Class- XII

Session 2023-24
Subject- Biology (044)
Maximum marks- 70 Set-A Time- 3 hrs

General instructions-

 All questions are compulsory

 The question paper has five sections and 33 questions. All questions are compulsory.
 Section A has 16 questions of 1 mark each. Section B has 5 questions of 2 marks each.
 Section C has 7 questions of 3 marks each.
 Section D has 2 case based questions of 4 marks each.
 Section E has 3 questions of 5 marks each
 There is no overall choice. However, internal choices have been provided in some questions.
A student has to attempt any one of the alternatives in such questions.
 Wherever necessary, neat and properly labelled diagrams must be drawn.
Section A
1. In albuminous seeds, food is stored in _______ and in non albuminous seeds, it is stored in
_______.
(a) endosperm, cotyledons
(b) cotyledons, endosperm
(c) nucellus, cotyledons
(d) endosperm, radicle
2. Which part of the ovary in mammals acts as an endocrine gland after ovulation?
(a) Germinal epithelium
(b) Stroma
(c) Graafian follicle
(d) None of the above
3. Which of the following is a hormone releasing IUD?
(a) Lippes Loop
(b) Multiload 375
(c) Cu-7
(d) LNG 20
4. A disease caused by an autosomal primary nondisjunction is
(a) Turner’s syndrome
(b) Down’s syndrome
(c) . Klinefelter’s syndrome
(d) Sickle cell Anemia
5. Heterozygous tall plants were crossed with dwarf plants what will be the ratio of dwarf plants in
the following progeny?
(a) 50%
(b) 25 %
(c) 75%
(d) 100%
6. Eukaryotic cells have a nucleus that is considerably larger than the DNA molecule. How is the
DNA accommodated here?
(a) super-coiling in nucleosomes
(b) DNase digestion
(c) through the elimination of repetitive DNA
(d) deletion of non-essential genes
7. What do Okazaki fragments form?
(a) leading strand
(b) lagging strand
(c) non-sense strand
(d) senseful strand
8. By studying analogous structures we look for
(a) similarities in appearance and function but different in structure
(b) similarities in appearance but differences in functions
(c) Similarities in organ structure
(d) Similarities in the cell make-up
9. Sympatric speciation arises due to
(a) the non-overlapping population of the same area
(b) geographical isolation
(c) the overlapping population of the same area
(d) the non-reproductive population of the same area
10. The Jurassic period belongs to which era?
(a) proterozoic
(b) archaeozoic
(c) mesozoic
(d) cenozoic
11. Human evolution actually started in
(a) France
(b) America
(c) Central Asia
(d) Africa
12. What is the function of antigen?
(a) lowers body temperature
(b) kills harmful bacteria
(c) triggers the immune system
(d) is used as an antidote to the poison
13. A snake bite is treated with antivenom. This is an example of
(a) artificially acquired active immunity
(b) artificially acquired passive immunity
(c) naturally acquired passive immunity
(d) specific natural immunity
14. Among the following, which is a wrong match between a microbe and its industrial product,
while the others are correct?
(a) Yeast – statins
(b) Acetobacter aceti – acid
(c) Clostridium butylicum – lactic acid
(d) Aspergillus niger – citric acid
15. What bacterial group is exploited in the production of biogas?
(a) Methogens
(b) Methanotrophs
(c) Organotrophs
(d) Eubacteria
16. Which enzymes are produced by lactose operon?
(a) b-galactosidase, permease and glycogen synthetase.
(b) b-galactosidase, permease and transacetylase.
(c) Permease, glycogen synthetase and transacetylase.
(d) b-galactosidase, permease

Section B

17. Retroviruses have no DNA. However, the DNA of the infected host cell does possess viral DNA.
How is it possible?
OR
Define the most feared property of malignant tumours. How do cytokine barriers provide
immunity in humans?
18. Answer the following questions based on Meselson and Stahl’s experiment on E.coli.
(i) Write the name of the chemical substance used as the only source of nitrogen in the
experiment.
(ii) Why did they allow the synthesis of the light and the heavy DNA molecules in the organism?
(iii) How did they distinguish the heavy DNA molecules from the light DNA molecules?
(iv) Write the conclusion the scientists arrived at, at the end of the experiment.
OR
Why is DNA molecule considered as a better hereditary material than RNA molecule?
19. Identify the following pairs as homologous or analogous organs
(a) Sweet potato and potato.
(b) Eye of Octopus and eye of mammals.
(c) Thorns of Bougainvillea and tendrils of Cucurbita.
(d) Forelimbs of bat and whale.
20. Explain the different steps involved during primary treatment phase of sewage.
21. Describe the experiment that helped Louis Pasteur to dismiss the theory of spontaneous
generation of life
OR
Explain adaptive radiation with the help of a suitable example.

