Exam Choice

Student Number

YEAR 11
2018 (PRELIMINARY)
EXAMINATION

Biology

General Instructions • Reading time – 5 minutes.

• Working time – 2 hours.
• Write using black pen.
• Draw diagrams using pencil.
• For questions in Section II, show all relevant working in
questions involving calculations.
• NESA approved calculators may be used.

Total marks: 75 Section I – 20 marks (pages 3 – 12)

• Attempt questions 1 – 20.

• Allow about 35 minutes for this section.

Section II – 55 marks (pages 13 – 26)

• Attempt questions 21 – 31
• Allow about 1 hour and 25 minutes for this section.

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Section I – 20 marks

Attempt Questions 1-20

Allow about 35 minutes for this section

Use the multiple-choice answer sheet.

Select the alternative A, B, C or D that best answers the question. Fill in the response oval
completely.

Sample: 2+4= (A) 2 (B) 6 (C) 8 (D) 9

A B C D

If you think you have made a mistake, put a cross through the incorrect answer and fill in the
new answer.

A B C D

If you change your mind and have crossed out what you consider to be the correct answer,
then indicate the correct answer by writing the word correct and drawing an arrow as
follows.

A B C D

correct

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1. Some biologists were measuring the abundance of snails in a garden.

They placed four 1m2 quadrats as shown below.

Using the quadrats, determine the population density of the snails.

(A) 3 snails / m2
(B) 9 snails / m2
(C) 12 snails / m2
(D) 36 snails / m2

2. In which one of these lists are the structures in increasing order of complexity?

(A) organelle, cell, tissue, organ.

(B) molecule, cell, organism, organ system.
(C) molecule, organelle, tissue, cell.
(D) organelle, organ, organ system, tissue.

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Questions 3 and 4 refer to the diagram below of a geological profile.

The distribution of four different fossils is shown within the profile.

sea urchin clam sp.1

sea snail clam sp. 2

3. On the evidence here, which one of the species shown is the most recent?

(A) sea urchin

(B) sea snail
(C) clam sp. 1
(D) clam sp. 2

4. An indicator fossil is especially useful to palaeontologists. Because of its short period

of existence, its presence in a stratum allows that stratum to be dated with some
accuracy.

Which one of the species shown here is most likely to be useful as an indicator fossil?

(A) sea urchin

(B) sea snail
(C) clam sp. 1
(D) clam sp. 2

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5. The photograph below shows a group of individuals of a species of Volvox.

Volvox is a species of alga. Individual cells can survive separately, but are generally
found clustered together.

What type of organism would you classify Volvox as?

(A) colonial
(B) mutualist
(C) unicellular
(D) multicellular

6. The word equation for photosynthesis is given below.

water + substance 1 → substance 2 + oxygen

Choose the line below which correctly identifies substances 1 and 2.

Substance 1 Substance 2

(A) glucose carbon dioxide

(B) chlorophyll glucose

(C) carbon dioxide glucose

(D) carbon dioxide chlorophyll

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7. Like a human, an octopus has two eyes.

They are remarkably similar in structure to human eyes, having a lens and a retina.
They are quite unlike the compound eyes found in many other invertebrate groups.

This similarity between human and octopus eyes is an example of:

(A) divergent evolution.

(B) anatomical similarity due to common ancestry.
(C) anatomical similarity due to biogeography.
(D) convergent evolution.

8. The photograph below shows a transverse section through the vascular tissue of a
flowering plant.

Select the row in the table below which identifies cells X and Y.

X Y

(A) xylem phloem

(B) xylem cortex

(C) cortex cambium

(D) phloem xylem

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9. Which one of the following substances is the form in which energy is available for
use in biochemical reactions within the cell?

(A) glucose
(B) oxygen
(C) lipid
(D) ATP

10. The diagram below shows a cell as it appears when viewed down a microscope under
X400 magnification. The circle represents the field of view.

A student measured the diameter of the field of view at X400 as 0.40 mm.

The diameter of the nucleus of the cell under observation would be closest to:

(A) 400 m
(B) 200 m
(C) 40 m
(D) 20 m

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11. The human heart is shown below.

Identify the blood vessel which takes deoxygenated blood to the lungs.

(A) A
(B) B
(C) C
(D) D

12. The table below compares the numbers of species of different animal groups found in
Indonesia and the United States.

Indonesia United States

Mammals 667 468
Birds 1604 888
Reptiles 749 360

These data give a measure of:

(A) the number of ecological niches

(B) the number of selecting pressures
(C) biodiversity
(D) evolutionary divergence

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13. The diagram below shows a section through the leaf of a flowering plant.

Which tissue is mainly involved in the transport of materials?

(A) A
(B) B
(C) C
(D) D

14. The diagram below shows part of the human digestive system.

Which one of the following is a major function of structure X?

(A) The production of faeces.

