St Monica School Gzira Annual Exams 2023

Subject: BIOLOGY Form: 3

Duration: 2 hours

Name:_________________________ Form: ______

Instructions:

• Read all questions carefully.

• Answer ALL questions in the spaces provided.

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SECTION A: Answer ALL questions in the spaces provided. This section
carries 40 marks.

1. Write the correct term that best describes the following:

BIOLOGICAL PROCESS TERM

A group of identical specialized cells.

Organisms which feed on dead

organic matter.
A solution that is more concentrated
than the cell.
When different species compete for
the same resources.
Where gas exchange takes place in a
leaf.

(2.5 marks)

2. Match the descriptions on the left-hand column with the appropriate

substance on the right hand column: (2.5 marks)

DESCRIPTION SUBSTANCE
Helps to prevent anaemia. glycogen
Is present in proteins. Nitrogen
Is used to produce energy in cells. cellulose
Is a storage molecule in animal cells. glucose
Is the main constituent of cell walls. iron

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 3. The diagram below shows a specialized cell.

https://www.knowledgeboat.com/question/the-diagram-below-represents-a-layer-of-epidermal-cells--
154579498832404060

a. Label the structures above. (2 marks)

A - __________________________________

B - __________________________________

C - __________________________________

D - __________________________________

b. i. Is this an animal cell or a plant cell? (½ mark)

________________________________________________________

ii. Give TWO reasons to support your answer. (1 mark)

_____________________________________________________________

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c. i. Identify the type of cell shown in the diagram. (½ mark)

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 ii. Give ONE function of this cell. (½ mark)

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d. Red Blood cells are another type of specialized cells.

i. Identify TWO common structural characteristics between the red blood

cell and the root hair cell. (1 mark)

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

ii. How is the red blood cell specially adapted to transport oxygen.
(1 mark)
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4. The diagram shows a typical food web found in a freshwater pond.

https://www.nagwa.com/en/worksheets/642107191867/

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a. Name the omnivores in this food web. (1 mark)

_________________________________________________________

b. i. Write down a food chain with five links. (1 mark)

_________________________________________________________
ii. In the space below, draw a pyramid of numbers for this food chain.
(2 marks)

c. How many secondary consumers are there in the food web? (1 mark)

_________________________________________________________
d. Give a reason why all food chains start with producers? (1 mark)

__________________________________________________________

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e. i. Which organism will decrease in number most rapidly if many of the

pike are removed by fishing activities? (1 mark)

__________________________________________________________
ii. Give a reason for your choice. (1 mark)

_____________________________________________________________

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 f. Which organism in the food web is most likely to be badly affected by
insecticide that has been sprayed on farmland and then washed into the
pond? (1 mark)

_________________________________________________________

5. The diagram below shows an alveolus.

a. Identify the structures labelled A, B and C. (1½ marks)

A - _______________________________

B - _______________________________

C - _______________________________

b. Give TWO structural adaptations of the alveolus. (1 mark)

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

c. Describe TWO ways in which smoking affects the alveolus. (1 mark)

__________________________________________________________

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6. The table below shows the results of food tests carried out on three food
samples A, B and C.

SAMPLE BENEDICTS BIURET TEST LIPID TEST STARCH

TEST TEST

A Blue purple White brown

emulsion
B green blue White Blue black
emulsion
C Orange purple Faintly white brown

a. Which food sample should be avoided by someone who is diabetic?

Explain briefly. (1 mark)

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

b. Suggest which food item would you recommend to someone trying to

lose weight? Give a reason for your choice. (1 mark)

__________________________________________________________

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c. Name the Vitamin which is needed to strengthen eyesight. (½ mark)

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 7. The diagram below shows a flowering head of wheat and the individual
flowers before and after opening.

a. i) What type of pollination happens in the wheat plant? (½ mark)

_____________________________________________________________
ii) From the diagram, list three features of the wheat flower that make it
adapted to this type of pollination. (1½ marks)
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
b. Wheat pollen is relatively heavy and is released for only a few hours after
the flower opens. Give two disadvantages of this. (1 mark)
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
c. i. In the space below, draw a labelled diagram of an insect- pollinated
flower. (3½ marks)

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ii. Describe the process which takes place from the moment pollination
occurs until formation of a seed in a plant. (2 marks)
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

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iii. The diagram below shows two types of fruits carrying seeds.

A B

Compare the type of seed dispersal mechanism between A and B above.

(2 marks)
_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

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e) The diagram below shows some of the ways that plants use carbohydrates.

i) What is cellulose used for in a plant? (½ mark)

_____________________________________________________________
ii) Why do plants need to produce amino acids? (1 mark)
_____________________________________________________________
iii) To produce amino acids, plants need mineral X. Name this mineral.
(½ mark)
_____________________________________________________________
iv) Plants store carbohydrates as starch rather than as glucose. Give the
reason for this. (1 mark)
_____________________________________________________________

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SECTION B: Read the following passage and then answer the
questions. This section carries 20 marks.

Hippo sweat is a natural sunscreen

B Y RD Y AK /I ST O CK P HO T O

Sweat can stain your shirt and leave a lingering odour. If you were a hippo, things
could be even worse: Your sweat would have a red-orange colour.