Section C

22. With the help of a schematic diagram, explain the location and role of the following in a
transcription unit. Promoter, structural gene, terminator.
OR
How is hnRNA processed to form mRNA?
23. Monocistronic structural genes in eukaryotes have interrupted coding sequences. Explain. How
are they different in prokaryotes?
24. State the theory of biogenesis. How does Miller’s experiment support this theory?
OR
 (a) 360 out of 1000 individuals in a population have a genotype of AA while 480 have
Aa genotype. The rest 160 belong to aa. Frequency of allele A in this population is?
(b) How can Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium be affected? Explain giving any one reason.
25. (a) Why did TH Morgan select Drosophila melanogaster to study sex-linked genes for his lab
experiments?
(b) In snapdragon flower, the appearance of pink flowers is not known as blending. Why?
26. (A) Explain the role of pituitary and sex hormones in the process of spermatogenesis.
(B) What happens to corpus luteum in human female if the ovum is (i) fertilised, (ii) not fertilised?
27. Describe the process of megasporogenesis up to fully developed embryo sac formation in an
angiosperm.
28. (i) Name the protozoan parasite that causes amoebic dysentery in humans.
(ii) Mention two diagnostic symptoms of the disease.
(iii) How is this disease transmitted to others?
(Iv) How can we protect ourselves from this disease?

Section D
29. In a study to test a new vaccine against a viral disease, mouse model testing is done. In this process
mice were vaccinated and their blood samples were tested. MySQL developed mild disease symptoms.
After a few days my eyes were again infected with the same pathogen. This time they did not show any
disease symptoms. Then their blood samples were again tested. 2 graphs show antibody concentration
for the first infection and second infection respectively in the mice blood.

Based on the above information answer the following questions

(A) Which form of the pathogen is used in the vaccination and why,?
(B) Define the type of immunisation that is conferred on administering the vaccines.
(C) Differentiate between the type of responses on the first and the second exposure
respectively. What is the reason for the increased concentration of antibody in the second
exposure?
30. Given below is the diagram of a tRNA molecule.
Answer the questions based on the above diagram:
(a) Why is charging of tRNA essential in translation?
(B) Name the enzyme that is involved in the process and the type of tRNA that you see in the diagram.
(c) Briefly describe the initiation process of translation?

Section E

31. Describe with a diagram how the lac operon operates, both in the presence and the absence
of an inducer in E. coli.
OR
(A) Name the enzyme and state its property that is responsible for continuous and
discontinuous replication of the two strands of a DNA molecule.
(B) If the base adenine constitutes 31% of an isolated DNA fragment, then what is the
expected percentage of the base cytosine in it?
(C) Draw a well labelled diagram of a replication fork.

32. (A) Given below is the representation of a relevant part of amino acid composition of the
ß-chain of haemoglobin, related to the shape of human red blood cells.

(i) Is this representation of the sequence of amino acids indicating a normal human or a
sufferer from a certain blood related genetic disease? Give reason in support of your answer.
(ii) Why is the disease referred to as a Mendelian disorder? Explain.
(B) Name the phenomenon that leads to situations like ‘XO’ abnormality in humans. How do
humans with ‘XO’ abnormality suffer? Explain.
33. (A) Coelacanth was caught in South Africa. State the significance of discovery of
Coelacanth in the evolutionary history of vertebrates.
(B) Write the names of the following:
(i) A 15 mya primate that was ape-like
(ii) A 2 mya primate that lived in East African grasslands.
(C) How would the gene flow or genetic drift affect the population in which either of them
happen to take place?
OR
(A) Mention the evolutionary significance of the following organisms:
(i) Shrews
(ii) Lobefins
 (iii) Homo habilis
(iv) Homo erectus
(B) How can Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium be affected? Explain giving any three reasons.