HL Practice MCQ Mocks 2023 Without Answers

HL Practice MCQ Mocks 2023 [53 marks]
1. [Maximum mark: 1] 17N.1.HL.TZ0.01
[Source: Adapted from www.biology-resources.com. Copyright 2004–2017 D G Mackean & Ian Mackean. All rights
reserved.]
Which function is accomplished by structures X and Y in the Paramecium?
[1]
[Source: Adapted from www.biology-resources.com. Copyright 2004–2017 D G Mackean & Ian Mackean. All rights
reserved.]
The salt concentration inside the Paramecium is 1.8 %. The salt concentration in the surrounding medium
suddenly drops to 0.2 %. What will be the likely response?
A. The cell will lose salt to the medium.
B. The contractile vacuole will expel more water.
C. The cell will swell and eventually burst.
D. The membrane will become more permeable to salt. [1]

Which of the molecules contain peptide bonds or are sugar molecules?
[1]
A cricket was placed in a respirometer at constant temperature for ten minutes. The soap bubble moved
along the pipette.
[Source: © International Baccalaureate Organization 2017]
What was measured by the movement of the soap bubble?
A. Production of carbon dioxide
B. Volume of excretory products
C. Oxygen consumption
D. Release of heat [1]

The image shows a karyogram.
[Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karyotype_of_sheep_(Ovis_aries).png, by M. Singh, X. Ma,

E. Amoah and G. Kannan]
What information can be determined from this karyogram?
A. The sex is female.
B. The haploid number is 54.
C. Disjunction occurred during meiosis.
D. The species is not human.
[1]
A dominant autosomal allele for lactase persistence allows humans to digest milk as adults. People who lack
this allele are lactose intolerant in adulthood.
If J and K have a child L, what is the probability that L will be lactase persistent?
A. 25 %
B. 50 %
C. 75 %
D. 100 % [1]

Which type of cell is specialized to facilitate gas exchange?
A. Type I pneumocytes
B. Type II pneumocytes
C. Internal intercostal muscle fibres
D. External intercostal muscle fibres [1]

What happens when an action potential reaches motor end plates?
A. Calcium ions are absorbed by the muscle fibres.
B. The sarcomeres relax.
C. Neurotransmitter is released.
D. Action potential is passed to the neuron. [1]

The graph shows changes in an individual’s blood glucose concentration over time.
What hormones were secreted at J and K?
[1]

Some regions of DNA do not code for the production of proteins. What are these regions of DNA used as?
A. They have no known function and are recycled to provide nucleotides
B. Gene regulation and coding for production of enzymes used in translation
C. Telomeres and coding for production of tRNA
D. Introns and coding for production of structural proteins [1]

Which letter (A–D) indicates where a new nucleotide would attach?
[1]

Which cell component synthesizes actin and myosin?
A. Free ribosomes
B. Rough endoplasmic reticulum
C. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum
D. Nuclear membrane [1]

Which reaction does not cause a net release of energy?
A. ADP combines with inorganic phosphate to form ATP
B. ATP releases inorganic phosphate to form ADP
C. Loss of hydrogen from reduced NAD
D. Oxidation of reduced FAD [1]

Which process occurs during the light-dependent reaction of photosynthesis?
A. ATP, CO2 and H2O are produced.
B. CO2 is used to produce carbohydrates.
C. ATP and O2 are produced.
D. RuBP is phosphorylated.
[1]

The image shows a portion of a cell containing a mitochondrion.
[Source: ‘TEM of a mitochondrion’ by Prof. R. Bellairs. Credit: Prof. R. Bellairs. CC BY 4.0.]
Where do glycolysis and electron transport occur?

