2023-2024 S4 Biology LTFC Date: ______________

Chapter 3B – Cell Transport Name: _____________________

Homework 04 Class: _________( )

1. The leaf of an aquatic plant was placed in a concentrated sucrose solution and observed
under a light microscope. Photomicrographs A and B show the appearance of the cells at
the beginning of the experiment and after five minutes respectively:
Photomicrograph A - at the beginning Photomicrograph B – after 5 minutes

chloroplast

(a) X is an organelle which is invisible without staining. Name this organelle. (1 mark)
vacuole *(1)

(b) Comparing the two photomicrographs, state tw o observable changes in the

appearance of the cells after five minutes. (2 marks)
• the cell membrane / cytoplasm of the leaf cells has detached from the cell wall /
the leaf cell is plasmolysed (1) / • the vacuole / X has shrunk (1)
• chloroplasts condense to the centre of the cell (1)

(c) Explain how the observable changes stated in (b) are brought about. (2 marks)
• sucrose solution has a lower water potential than the cell content (1)
• there is a net movement of water from the cell content

to the bathing solution by osmosis (1)

2. Denise ate a piece of pineapple preserved in a sugar solution and noticed that it was softer
than fresh pineapple. Explain this phenomenon. (3 marks)
• sugar solution has a lower water potential than the cell content of fresh pineapple (1)
• as a result, there is net movement of water moving out of pineapple cells
to the sugar solution by osmosis (1)
• pineapple cells become flaccid (1) and fail to press against one another

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3. The vacuole of beetroot cells contains a red pigment which will be released from the cells
if the cell membrane and vacuole membrane
are damaged. In an investigation, Gary
placed identical cylinders of beetroot tissues
into four test tubes. Each tube contained the
same volume of alcohol at different
concentrations. The following photograph
shows the appearance of the solution
bathing the beetroot cylinders after 30 A B C D
minutes:
(a) From the result of the above investigation, deduce which test tube contained the
highest concentration of the alcohol. (4 marks)
- Tube D should have the highest concentration of alcohol (1)
- the amount of pigment released to the bathing solution would be the highest,
as indicated by the highest colour intensity (1)
- this is because the phospholipids of the membrane dissolve in alcohol (1)
- the cell membrane and vacuole membrane of the beetroot tissue bathing in the
test-tube with the highest concentration of alcohol would be most damaged (1)

(b) After three hours, Gary found that the colour intensity of the solutions of all the test
tubes became the same. Suggest an explanation for this. (2 marks)
- When the cell membrane and vacuole membrane are damaged,
the pigment leaks out of the vacuole by diffusion (1)
- As time passes, the red pigment diffused out in all tubes reaches
an equilibrium state with the same concentration in the bathing solutions (1)

4. The photograph below shows the appearances of

some kernels of a corn:
The purple colour is produced by a pigmented
layer within the kernels. If the layer is not
pigmented, the yellow colour of the inner tissue
becomes visible. Whether the kernel is smooth or
wrinkled is due to the type of food stored inside it.
Smooth kernels (starchy corn) store starch while
wrinkled kernels (sweet corn) store soluble sugars.
The surface of the sweet corns becomes wrinkled
when the corn dries up.
With reference to osmosis, explain why the kernels of sweet corn become wrinkled when
they dry up but the kernels of starchy corn remain smooth. (4 marks)
- soluble sugars lower the water potential of the kernels
while insoluble starch does not affect the water potential of the kernels (1)
- during development, kernels of sweet corns draw in a larger amount of water
by osmosis than those of starch kernels (1)
- When the sweet corn kernels dry up, they shrink as large amount of water is lost (1)
- The skin of sweet corn is not elastic (1), they become wrinkled

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5. A student carried out an investigation to determine the water potential of potato tissue.
He immersed five identical potato strips separately into five beakers containing sucrose
solution of different concentrations for one hour. The masses of the potato strips before
and after the immersion were measured and recorded. He then made the following
calculation for each potato strip:
mass of strip after immersion
Ratio of final mass to initial mass =
mass of strip before immersion

The graph below shows the results of the

investigation:

Ratio of final mass to

initial mass
(a) (i) ‘When the ratio of final mass to initial
mass is 1.0, the potato tissue has the
same water potential as the
corresponding sucrose solution.’
Explain the biological principle behind
this statement. (3 marks) Concentration of sucrose solution (%)

When the ratio is 1.0, there is no change in the mass of the potato strip
before and after the treatment (1)
this shows that there is no net gain or loss of water throughout the investigation (1)
by osmosis (1)

(ii) Based on the statement in (i), the student should be able to conclude that the
water potential of the potato tissue is equal to the water potential of ________ 7
sucrose solution. (1 mark)

(b) Describe the state of the potato strip after being immersed in 10 % sucrose solution
for one hour. Explain your answer. (3 marks)
The potato strip became flaccid (× plasmolysed) (1)
due to a net loss of water (by osmosis) (1)
because the water potential of potato tissue is higher than
that of the 10% sucrose solution (1)

(c) What would be the change in water potential of a fresh potato after it has been stored
for a long time? Explain your answer. (2 marks)
The water potential of the potato will become lower (1)
because of evaporation of water during storage /
stored starch is converted to sugar / glucose during storing (1)

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