Page 1 of 8

AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY EXAMINATION BOARD

HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL CERTIFICATE

CLASS XII EXAMINATION

SEPTEMBER 2011

Biology Paper I

Time allowed: 40 minutes Marks 30

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Read each question carefully.

2. Answer the questions on the separate answer sheet provided. DO NOT write your answers on the
question paper.

3. There are 100 answer numbers on the answer sheet. Use answer numbers 1 to 30 only.

4. In each question there are four choices A, B, C, D. Choose ONE. On the answer grid black out
the box for your choice with a pencil as shown below.

Correct Way Incorrect Way

1 A B C D 1 A B C D

2 A B C D

3 A B C D

4 A B C D

5. If you want to change your answer, ERASE the first answer completely with a rubber, before
blacking out a new box.

6. DO NOT write anything in the answer grid. The computer only records what is in the boxes.

H1104-1921110
 Page 2 of 8

1. The diagram summarises haemoglobin breakdown in liver.

Erythrocyte

haemoglobin

haem globin
iron bilirubin amino acids
ammonia

Y Z

Which of the following is correct about the identification of Y and Z?

Y Z
A Gall bladder Kidney
B Gall bladder Gall bladder
C Kidney Gall bladder
D Kidney Kidney

2. Which of the following prevents temperature drop in a healthy person on a cold day?

A. Increased vasoconstriction
B. Decreased metabolic rate
C. Increased shivering
D. Increased sweating

3. What arises from the activity of lateral meristem in older plants with much bark and wax
tissue?

A. Cortex
B. Epidermis
C. Primary xylem
D. Secondary phloem

4. Which of the following is correct about skeletal muscle tissues?

A. In a muscle fibre actin is the thick filament.

B. A muscle cell lacks an excitable membrane.
C. Each muscle fibre contains many oval nuclei.
D. Sarcoplasm is identical to the cytoplasm of any cell.

5. The binding of calcium ion to troponin molecules, exposes the binding site of

A. tropomyosin.
B. myoglobin.
C. myosin.
D. adenosine triphosphate.

H1104-1921110
 Page 3 of 8

6. Which of the following phenomena is found to be induced in the absence of auxin?

A. Abscission
B. Cytokinesis
C. Parthenocarpy
D. Apical dominance

7. Which hormone triggers your body to retain sodium chloride, especially during times of
excessive heat?

A. Progesterone
B. Aldosterone
C. Epinephrine
D. Oestrogen

8. When ringing of a bell alone causes salivation in a dog, the dog has developed

A. latent learning.
B. insight learning.
C. a conditioned reflex.
D. an instinctive behaviour.

9. Polar bodies in humans are formed during

A. mitosis in males.
B. meiosis in males.
C. mitosis in females.
D. meiosis in females.

10. Which of the following hormones performs a key role in the maintenance of developing foetus
within the uterus?

A. Follicle stimulating hormone

B. Leutinizing hormone
C. Progesterone
D. Estrogen

11. Which of the following is a bacterial disease which when passed to the infant can cause serious
eye infections?

A. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

B. Trichomoniasis
C. Genital herpes
D. Gonorrhoea

12. The tissues labelled as X and Y are examples of

A. lateral meristem.
B. apical meristem.
C. intercalary.
D. internodes.

PLEASE TURN OVER THE PAGE

H1104-1921110
 Page 4 of 8

13. Which of the following germinal layers gives rise to smooth muscles?

A. Endoderm
B. Mesoderm
C. Ectoderm
D. Epiderm

14. Chromosomal abnormalities occur during the formation of

A. hormones.
B. gametes.
C. enzymes.
D. zygote.

15. Nuclear DNA sends information for protein synthesis through

A. tRNA.
B. mRNA.
C. rRNA.
D. cDNA.

16. Given are some events of cell division.

I Two cell divisions take place

II DNA replicates during interphase
III Haploid cells are produced from diploid cells

Which event/s differentiate/s meiosis from mitosis?

A. I only
B. II only
C. I and II only
D. I and III only

17. Which of the following is correct about the cell cycle?

A. M phase is known as the resting phase.

B. DNA synthesis takes place in S phase.
C. There are three phases in a cell cycle.
D. M phase is a part of interphase.

18. A person with Turner’s syndrome lacks

A. both X and Y chromosomes.

B. one Y chromosome.
C. one X chromosome.
D. one autosome.

H1104-1921110
 Page 5 of 8

19. A dihybrid cross is based on the principle of

A. dominance.
B. segregation.
C. purity of gametes.
D. independent assortment.

20. In humans brown eyes are dominant over blue eyes. In a cross between BB and bb, what
percentage of the offspring will have brown eyes?

A. 25%
B. 50%
C. 75%
D. 100 %

21. Four stages in the production of human insulin by genetic engineering are given.

I Cutting of DNA with restriction enzymes

II Copying of DNA with reverse transcriptase
III Extracting plasmid from bacterial cell
IV Joining plasmid DNA to donor DNA

Which of the following shows the correct sequence of the given stages?

A. I, III, II, IV
B. I, III, IV, II
C. III, I, II, IV
D. III, II, I, IV

22. Polymerase chain reaction is used for

A. DNA segregation.
B. DNA amplification.
C. DNA identification.
D. DNA recombination.

23. During gel electrophoresis, the fragments of DNA are separated according to their

A. size.
B. bands.
C. sequence.
D. frequency.

24. Links between organisms that show a branching pattern of evolutionary relationships are shown
by

A. living fossils.
B. phyletic lineage.
C. comparative embryology.
D. morphological time chart.

PLEASE TURN OVER THE PAGE

H1104-1921110
 Page 6 of 8

25. Which of the following is an example of ancestral homology?

A. Almost all reptiles, birds and mammals have forelimbs.

B. The first birds and all their descendant species have feathers.
C. Human and many insect species have eyes.
D. Wings in insects and birds share same origin.

26. Which of the following is correct about natural and artificial selection?

Natural Selection Artificial Selection

A Variation occurs No variation
B Takes place between Takes place within a
different species species
C Selection of best fitted Selection of desired
organism characteristics
D Fast Slow

27. The diagram shows a feeding relationship between two animals.

Here, the owl is a

A. consumer.
B. parasite.
C. herbivore.
D. producer.

28. The lake ecosystem is divided into three main zones. Which of the following is the littoral
zone?

Sunlight Zooplanktons Deep water

A 9 9 9
B 9 9 8
C 8 9 9
D 9 8 9

29. If the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) of a water sample is very high, it means

A. water contains more oxygen and is less polluted.

B. water contains less oxygen and is less polluted.
C. the demand of oxygen in water is high.
D. the demand of oxygen in water is low.

30. Which of the following classifications of disease/disorder matches correctly with its example?

Classification of Diseases/disorders Examples

A Genetic disease Haemophilia
B Pathogenic Osteoarthritis
C Aging Scurvy
D Nutritional disorder Diphtheria

END OF PAPER
H1104-1921110
 Page 7 of 8

H1104-1921110
 Page 8 of 8

H1104-1921110