Now, say scientists from Japan, hippo sweat has a good side, too. It blocks the sun’s
harmful rays and fights disease-causing microbes.
When a hippo sweats, its skin releases coloured substances that may prevent
infection and sunburn.
Hippo sweat isn’t really sweat because the glands that produce it are bigger and
deeper than those that produce sweat in people and other animals. The liquid comes
out of skin holes that are easy to see. This liquid may help a hot hippo cool down,
but it’s just as easy for a hippo to lumber into water to cool off.

For the new study, keepers at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo used gauze pads to collect
secretions from hippos. Scientists then analysed the liquid and identified two
chemicals that colour a hippo’s sweat. Both are highly acidic compounds.

In the lab, the researchers found that the sweat’s red pigment keeps two types of
disease-causing bacteria from growing. This may help explain why hippo gashes and
wounds rarely seem to get infected, even though male hippos have frequent, fierce
fights. Tests also showed that both pigments absorb ultraviolet light. The sun’s
ultraviolet rays can cause sunburn and even skin cancer. The hippo’s sweat acts like
a sunscreen, protecting the animal’s skin from damage.

Chemists may someday use their new knowledge to make medicines or sunscreens.
You won’t be seeing bottles of hippo sweat at the cosmetics counter anytime soon,
though. A sunscreen that turns you red-orange and doesn’t last very long probably
wouldn’t be a best-seller.
https://www.snexplores.org/article/hippo-sweat-natural-sunscreen

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1. i. Distinguish between ECTOTHERMS and ENDOTHERMS. (2 marks)

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

ii. Is the Hippo an endotherm or an ectotherm? Use evidence from the

passage to confirm your answer. (2 marks)
_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

2. Sweat production is an important mechanism in thermoregulation.

i. Describe how sweat helps to control body temperature in endotherms.
(2 marks)
___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

ii. Explain how hippos use their sweat to fight off infections. (2 marks)

___________________________________________________________

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3. Thermoregulation is an important HOMEOSTATIC function.

i. Define HOMEOSTASIS. (1 mark)

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

ii. Describe clearly how endotherms control their body temperature in

cool weather. (3 marks)
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 ________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

iii. Suggest how a lizard adapts to cooler temperatures. (2 marks)

________________________________________________________

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4. One other function of the sweat secreted by hippos is as a sunscreen.

i. Describe how sweat production in hippos protects them against the
sun. (1 mark)
________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

ii. Compare this role in hippos to how our skin protects against the sun’s
rays. (2 marks)
________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

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5. Hippos are known to use camouflage to survive. Discuss the importance of this
in animals. (3 marks)

_____________________________________________________________

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SECTION C: Answer BOTH questions. Each question carries 20 marks.

1. The question below is about respiration.

The diagram below shows an experimental set up to determine the rate of

respiration in germinating peas.

https://slideplayer.com/slide/5869656/

a. i. Give ONE observation that is expected after a while. (1 mark)

____________________________________________________________

ii. Name ONE substance that can be used to absorb carbon dioxide inside
the test tube. (1 mark)
____________________________________________________________

iii. Give a reason for your observation in ‘a.i’. (2 marks)

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

iv. Suggest a control that could be set up. (2 marks)

________________________________________________________

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 v. What variables should be kept constant for a fair test? (2 marks)

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

vi. How can the experiment above be modified to investigate the effect of
temperature on the rate of respiration. (2 marks)

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

vii. What predictions can be made regarding the effect of temperature on

respiration. Explain clearly. (2 marks)

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

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b. Respiration can be both AEROBIC and ANAEROBIC.

i. Give TWO differences between both processes. (2 marks)

_______________________________________________________

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ii. Name the organelle where respiration occurs. (1 mark)

_______________________________________________________

iii. Describe the processes which lead to the accumulation of oxygen debt
in a muscle cell. (2 marks)
_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

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 iv. Alcoholic fermentation is used in industry to produce products of
economic importance. Describe the production of one substance
obtained by this method. (3 marks)
_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

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2. This question is about tropic responses in germinating seeds.

a. The diagram below shows an experiment on the growth of coleoptile tips

from seedlings.

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 i. Explain why coleoptile X bends and coleoptile Y does not. (2 marks)

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

ii. Name the plant response being investigated in this experiment. (1 mark)

_____________________________________________________________

iii. What is the advantage of this response to growing plants? (1 mark)

_____________________________________________________________

iv. State TWO differences which can be observed between coleoptiles grown in
the light and those grown in the dark. (2 marks)

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

v) Describe briefly how to investigate the response of germinating seeds to

gravity. (3 marks)

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

b. Epidermal cells from the shoot tip were then

taken and placed in two separate solutions X
and Y in a petri dish. Solution X was distilled
water while Y was a concentrated sugar
solution. They were left for 30 minutes before
observing them under the light microscope.

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i. In the space below draw a labelled diagram showing how the epidermal cells
from both solutions would look like after 30 minutes.

CELLS IN SOLUTION X CELLS IN SOLUTION Y

(2,2 marks)

ii. Name the process taking place in both petri dishes. (1 mark)

_______________________________________________________

iii. Describe what has happened to the epidermal cells in solution X. How
are they called. (2 marks)
_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

iv. What would happen if red blood cells were to be placed in solution Y.
Explain clearly. (2 marks)

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

v. Darniella melitensis is an endemic salt-loving species found growing

close to Maltese coastal habitats. Predict what happens once the
plant’s cells are exposed to sea spray? Explain your answer.
(2 marks)

_______________________________________________________

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