(B) The absorption of water and vitamins into the blood.
(C) The absorption of glucose into the blood.
(D) The secretion of hydrochloric acid.

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15. The graph below shows how the numbers of two animal species varied over time,
following the introduction of species B to the area.

No. of
individuals Species A

Species B

Time

Which one of the following is the most likely description of the relationship between
species A and B?

(A) predator – prey

(B) competition
(C) parasite – host
(D) mutualism

16. The fossil record of the horse shows considerable change over the last 60 million
years.

The fossil record of the crocodile, however, over an even longer period of time, shows
comparatively little change.

Which one of the following offers the best explanation for the small amount of change
in the crocodile?

(A) The environment in which the crocodile lives has changed very little over that
time.

(B) Reptiles are less subject to natural selection than mammals, therefore
evolution is much slower.

(C) ‘The Survival of the Fittest’. Crocodiles are ‘fitter’ than horses in an
evolutionary sense and have therefore survived better.

(D) Crocodiles live for a long time. Rates of evolution are much slower in long-
lived species.

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17. The diagram below shows the human respiratory system.

Identify the function of structure X.

(A) Preventing escape of air into the abdomen.

(B) Filtering waste products from the blood.
(C) Protecting the intestines.
(D) Changing the volume of the chest cavity.

18. A student drew the drawing below of a single celled organism viewed under the
microscope.

chloroplast

flagellum
nucleus

It would best be classified as:

(A) a heterotrophic prokaryote

(B) an autotrophic prokaryote
(C) a heterotrophic eukaryote
(D) an autotrophic eukaryote
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Questions 19 and 20 refer to the information below.

The Codling moth (Cydea pomonella) is an introduced species from Europe. Its caterpillars
are a serious pest of commercially produced apples. They also attack pears, but with a
different survival rate.

The table below summarises some findings about Codling moth caterpillar survival in apples.

Large Apples Small Apples

No. of eggs Average no. of caterpillars No. of eggs Average no. of caterpillars
laid surviving laid surviving
Red apples Green apples Red apples Green apples

1 0.95 0.94 1 0.94 0.94

2 1.84 1.85 2 1.68 1.70

3 2.58 2.53 3 1.98 2.00

4 3.10 3.11 4 2.11 2.10

19. From these data, which variable does not significantly affect caterpillar survival?

(A) apple size

(B) apple colour
(C) initial number of eggs laid
(D) type of fruit

20. Which situation will give an individual caterpillar the best chance of survival?

(A) To be 1 of 4 eggs laid on a large green apple

(B) To be laid on a large apple, regardless of the number of eggs.
(C) To be the only egg laid, regardless of apple colour or size.
(D) To be 1 of 4 eggs laid on any apple, regardless of size or colour.

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 YEAR 11
2018 (PRELIMINARY)
EXAMINATION

Biology
Section II
Answer Booklet

55 marks

Attempt Questions 21 – 31

Allow about 1 hour and 25 minutes for this part

Instructions • Answer the questions in the spaces provided. These spaces

provide guidance for the expected length of response.

• Show all relevant working in questions involving calculations.

• Extra writing space is provided at the back of this booklet. If

you use this space, clearly indicate which questions you are
answering.

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 Marks
Question 21 (3 marks)

The diagram below represents an enzyme molecule with an inhibitor attached to

part of its active site.

inhibitor molecule

(a) Explain how this would affect the activity of the enzyme. 2
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(b) Sketch a line on the axes below to show how substrate concentration 1
affects enzyme activity.

enzyme
activity

substrate concentration

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Question 22 (6 marks)

In 2016 the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef suffered a devastating coral bleaching
event. In some areas 90% of the corals were killed.

Read the information below about corals and how they bleach.

Coral consists of colonies of simple

organisms called polyps.
They secrete calcium carbonate,
which forms the rock-like skeleton.
The skeleton then supports the living
polyps on its surface.

Coral polyps are animals. They feed on

microscopic organisms which they capture
with stinging cells on their tentacles. However,
they cannot supply all their energy needs in
this way and have developed a relationship
with a group of algae called zooxanthellae.
The algae live inside the tissues of the polyp,
where they are supported in a light-rich
environment and are protected from predators.
Zooxanthellae provide polyps with about 75%
of their energy needs. A coral polyp

When sea temperatures reach a certain level, the polyp experiences stress and expels the
zooxanthellae. If the temperature drops within a few days the polyps can take up
zooxanthellae from neighbouring polyps. However, if the high temperatures persist,
they won’t do this and will eventually die. The dead coral skeletons are white, hence the
term coral bleaching.
Small scale bleaching events have probably occurred fairly regularly in the past, but
since 1998 these have been occurring on a far larger scale. The 2016 event was the most
severe to date.

There is a strong consensus in the scientific community that coral bleaching is directly
attributable to global warming.
This warming means that in El Nino years, when warm currents linger off Eastern
Australia, the water is even hotter than usual, and bleaching occurs.

