BIOLOGY PP4 EXAM TIPS LEBSY

1. Biological Drawing  Words like larger, smaller, shorter matter

a lot when comparing certain attributes.
Almost every Biology PP4 has a question on
drawings 2. Food Tests;
Drawing should be  Know the procedures for all the food tests:
 Large (covering more than half of the space  Know the reagents used & QUANTIFY THEM;
given)
E.g. 3 – 20 drops OR 5ml OR 3cm3
 Clean & Clear, not woolly on any part, NOT
SHADED NB… In glucose test, the use of warm water bath is
 Realistic – Resemble the specimen / picture on rejected; rather use hot water bath.
appearance & proportionality/ FREEHAND In Emulsion test, Do NOT add water before ethanol (The
DRAWN positive result should be stated as WHITE EMULSION
 Showing All the details, e.g. seeds / stalk /
serrations / veins / double membrane for fruits
/ locular / compartments etc. RELIABILTY of results is obtained by:
Measurements  Repeating the experiment several times to
obtain the average
 Use a straight line to show where you
measured, and measure the line itself. UNITS
ARE REQUIRED
ACCURACY of the results is improved by:
 Express your measurements to correct units.
 Using the Same volume / quantity of solutions
e.g. 16.2 cm OR 162mm
 Using the solutions of same pH
16.0 cm OR 160mm
 Using Equal Concentrations
Calculating Magnification
 Exposing to Same Temperature.
 Start by writing the formula:Mag = length of
drawing SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WHEN EXPERIMENTING
 Substitute correctly
 Use a test tube holder / cloth when handling
 Write your calculated answer in full hot test tubes
 Express the final answer to 1 Decimal place /  Wear safety gloves / goggles to prevent
as a whole number preceded by “X” exposure to harmful chemicals
 DO NOT write UNITS RISKS / HARZADS DURING EXPERIMENTING
E.g 16.2cm 16.0cm  Burns / Scalds from hot liquids
7.3 cm OR 4.0 cm  Cuts from broken glasses / scalpel
= =4
2.2191781 =X4  Burns from corrosive solutions
X22
Similarities and Differences of specimen given. 3. Graphs
 Compare specimen on the basis of  Produce a correct & consistent scale
observable features, these may include:  Always draw the axis
 Colour / Size / Number of certain
structures / Presence or Absence of  Label the axis correctly using the given
variables & include the units
*
certain structures

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 BIOLOGY PP4 EXAM TIPS LEBSY
 Plot the points using either; x,
 Join the points neatly on free hand or
using a straight edged ruler where points
form a straight line
4. Question on Describe & Explain

Diagram of a fruit
Nb: Pedicel refers to fruit stalk

Describe – To simply state the pattern / events

appearance of something
e.g. From graph above, describe the shape of the
graph. [Answer: The graph shows that as
temperature increased, rate of reaction also
increased to a certain level beyond which further
increase in temperature resulted in a decrease on The skin is known as Epicarp or Exocarp
rate of reaction] The Mesocarp is the middle layer (fleshy part)
Explain – To give an account / reasons / justify The Endocarp is the innermost layer of fruit
why The PERICARP refers to a layer consisting of
Epicarp + Mesocarp
e.g. Explain the shape of the graph above Diagram of a seed
[Answer:
>> When temperature is low the molecules have
low kinetic energy; hence low chances of particles
colliding
>> When temperature rises molecules gain more
kinetic energy and have higher chances of
colliding / combining hence rate of reaction also
increases
>> When optimum temperature is reached, rate of
reaction is at its best / highest, because it is the
suitable temperature for the enzymes.
>> Beyond optimum level, rate of reaction
decreases – due to enzymes being denatured.
Diagram of a leaf
Nb: Petiole refers to leaf stalk
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 BIOLOGY PP4 EXAM TIPS LEBSY

Bar charts– The bars do NOT touch each

other; Must leave equal spaces between each
other, and all bars should be of equal width
(Bars may be Vertical or Horizntal)

Histogram – The bars

do touch each other –
No Spaces; and all bars
should be of equal
width (Bars are always
Vertical)

NOTE THAT ALL TOPICS CAN BE ASSESSED ON THIS PAPER COMPONET; THEREFORE DO NOT
LIMIT YOUR PREPARATION TO THE TIPS ABOVE. Lebsy Mb doc: 73280796