II only

C. II and III only

D. I, II and III

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]

Which pair of features is correct for both diffusion and osmosis?

10. [1 mark]

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
N/A

11. Which of the following is not a function performed by a membrane protein? [1 mark]
A. Hormone binding sites
B. Cell adhesion
C. Enzyme synthesis
D. Pumps for active transport

Markscheme
C
 Examiners report
N/A

The salt concentration inside an animal cell is 1.8 %. The salt concentration in the surrounding medium becomes 5 %. What will be
12. [1 mark]
the likely response?

A. The cell will gain water from the medium.

B. The cell will lose salt to the medium.

C. The cell will remain unchanged.

D. The cell will shrink from loss of water.

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]

13. Why do crop plants dry out when a field is irrigated with water contaminated by sea water? [1 mark]
A. The plants lose water by active transport.
B. The plants gain salt by osmosis.
C. The plants gain salt by diffusion.
D. The plants lose water by osmosis.

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
N/A

14. What is evidence for the endosymbiotic theory? [1 mark]

A. RNA can catalyse metabolic reactions.

B. Meteorites contain organic molecules.

C. Amino acids can be synthesized from inorganic compounds.

D. Mitochondria possess their own DNA.

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]
15. The statement relates to Pasteur’s experiments. [1 mark]

What did this statement suggest?

A. Mold evolved by endosymbiosis.

B. Oxygen is required for anaerobic respiration.
C. Cells can only be formed by division of pre-existing cells.
D. Nutrients are a requirement for mold growth.

Markscheme
C

Examiners report
This question was answered well by good candidates, therefore was a good discriminator.

What can be deduced about a striated muscle fibre from both of these statements?
16. [1 mark]

A. It is prokaryotic.
B. It is an exception to cell theory.
C. It consists of aseptate hyphae.
D. It is preparing to divide.

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
Despite the complaints, this question is perfectly suitable for this test as in 1.1 of the guide there is an application that states that one
should question the cell theory using atypical examples, including striated muscle, giant algae and aseptate fungal hyphae. This was a
very good discriminator.
17. When during the cell cycle does DNA replication take place? [1 mark]

Markscheme
C

Examiners report
[N/A]

18. During which stage does the cell surface area to volume ratio decrease? [1 mark]
A. Interphase

B. Metaphase

C. Telophase

D. Cytokinesis

Markscheme
A

Examiners report
A high difficulty index shows this question proved to be too difficult to many candidates in SL.

19. Which of these processes require mitosis? [1 mark]

A. Embryological development
B. Reducing surface area to volume ratio
C. Maintaining cell size
D. Cell growth
 Markscheme
A

Examiners report
Most candidates recognized that the embryological development required mitosis. Many weak candidates believed it was cell growth.

20. What is a difference between a cell in the G 1 phase and a cell in the G 2 phase of the cell cycle? [1 mark]
A. A cell in the G2 phase would be smaller than a cell in the G 1 phase.
B. A cell in the G2 phase would have more mitochondria than a cell in the G 1 phase.
C. A cell in the G1 phase would have more DNA in its chromosomes than a cell in the G 2 phase.
D. DNA replication occurs in the G 1 phase but not in the G2 phase.

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
This question required the candidates to know what occurs during the cell cycle. Good candidates were able to answer this question
correctly.

Draw a labelled diagram that shows the positions of proteins within the cell membrane.
21a. [3 marks]

Markscheme
Phospholipid bilayer drawn and labelled with at least one protein labelled and drawn embedded either in one or both halves of the
bilayer

Reject if only peripheral proteins are shown.

Integral/intrinsic/transmembrane/carrier/pump/channel/pore protein labelled and shown crossing the membrane

Extrinsic/peripheral protein labelled and shown on membrane surface/not embedded in bilayer

Glycoprotein labelled and shown integral and with a clear carbohydrate region projecting out on one side of the membrane

The carbohydrate should be shown differently from the protein but need not be labelled specifically.
The protein part can be embedded in one or both phospholipid layers.

Examiners report
There were many neat and accurate diagrams of membrane structure showing a variety of proteins. It was not difficult to earn the three
marks. Peripheral proteins should be shown on the surface of the phospholipid bilayer, not embedded in it.

Outline the effects of putting plant tissue in a hypertonic solution.

21b. [4 marks]
 Markscheme
Hypertonic solution has more solutes/higher solute concentration «than the tissue/cells/cytoplasm»

Water moves out of the cells/tissue by osmosis «into the hypertonic solution»

Water moves from lower solute concentration to higher solute concentration/up the solute concentration gradient

Reject answers based on water concentrations.

Pressure inside cell drops

OR
cell no longer turgid
OR
cell becomes flaccid

Reject cell decreases in size.

Reject plant wilts and other answers about whole plants.

Volume of cytoplasm drops

OR
«plasma» membrane retracts from the cell wall
OR
cell is plasmolysed

Reject plant cells shrink or shrivel.

Examiners report
This part was less well answered, with candidates failing to make the basic points about the events caused by putting plant tissue into a
hypertonic solution. Some candidates misunderstood the term ‘tissue’ and talked instead about placing whole plants in a solution.
Candidates should be careful to state that hypertonic means a higher solute concentration, not just a high concentration. Explanations
of osmosis in terms of water concentration should be discouraged as there are no units for measuring such concentrations. Water
potential terminology is not expected as it is not part of the new programme.

The micrograph shows a cell from the root of an onion ( Allium cepa) during mitosis.