Question 22 continues on page 16.

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 Marks
Question 22 (continued)

(a) What proportion of their energy needs do coral polyps generally derive 1
from food which they catch?

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(b) Identify the nature of the relationship between zooxanthellae and corals.

Justify this classification. 2

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(c) On the worst affected reefs today, some small, new coral colonies are
starting to grow on the dead skeletons of the old corals.

These are thought to have come from single polyps which somehow
survived the bleaching.

Could these new colonies possibly survive future bleaching events and 3
illustrate an evolutionary change? Justify your answer.

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 Marks
Question 23 (4 marks)

Compare the gaseous exchange structures found in mammals and plants. 4

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Question 24 (3 marks) 3

The photograph below shows a dragonfly.

Add annotations to describe TWO adaptations it possesses for movement.

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 Marks
Question 25 (4 marks)

The electron micrograph below shows a cell organelle.

(a) Identify the organelle. 1

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(b) Determine its width. (The distance between points A and B). 1

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(c) Describe one characteristic feature of this organelle, and explain how it 2
helps it to perform its function.

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 Marks
Question 26 (5 marks)

The diagram below shows part of the small intestine and the blood vessels
associated with it. The arrows indicate the direction of blood flow.

A B

(a) Add labels to the diagram to identify: 1

(i) an artery
(ii) a vein
(iii) a capillary

(b) Account for TWO differences you would expect to find between the blood 2
at A and the blood at B.

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(c) Fill in the spaces below to outline an enzyme mediated reaction which 2
occurs inside the small intestine.

Enzyme

Substrate ________________
Product

________________ ________________

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 Marks
Question 27 (5 marks)

The photograph below shows aboriginal rock art from northern Australia.

Ben Gunn ABC.net.au

It is thought to depict a megafauna species, the giant bird Genornis.

(a) Radiometric analysis of bone and vegetation fragments from sites like these
suggest a possible age of 40,000 years.

Explain how radiometric analysis allows conclusions like this to be made. 3

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(b) Genornis and the rest of the Australian megafauna are now extinct.

Explain, in terms of selection pressures, how a species can become extinct. 2

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 Marks
Question 28 (5 marks)

Three ‘model cells’, A, B and C, were made using dialysis tubing (which allows
water to pass through, but not starch).

The three model cells were filled with 10% starch solution. They were then
lowered in to beakers containing different solutions as shown below.

A B C

water 10% starch 20% starch

solution solution

(a) Model cell B is shown above as it appeared after 5 hours in the beaker.

Draw A and C in their beakers as they would appear after 5 hours. 2

Question 28 continues on page 22.

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 Marks
Question 28 (continued)

(b) The results depicted in (a) are due to osmosis.

Compare the processes of osmosis and diffusion. 3

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Question 29 (3 marks)

Explain why the possession of anatomical similarities, such as the five-fingered 3

hand found in mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, is regarded as evidence
for evolution.

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 Marks
Question 30 (9 marks)

Marine biologists want to investigate the effect of recreational fishing on the fish
populations of coastal reefs in NSW.

They select a reef in a marine reserve, where fishing is prohibited, and another
reef where fishing is permitted.

They randomly choose five lines on each reef, and send a diver with a video
camera to swim along each line. The videos are then analysed to count the total
numbers of fish seen on each swim.

Their results are shown below.

Reef in Reserve Reef with permitted fishing.

Number of fish
Line No.
observed
1 422
2 314
3 443
4 298
5 321
Ave.
Number of fish
Line No.
observed
1 302
2 135
3 115
4 211
5 121
Ave.

(a) Calculate the averages and add them to the table. 1

(b) Identify the independent and dependent variables in this study. 2

Independent variable:……………………………………………………………

Dependent variable:……………………………………………………………..

(c) Explain why the swimming ‘lines’ were selected randomly. 2

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Question 30 continues on page 24.

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 Marks
Question 30 (continued)

(d) Justify TWO important improvements that would make the results more 3
valid.

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(e) Describe how the method would need to be modified in order to compare 1
fish biodiversity between the two reefs.

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 Marks
Question 31 (8 marks)

Five different sized cubes of agar, containing pink phenolphthalein indicator,

were immersed in the same concentration of acid.

As acid penetrated the agar it caused the indicator to change from pink to clear.

The table below shows how long each cube took to become completely clear.

Length of one side

1 2 3 5 7
of cube (cm)

Time taken to
10 32 91 815 2350
turn clear (sec)

(a) Graph these data on the grid below. 3

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 Marks
Question 31 (continued)

(b) Describe the trend revealed in the graph. 2

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(c) Explain the relationship between the Surface Area : Volume ratio of a cell 3
and the maximum size it can grow to.

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Section II extra writing space.

If you use this space indicate clearly which question you are answering.

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Section II extra writing space.

If you use this space indicate clearly which question you are answering.

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