Agar is a growth medium without nutrients; starch agar is agar with starch added to it. Seed coats were
removed from seeds and the seeds were used to set up the following conditions. Which plant embryo was
unable to grow?
[1]

Which letter identifies phloem?
[Source: E R DEGGINGER/Getty Images] [1]

Cobalt chloride paper is blue when dry but turns pink with water. Blue cobalt chloride paper was fastened to
the upper and lower surfaces of a plant leaf. After 20 minutes, many small pink dots were observed on the
paper on the lower surface, and a few pink dots were seen on the upper surface. What conclusions can be
drawn?
I. There are more stomata on the lower surface than on the upper surface.
II. Stomata on the upper surface are blocked by the waxy cuticle.
III. More transpiration occurs through the lower surface than through the upper surface.
A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only
D. I, II and III [1]

How do the concepts of gradualism and punctuated equilibrium differ?
A. The timing of evolution
B. The mechanism causing evolution
C. The sequence of evolutionary events
D. The reality of evolution [1]

In a plant, dark leaves are dominant to pale leaves and yellow seeds are dominant to white seeds.
A heterozygous dark-leaved plant with yellow seeds was crossed with a pale-leaved plant with white seeds.
A large number of offspring were produced. They were either dark-leaved with yellow seeds or pale-leaved
with white seeds in equal number.
What is the most likely cause of this pattern?
A. Crossing over has occurred.
B. The two genes are linked.
C. The traits are polygenic.
D. The genes are codominant. [1]

What forms the basis of immunity after vaccination?
[1]

Which processes require calcium?
I. Muscle contraction
II. Movement of an action potential along an axon
III. Production of the skeleton of hard corals
A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only
D. I, II and III [1]

What structure is indicated by the arrows?
[Source: Courtesy Roger Craig, University of Massachusetts]
A. One muscle fibre
B. One sarcomere
C. One myofibril
D. One Z line [1]

The diagram shows the female reproductive system.
[Source: © International Baccalaureate Organization 2017]
Which structures do K and L identify?
[1]
The image shows the structure of the protein hemoglobin
[Source: Hemoglobin molecule, Microbiology ID: e42bd376-624b-4c0f-972f-e0c57998e765@4.4 OpenStax

Microbiology
https://cnx.org/contents/5CvTdmJL@4.4 and
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OSC_Microbio_07_04_
hemoglobin.jpg Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License,
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.]
What level of protein structure bonds the α and β chains together?
A. Primary
B. Secondary
C. Tertiary
D. Quaternary [1]
In 1882, Engelmann investigated photosynthesis by shining light of varying wavelength on a green alga. He
observed where aerobic bacteria accumulated.
[Source: Republished with permission of Oxford University Press, from Plant Physiology and Development, Sixth Edition by
Lincoln Taiz, Eduardo Zeiger, Ian M. Møller, and Angus Murphy, 2015. Permission conveyed through
Copyright
Clearance Center, Inc.]
What can be deduced from this experiment?
A. Only parts of the chloroplast contained chlorophyll.
B. The distribution of bacteria indicates the action spectrum of photosynthesis.
C. Most oxygen is released from the algae in green light.
D. Chloroplasts reflect blue and red light. [1]