22a. Calculate the magnification of the image. [1 mark]

Markscheme
136 (accept answers in the range of 132 to 140)

Examiners report
About half of candidates calculated the magnification of the image correctly. Those that did not were usually one more orders of
magnitude away from the answer. A common problem was the use of centimetres rather than millimetres to measure the size of the
scale bar image. This very often leads to an error of one order of magnitude.
 Deduce the stage of mitosis shown in the micrograph.
22b. [1 mark]

Markscheme
anaphase

Examiners report
This was well answered with more than 90% of candidate recognising that the cell was in anaphase.

22c. State what is indicated by the presence of polysomes in a cell. [1 mark]

Markscheme
much protein of one type needed/produced by polysomes;

mRNA is being repeatedly translated;

Examiners report
This was very poorly answered with fewer than 25% of candidates knowing that polysomes are groups of ribosomes that are translating
the same mRNA, which indicates that the cell needs multiple copies of one particular polypeptide.

The electron micrographs show mitosis in a cell at an early stage and an intermediate stage.

23a. State the name of each phase shown, recording whether each phase has taken place at an early or intermediate stage of mitosis. [2 marks]
Phase A: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .occurs at an. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . stage
Phase B: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .occurs at an. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . stage

Markscheme
phase A: anaphase (occurs at an) intermediate (stage); (both needed)
phase B: prophase (occurs at an) early (stage); (both needed)

Examiners report
Many correctly identified Phase A in 3(a)(i) but often missed Phase B.
23b. Outline the events occurring in phase A. [2 marks]

Markscheme
centromeres split/break;
(sister) chromatids/chromosomes separate;
dragged/pulled/movement to separate poles;
by shortening of spindle microtubules;
Do not allow events other than those in anaphase

Examiners report
Part 3(a)(ii) was usually well answered. Unfortunately, some candidates referred to homologous chromosomes when they meant sister
chromatids; homologous chromosomes separate in Anaphase I of meiosis. Few mentioned centromeres splitting.

23c. State what results when there is an uncontrolled division of cells in living organisms. [1 mark]

Markscheme
tumours / cancer

Examiners report
Part 3(b) was very successfully answered. No credit was given for “mutation.”

Draw a labelled diagram of a eukaryotic plant cell as seen in an electron micrograph.

24. [4 marks]

Markscheme
Cell wall shown with two continuous lines to indicate the thickness

Plasma membrane/cell membrane shown as a single continuous line

Accept inner line of wall as membrane if clearly labelled.

Nuclear membrane/nucleus shown with double membrane and nuclear pores

Vacuole «membrane»/tonoplast shown as a single continuous line

Chloroplast/plastid shown with a double line to indicate the envelope and thylakoids/grana

Mitochondrion shown with double membrane/cristae

Examiners report
Diagrams of plant cell structure were mostly rather poor and few candidates scored full marks. The question specified ‘as seen in an
electron micrograph’. Many diagrams showed the appearance of plant cells in a light micrograph. This allowed marks for cell wall and
cell membrane to be awarded, but not for internal structures such as the nucleus as their representation was not detailed or accurate
enough. In contrast to the membrane diagrams in 6(a), many of these cell diagrams were carelessly drawn with overlapping, multiple or
discontinuous lines used for structures that have a single continuous edge.
 This image shows a normal red blood cell.

These images show two red blood cells that have been placed in solutions with different concentrations of solutes.

Deduce, with a reason, which red blood cell has been placed in a hypertonic solution.
25a. [1 mark]

Markscheme
cell 2 because it has plasmolized/lost water/volume has decreased

Examiners report
[N/A]

25b. State what change there has been in the cell surface area to volume ratio in red blood cell 1. [1 mark]

Markscheme
decreased

Examiners report
[N/A]
 The diagram (not to scale) shows a cell which contains water and sodium ions. This cell is immersed in a salt solution of water and
sodium ions.

26a. State the mode of transport if water moves into the cell. [1 mark]

Markscheme
osmosis

Examiners report
N/A

State the mode of transport if sodium ions move into the cell.
26b. [1 mark]

Markscheme
active transport

Examiners report
Candidates misinterpreted 2a(ii) as diffusion rather than active transport.

Explain facilitated diffusion.

26c. [3 marks]

Markscheme
movement down the concentration gradient / from high to low concentration;
through channel proteins/ion channels;
passive transport / it requires no energy from the cell / no ATP;
for molecules that cannot pass through the phospholipid bilayer;
channel is specific/selective to the ion/molecule being transported;

Examiners report
N/A

State the name of the structures formed within a cell by endocytosis.

26d. [1 mark]
 Markscheme
vesicles / vacuoles / endosome

Examiners report
N/A

State three processes occurring in a cell during interphase of the cell cycle but not in mitosis.
27. [3 marks]
1. ....................................................................

2. ....................................................................

3. ....................................................................

Markscheme
a. growth (of cells);
b. transcription/protein synthesis/translation;
c. DNA replication / genetic material copied;
d. production of organelles/mitochondria/chloroplasts;
e. named normal activity of cell ( eg active transport, movement, secretion);
NB Do not accept G1, S, G2 unless linked to correct process.

Examiners report
Various cellular processes occur during interphase. Any three of the following were accepted: growth (of cells), protein
synthesis/translation, DNA replication, production of organelles or named normal activity (e.g. active transport, movement, secretion
etc.). It was not necessary to name the sub phases such as G1, S or G2. If that was done the sub phase had to be linked to a correct
process to achieve a mark. It should be noted that cells grow in all three phases by producing proteins and organelles. DNA replication,
however, only occurs in the S phase.

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