3 Cell structure

AQA Biology Exam-style questions

1 a Complete Table 1 to give two ways in which the structure of a plant cell
differs from that of an animal cell. (2 marks)
Table 1
Plant cell Animal cell
1.

2.

b Table 2 shows the amounts of three different substances in the seeds of

various plants.
Table 2
Percentage of total mass of three different substances in
Plant the seeds of various plants
Proteins Polysaccharides Lipids
buckwheat 15 84 1
brazil nut 14 8 78
mung bean 29 69 2
sesame 25 16 59
Name the plant seed which has
i the greatest percentages of polymers in its seeds

(1 mark)

ii the smallest percentage of nitrogen-containing substances in its seeds.

(1 mark)

c One of the polysaccharides found in plant seeds is starch. A student decided

to find out which of the seeds had cells with the most starch. He used a
microscope and a suitable stain.
Outline the method he used.

(3 marks)

Adapted from AQA June 2004

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 3 Cell structure
AQA Biology Exam-style questions

2 Cell fractionation is a technique used to isolate organelles. Students wanted to

isolate mitochondria from liver cells. Figure 1 shows the method they used.

Figure 1
a The students homogenised the liver tissue. Explain why.

(1 mark)

b They kept the tissue in a cold, isotonic buffered solution.

Explain why:
i the solution was cold

(1 mark)

ii the solution was isotonic

(2 marks)

iii the solution was buffered.

(2 marks)

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 3 Cell structure
AQA Biology Exam-style questions

c Which sediment 1, 2, or 3 will contain the mitochondria?

(1 mark)

3 Electron microscopes give a much higher magnification and resolution than light
microscopes when examining specimens.
a Explain the difference between magnification and resolution when using a
microscope.

(2 marks)

b When using a light microscope with good quality lenses, it is not possible to
see clearly any objects which are closer together than 0.2 μm. Explain why.

(1 mark)

c Complete the table below to show which type of microscope should be used
for each specimen. You should choose from optical microscope (OM),
scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscope
(TEM). Give a reason for your choice in each case.
Specimen Type of microscope Reason for choice
a living water
flea
a pollen grain
surface
cristae in a
mitochondrion
the stages of
mitosis in a root cell
(4 marks)
4 Table 3 lists some features of prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells, and viruses.
Complete the table by putting:
P if feature is always present
A if feature is absent
S if feature sometimes occurs.
The first line has been completed for you.

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 3 Cell structure
AQA Biology Exam-style questions

Table 3
Feature Prokaryotic cell Eukaryotic cell Virus
cell wall P S A
cell-surface membrane
ribosomes
plasmid
nucleic acids
mitochondria
capsid
chloroplasts
(7 marks)
5 Students squashed and stained cells from the tip of an onion root. They then
observed the slide under the microscope and counted the number of cells
undergoing different stages of the cell cycle.
a Students used the root tip for this investigation. Explain why.

(1 mark)

b i The students stained the cells with toluidine blue which makes DNA
appear blue. Explain why they used this stain.

(2 marks)

b ii The students squashed the cells. Explain why.

(1 mark)

c Look at the photos in the support sheet that show cells in different stages of
mitosis.
Complete Table 4 by inserting the correct letter for each stage.
Table 4
Interphase Prophase Metaphase Anaphase Telophase

(2 marks)

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 3 Cell structure
AQA Biology Exam-style questions

d Table 5 shows the results of the students’ investigation. The figures

represent the number of cells in the different phases of the cell cycle.
Table 5
Stage of cell cycle Number of cells
interphase 138
prophase 56
metaphase 6
anaphase 2
telophase 7
total 209
If one whole cycle takes 24 hours, calculate how long the cell will spend in
phases where the chromosomes are visible as chromatids attached to each
other at the centromere. Give your answer in minutes. Show your working.

(2 marks)

e One student decided she would like to display the results as a pie chart.
Describe how she could display the data in a pie chart.

(3 marks)

6 The diagram shows a cell cycle.

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 3 Cell structure
AQA Biology Exam-style questions

a During the cell cycle the chromosomes replicate.

Give the stage of the cell cycle during which the chromosomes replicate.

(1 mark)

Table 6 shows the number of chromosomes and the mass of DNA in

different nuclei. All the nuclei come from the same animal.
Table 6
Number of Mass of
Nucleus
chromosomes DNA / picograms
at prophase of mitosis 28 64
at telophase of mitosis
from a sperm cell
b Complete Table 6 to show the number of chromosomes and mass of DNA. (4 marks)

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