The diagrams show how monosaccharide molecules are joined to form chains in two polysaccharides.
[Source: Amelse, J. Achieving Net Zero Carbon Dioxide by Sequestering Biomass Carbon. Preprints 2020,
2020070576
(doi: 10.20944/preprints202007.0576.v1). Fig SI9. Distributed under a Creative Commons CC BY license
Attribution
4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.]
Using the diagram and the table, which diagram and monosaccharide represent glycogen?
[1]
Huntington’s disease can develop in middle age and leads to death of brain cells. It is carried by an
autosomal dominant gene. What can be deduced about a man who has the disease?
A. Half of his children will get the disease.
B. Neither of his parents had the disease, but one must have been a carrier.
C. At least one of his grandparents must have had the disease.
D. His sons are more likely to have the disease than his daughters. [1]
A nucleus was removed from a cell of sheep P and fused with a denucleated egg cell of sheep Q. This was
transplanted into the uterus of sheep R, which gave birth to Dolly.
[Source: Photo courtesy of The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Scotland, UK, n.d. Dolly
the Sheep
in a field at The Roslin Institute. [image online] Available at: https://www.livescience.com/57961-dolly-the-
sheepannouncement-
20-year-anniversary.html [Accessed 23 March 2020].]
Which describes Dolly?
A. A clone of sheep P, because Dolly was formed from the nucleus of its udder cell
B. A clone of sheep Q, because Dolly was formed from one of its egg cells
C. A clone of sheep R, because Dolly developed in its uterus
D. Not a proper clone, as more than one sheep was involved in the development [1]
The diagram shows the carbon flux in gigatonnes per year between some of the Earth’s global reservoirs.
[Source: Figure 7.3 and Table 7.1 from Denman, K.L., G. Brasseur, A. Chidthaisong, P. Ciais, P.M. Cox, R.E.
Dickinson, D.
Hauglustaine, C. Heinze, E. Holland, D. Jacob, U. Lohmann, S Ramachandran, P.L. da Silva Dias, S.C. Wofsy and
X. Zhang, 2007: Couplings Between Changes in the Climate System and Biogeochemistry. In: Climate Change
2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B.
Averyt,
M. Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY,
USA.]
What can be deduced from the information in the diagram?
A. Arrows S are mainly due to respiration of marine plants and animals.
B. Photosynthesis is a component of both arrows Q and S.
C. Every day, more carbon is removed from the ocean than is added.
D. Ocean carbon is stored as dissolved calcium carbonate. [1]

The diagram shows a cross section through the small intestine of a mammal. Which label points to the
mucosa?
[Source: JOSE LUIS CALVO MARTIN & JOSE ENRIQUE GARCIA-MAURIÑO MUZQUIZ / www.istockphoto.com.] [1]
The image shows the four chambers of the mammalian heart viewed from the ventral side. The sinoatrial
node is located in the wall of one of these chambers. Which chamber is it?
[Source: Anatomy Corner, n.d. [Elk heart]. [image online] Available at: http://anatomycorner.com/main/image-
gallery/elk-heart/
[Accessed 23 March 2020].] [1]
Leptin is a hormone which initiates the process to reduce food intake. What is the location of the glands that
produce leptin and where are its target cells found?
[1]
Rosalind Franklin produced X-ray diffraction images of DNA.
[Source: © King’s College, London. KCL Department of Biophysics KDBP/1/1.]
Which previously unknown aspect of DNA was deduced from these images?
A. Chromosomes are made of DNA.
B. Deoxyribose sugar is attached to a phosphate group.
C. The base A pairs with T and C with G.
D. The DNA molecule is a double helix. [1]

What is the difference between the DNA of adult identical (monozygotic) twins?
A. Order of genes
B. Sequence of nucleotides
C. Methylation pattern
D. Ratio of complementary base pairs [1]

What is the primary function of the free ribosomes shown in the electron micrograph?
[Source: J Gordon Betts, et al. Anatomy and Physiology. Houston Texas: OpenStax, 2013. https://openstax.org/books/
anatomy-and-physiology/pages/3-2-the-cytoplasm-and-cellular-organelles. Image file available at
https://commons.
wikimedia.org/wiki/File:0313_Endoplasmic_Reticulum.jpg#/media/File:0313_Endoplasmic_Reticulum_b_labeled.
png. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
https://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/3.0/deed.en.]
A. Synthesize proteins to be used within the cell
B. Synthesize proteins for use in lysosomes
C. Carry amino acids to mRNA for protein synthesis
D. Synthesize proteins for secretion [1]

Some bacteria can synthesize the amino acid isoleucine from threonine, a process involving five enzymes (E1
to E5) and four intermediary products (P, Q, R and S). The production of isoleucine is controlled by end-
product inhibition.
Which statement describes this end-product inhibition?
A. If isoleucine accumulates, it inhibits the production of P.
B. End-product inhibition causes a build-up of intermediary products.
C. Isoleucine inhibits E5, so no more isoleucine is produced.
D. Isoleucine affects the structure of threonine. [1]

