ASSESSMENT

HIGH SCHOOL
AY 2023-2024
“ Fostering and empowering Society in building and serving the nation.”

Subject : Biology Date : 17-10-2023 SCORE

: Classification, Biodiversity, &
Topic/s Class : HS-12A
Conservation

Duration : 60 minutes Name :

Cavell aldric

Classification, Biodiversity, & Conservation

(Formative Assessment)

Directions:
Section A: Choose the best answer, circle the letter of the chosen answer, or put the letter
on the blue space provided.
1. In classification, which statement is true?

A If two organisms belong to the same order, then they are in the same genus.
B If two organisms are in different orders, then they cannot be in the same class.
C If two organisms are in the same class, then they must be in the same phylum.
D If organisms have the same genus name, they must also have the same species name.

2. A biologist exploring an uninhabited island came across an unknown plant. She made the following
notes:
• grows in a damp and shady corner of the island
• has large feathery leaves with spore cases (sporangia) arranged on the underside
• young leaves are tightly rolled up
• has roots.

In what phylum should she classify this plant?

A Angiospermophyta C Coniferophyta
B Bryophyta D Filicinophyta

3. Which term best defines a group of populations living and interacting with each other in an area?

A Ecology C Species
B Community D Ecosystem

4. Which sequence of taxonomic groups goes from largest to smallest?

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 ASSESSMENT
HIGH SCHOOL
AY 2023-2024
“ Fostering and empowering Society in building and serving the nation.”

5. What is an ecosystem?

A An environment in which an organism normally lives

B A group of organisms of the same species inhabiting an area
C A group of populations living and interacting with each other in an area
D A community and its abiotic environment
[Total: 5]

Section B: Answer the following questions on the spaces provided.

1 Palm oil is a vegetable oil that is used very widely in food products. The oil is extracted from
the fruit of the oil palm tree.

(a) Oil palm trees have a higher oil yield than that of other oil-producing plants.

Fig. 1.1 shows the oil yield of four crop plants.

Fig. 1.1

Calculate how many hectares of soya bean plants would be needed to produce the same
yield of oil as one hectare of oil palm trees.

Show your working and write your answer to one decimal place.

5000 : 350
= 14.3 14.3
answer .......................................... hectares [2]
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 ASSESSMENT
HIGH SCHOOL
AY 2023-2024
“ Fostering and empowering Society in building and serving the nation.”

(b) Oil palm plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia have been created by cutting down
rainforests.
This reduces biodiversity.

Outline reasons why it is important to maintain biodiversity.

It is important to maintain biodiversity, one of the reasons are that to protect animals that
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
are in danger of extinction, we also need to protect their habitat. It is also not ethical to
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
cut down rainforests and destroying natural habitat. Resources material is also one of the
function of rainforests, when they cut the forests it's just another natural resources
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
decreasing. Rainforests also containing a large gene pool or genetic variation that can
be discover in the future, it is very wasteful to destroy such potential.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………… [5]
(c) Palm oil companies are now being asked to produce palm oil in a sustainable way. This
means that no more deforestation should take place.

Suggest ways in which individual consumers can encourage manufacturers to use palm
oil from sustainable sources.
Individual consumers can stop buying palm oil from companies that are producing them in
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
an more unsustainable way. In this way, companies will eventually be forced to change their
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
ways to be more sustainable to get consumers to buy their products. Campaigns can be
initiated so that people will use palm oil in a sustainable sources. This can be done by raising
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
awareness to the public and do soundings of the campaign.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
[Total: 9]
2 The St. Lawrence river in Canada has been identified as an area with very high biodiversity.

(a) Explain how the term biodiversity can be considered at different levels.
Biodiversity, short for biological diversity, is a term that encompasses the variety of life on Earth,
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
including the diversity of species, genetic diversity within those species, and the variety of
ecosystems and habitats in which these species exist. Here is some of the levels in
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
biodiversity:
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
- Genetic Biodiversity
- Species Biodiversity
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
- Ecosystem Biodiveristy
…………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

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 ASSESSMENT
HIGH SCHOOL
AY 2023-2024
“ Fostering and empowering Society in building and serving the nation.”

(b) The St. Lawrence river is rich in species of aquatic mammals, especially whales.

In spring, thousands of whales swim from the Atlantic ocean up the St. Lawrence river.
Thirteen different species of whale have been recorded. One of these is the blue whale,
Balaenoptera musculus.

Fig. 2.1 is a diagram of a blue whale.

Fig. 2.1

Photographs of blue whales are analysed by computer so that individual whales can be
identified and population abundance can be estimated. Each blue whale is different in
colour and in the shape of dorsal fin. Different whales also have different patterns of
scarring.

(i) State the two sources of phenotypic variation in the blue whale population.
genetic variation and impacts from the environment
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
(ii) Suggest one reason why it is difficult to measure the actual population size of the
blue whale.
Because the blue whales migrate or swim which causes it to be difficult for scientists
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
to measure the actual population of the blue whale
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

(c) The St. Lawrence river runs through very busy industrial areas. It has many ports for
cargo ships, a good fishing trade and many whale-watching boat trips for tourists.

Decades of whale hunting has caused a large decrease in whale population sizes. Since
whale hunting was banned, whale populations have not recovered.

Seven of the thirteen whale species in the St. Lawrence river have been rated as
endangered species.

Page 4 of 6
 ASSESSMENT
HIGH SCHOOL
AY 2023-2024
“ Fostering and empowering Society in building and serving the nation.”

Suggest two reasons why the populations of whales have not recovered since the ban
on whale hunting.
Illegal hunting or poaching, even with the ban on whale hunting, illegal hunting of whales
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
are still present and can cause the population of whales to drop
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
The heavy industrial area of the St. Lawrence river causes the water in whale reproduction
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………….. [2]

(d) Fat samples from under the skin of individual whales of several different species were
taken.

These were analysed and the concentrations of the toxins DDT and PCBs were
measured.

Suggest why whales were found to have accumulated very high concentrations of DDT
and PCBs in their fatty tissues.
DDt and PCBs are found in water. They are stored in fats and therefore will be passed on to
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
the food chain, eventually accumulating high concentrations of DDT and PCBs on the top
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
of the food chain (whales as predators).
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………….. [2]

(e) Algal blooms sometimes occur in the area of the Atlantic ocean near the St. Lawrence
river. These result from rapid population growth of unicellular algae such as Alexandrium
tamarense.

(i) A. tamarense produces saxitoxin, a neurotoxin that causes muscle paralysis by

acting on voltage-gated sodium ion channels in neurones. Saxitoxin can kill
whales.

Suggest how saxitoxin results in the death of a whale.

Saxitoxin blocks Na+ ions, not allowing the ions to enter the neurones and send
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
impulses. Action potential will not happen and transmission will not occur. This will
lead to death.
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
(ii) Algae, such as A. tamarense, used to belong to the kingdom Plantae but are now
classified in the kingdom Protoctista.

State one reason why A. tamarense is classified in the kingdom Protoctista and
not in the kingdom Plantae.
Because algae is unicellular and it is not multicellular
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
[Total: 11]

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 ASSESSMENT
HIGH SCHOOL
AY 2023-2024
“ Fostering and empowering Society in building and serving the nation.”

3 All living organisms are divided into five kingdoms.

The table below lists some features possessed by living organisms and some processes that
they carry out.

Place a tick or a cross in the table to indicate the presence or absence of the feature or
process in any or all members of the kingdom.

The first row has been done for you.

[6]
[Total: 6]
[Total: 26]
END OF ASSESSMENT

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