1

1 What is a mutation?

A a change in appearance

B a change in a gene

C a change in behaviour

D a change in the environment

[1]

[Total: 1]

2 What makes tongue rolling an example of discontinuous variation?

A A person can roll their tongue only when they are young.

B There are many different types of tongue rollers.

C Tongue rolling has to be learnt.

D Tongue rolling is something that a person either can or cannot do.

[1]

[Total: 1]

3 Which feature is an example of discontinuous variation?

A blood group

B body mass

C foot size

D height

[1]

[Total: 1]
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4 Which row best describes human blood groups?

has no shows shows

affected by
immediate continuous discontinuous
environment
phenotypes variation variation

A ✓ ✗ ✓ ✗

B ✓ ✗ ✗ ✓

C ✗ ✓ ✓ ✗

D ✗ ✓ ✗ ✓

[1]

[Total: 1]

5 State one example of discontinuous variation.

.................................................................................................................................................. [1]

[Total: 1]

6 Blood group is an example of discontinuous variation.

The table below shows different examples of variation.

Tick all the boxes that show examples of discontinuous variation.

attached or unattached earlobes

foot length

gender (male or female)

height

tongue rolling

weight

[3]

[Total: 3]
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7 New breeds of rabbits can be produced by selective breeding.

Describe the stages in the process of selective breeding.

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[Total: 3]
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8 Selective breeding of animals is very important to farmers.

Many different breeds of sheep have been produced by selective breeding.

The diagram shows a flock of Merino sheep. This breed of sheep was produced by selective
breeding.

Sheep are important animals in many parts of the world as they produce meat, wool and milk.

The table below describes some characteristics of five different breeds of sheep.

breed of sheep wool yield wool quality meat yield milk yield

Arapawa average good poor average

Awassi average poor average very good

Blackbelly poor poor very good average

Merino good very good good poor

Tsurcana average good average average

A farmer wants to sell both meat and wool.

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Suggest which breed of sheep in the table is the most suitable for this farmer.

Give a reason for your choice.

breed of sheep .........................................................................................................................

reason ......................................................................................................................................

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.................................................................................................................................................. [2]

[Total: 2]
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9 Selective breeding of animals is very important to farmers.

Many different breeds of sheep have been produced by selective breeding.

The diagram shows a flock of Merino sheep. This breed of sheep was produced by selective
breeding.

Sheep are important animals in many parts of the world as they produce meat, wool and milk.

The table below describes some characteristics of five different breeds of sheep.

breed of sheep wool yield wool quality meat yield milk yield

Arapawa average good poor average

Awassi average poor average very good

Blackbelly poor poor very good average

Merino good very good good poor

Tsurcana average good average average

A farmer wants to produce a new breed of sheep with both a very good milk yield and a very good
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quality of wool.

The farmer is able to buy any of the breeds of sheep shown in the table.

Describe the process this farmer would use to produce the new breed of sheep on her farm.

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[Total: 4]
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10 Variation can be caused by mutation.

The word mutation can be connected to the words in the boxes on the right to make a complete
sentence.

Draw three lines to join the word ‘mutation’ to the words in the boxes to make three correct
sentences.

[3]

[Total: 3]
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11 Blood group is an example of discontinuous variation.

The blood groups of patients in a hospital were recorded.

The graph below shows the results.

Explain how the graph shows that blood group is an example of discontinuous variation.

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.................................................................................................................................................. [1]

[Total: 1]
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12 The photograph below shows an Arctic wolf, Canis lupus. These wolves are one of the few mammals
adapted to the extreme cold of the tundra in the Canadian Arctic and in Alaska.

Arctic wolves show many adaptive features to a cold environment.

Explain what is meant by the term adaptive feature.

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[Total: 3]

13 Rodents are the most common mammals in many hot deserts.

The photograph below shows the lesser Egyptian jerboa, Jaculus jaculus, which lives in North
Africa and the Middle East in areas that have high daytime temperatures and very little rainfall.
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(a) Like many desert-living mammals, jerboas are active at night.

Suggest two features of J. jaculus that adapt it to each of the following challenges of living in
desert ecosystems:

(i) very high daytime temperatures

1 ............................................................................................................................

2 ............................................................................................................................ [2]

(ii) very little or no light at night.

1 ............................................................................................................................

2 ............................................................................................................................ [2]

[Total: 4]
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14 Mangrove trees are hydrophytes because they grow in water.

The diagram below shows a young mangrove tree.

Mangrove trees have many aerial roots and floating seeds.

Suggest how these adaptive features allow mangrove trees to survive in water.

many aerial roots .....................................................................................................................

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floating seeds ...........................................................................................................................

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.................................................................................................................................................. [2]

[Total: 2]

15 Adaptive features are defined as the inherited features of an organism that increase its fitness.

State what is meant by fitness in this context.

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.................................................................................................................................................. [1]

[Total: 1]
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16 Mangrove trees are hydrophytes because they grow in water.

The diagram below shows a young mangrove tree.

An adaptive feature is a feature that increases the fitness of an organism.

Define the term fitness.

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.................................................................................................................................................. [1]

[Total: 1]
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17 The diagram below shows a group of male students. They are all the same age.

The students in the diagram show continuous variation in some of their characteristics.

State three characteristics in which these students show continuous variation.

1 ...............................................................................................................................................

2 ...............................................................................................................................................

3 ............................................................................................................................................... [3]

[Total: 3]

18 Which is an adaptive feature of hydrophytes?

A large network of roots

B leaves covered with spines

C stomata on the upper surface of the leaves

D water storage in stem

[1]

[Total: 1]
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A S
19 Hb is the allele for normal haemoglobin and Hb is the allele for abnormal haemoglobin that
causes sickle-shaped red blood cells.

Which row correctly matches a genotype to its phenotype?

person has person has

genotype sickle-cell resistance to
anaemia malaria
A A
A Hb Hb ✗ ✓
S A
B Hb Hb ✓ ✗
S A
C Hb Hb ✗ ✓
S S
D Hb Hb ✗ ✗

[1]

[Total: 1]