Where are protons pumped, to allow chemiosmosis in aerobic respiration to occur?
A. From outside the mitochondrion through the double membranes
B. From carrier to carrier in the inner mitochondrial membrane
C. From the matrix of the mitochondrion to the space between the membranes
D. From the space between the membranes to the cytoplasm outside the mitochondrion [1]

The diagram shows some of the intermediate compounds produced during the Calvin cycle. At what stage
does carboxylation take place?
[1]
A plant is allowed to photosynthesize in an atmosphere containing radioactive 14C. Where in the plant stem
would radioactive sugars be found?
[Source: sinhyu/123rf.com.] [1]

The diagram shows a plant shoot and the direction of the light which the shoot received.
[Source: USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database. Available at:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alnus_seedling_drawing.png
[Accessed 30 November 2021].]
What are the direction of movement and the effect of auxin in the tip of a plant shoot when receiving light
from one side?
[1]
The graph shows how the mass of a bean seed from which all water has been removed (dry mass) changes
during germination.
What can be deduced from the graph?
A. The plant loses more water during period X than during period Y.
B. During period Y, photosynthesis occurs but not respiration.
C. During period Y, more CO2 is fixed in photosynthesis than is released by cell respiration.
D. The seeds were not exposed to the correct temperature for germination during period X. [1]
A dihybrid cross was carried out between two plants to determine whether the genes for seed shape and
colour are linked. If the genes are unlinked, the expected ratio of 9:3:3:1 should occur. A chi-squared test was
carried out on the observed results of the cross. The critical value for chi squared at the 5 % level of
significance in this test was 7.82. The calculated value for chi squared was 6.25. What can be concluded from
this data?
A. The results prove that the genes are linked.
B. The results prove that the genes are unlinked.
C. There is significant evidence that the genes are linked.
D. There is significant evidence that the genes are unlinked. [1]

The graph shows the relationship between mass at birth and the percentage that die shortly after birth for
Scottish Blackface lambs.
[Source: Dwyer, C.M., Conington, J., Corbiere, F., Holmoy, I.H., Muri, K., Nowak, R., Rooke, J., Vipond, J. and
Gautier,
J.-M., 2016. Invited review: Improving neonatal survival in small ruminants: science into practice. Animal, 10(3),
pp. 449–459.]
What type of selection for the lambs is shown in the graph?
A. Disruptive selection, as there is a drop in mortality at intermediate birth masses
B. Stabilizing selection, as lambs with low or high birth mass are less likely to survive
C. Directional selection, as lambs with a high birth mass have high mortality
D. There is no evidence in the graph of selection, as survival frequency is not shown [1]
The diagram shows a method for the production of monoclonal antibodies.
[Source: Adenosine, March 5, 2010. A general representation of the method used to produce monoclonal
antibodies. [online]
Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoclonal_antibody (CC BY-SA 3.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/
by-sa/3.0/deed.en [Accessed 27 March 2020]. Adapted.]
What are cells P and Q?
[1]
The image shows part of a myofibril from a relaxed muscle fibre.
[Source: Sarcomere. Sameerb. Available at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sarcomere.gif

[Accessed 30 November 2021].]
What occurs during muscle contraction?
A. Myosin binding sites are blocked.
B. The bands labelled Y get shorter.
C. The bands labelled X get shorter.
D. Calcium ions bind to myosin. [1]

Where in the nephron is most glucose reabsorbed?
[Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, n.d. [Nephron]. [diagram online]
Available at:
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/news/media-library/9164 [Accessed 23 March 2020].] [1]
48. [Maximum mark: 1] 21M.1.HL.TZ1.2
The images show samples of red blood cells that were placed in different concentrations of salt solutions.
Which process explains the observations shown in the images?
A. Active transport
B. Exocytosis
C. Facilitated diffusion
D. Osmosis [1]
The images show samples of red blood cells that were placed in different concentrations of salt solutions.
Which solution has the highest salt concentration?
A. The original solution
B. Solution 1
C. Solution 2
D. Solution 3 [1]
The graph shows the progress of the same enzyme-controlled reaction at two different temperatures.
Which statement is clearly supported by the data?
A. The amount of product produced initially occurs at a lower rate at 40 °C
B. The optimum temperature for the reaction is 40 °C
C. The lower the temperature, the slower the rate of the reaction
D. The enzyme is denatured at 40 °C [1]

The graph shows atmospheric oxygen levels over time.
About 2.5 billion years ago, a significant rise in atmospheric oxygen occurred. What was the cause of this
rise?
A. Photosynthesis by non-vascular land plants
B. Photosynthesis by vascular land plants
C. Oxygen produced by photosynthetic bacteria being released from the ocean into the atmosphere
D. Volcanic activity [1]

A fluid sample is taken from the digestive tract of a mammal. The sample is basic (alkaline) and able to digest
starch and proteins. From which part of the digestive tract was the fluid taken?
A. Mouth
B. Stomach
C. Small intestine
D. Gall bladder [1]

An individual was presented with a stimulus resulting in the release of epinephrine. What was the most likely
nature of the stimulus?
A. Sunset and the onset of darkness
B. An image of a close friend
C. The intake of glucose
D. A coach shouting to begin physical activity [1]

Which process results in the exchange of gases across the membrane of pneumocytes?
A. Active transport
B. Simple diffusion
C. Facilitated diffusion
D. Mass flow [1]
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HL Practice MCQ Mocks 2023 [53 marks]

1. [Maximum mark: 1] 17N.1.HL.TZ0.01

Which function is accomplished by structures X and Y in the Paramecium?

A. The cell will lose salt to the medium.

B. The contractile vacuole will expel more water.

C. The cell will swell and eventually burst.

D. The membrane will become more permeable to salt. [1]

[Source: © International Baccalaureate Organization 2017]

What was measured by the movement of the soap bubble?

A. Production of carbon dioxide

B. Volume of excretory products

D. Release of heat [1]

[Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karyotype_of_sheep_(Ovis_aries).png, by M. Singh, X. Ma,

What information can be determined from this karyogram?

A. The sex is female.

B. The haploid number is 54.

C. Disjunction occurred during meiosis.

D. The species is not human.

7. [Maximum mark: 1] 17N.1.HL.TZ0.23

C. Internal intercostal muscle fibres

D. External intercostal muscle fibres [1]

8. [Maximum mark: 1] 17N.1.HL.TZ0.24

A. Calcium ions are absorbed by the muscle fibres.

B. The sarcomeres relax.

D. Action potential is passed to the neuron. [1]

What hormones were secreted at J and K?

10. [Maximum mark: 1] 17N.1.HL.TZ0.26

A. They have no known function and are recycled to provide nucleotides

B. Gene regulation and coding for production of enzymes used in translation

C. Telomeres and coding for production of tRNA

D. Introns and coding for production of structural proteins [1]

12. [Maximum mark: 1] 17N.1.HL.TZ0.28

B. Rough endoplasmic reticulum

C. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum

D. Nuclear membrane [1]

13. [Maximum mark: 1] 17N.1.HL.TZ0.29

A. ADP combines with inorganic phosphate to form ATP

B. ATP releases inorganic phosphate to form ADP

C. Loss of hydrogen from reduced NAD

D. Oxidation of reduced FAD [1]

A. ATP, CO2 and H2O are produced.

B. CO2 is used to produce carbohydrates.

C. ATP and O2 are produced.

15. [Maximum mark: 0] 17N.1.HL.TZ0.31

[Source: ‘TEM of a mitochondrion’ by Prof. R. Bellairs. Credit: Prof. R. Bellairs. CC BY 4.0.]

Where do glycolysis and electron transport occur?

17. [Maximum mark: 1] 17N.1.HL.TZ0.33

[Source: E R DEGGINGER/Getty Images] [1]

B. I and III only

C. II and III only

D. I, II and III [1]

19. [Maximum mark: 1] 17N.1.HL.TZ0.35

A. The timing of evolution

B. The mechanism causing evolution

C. The sequence of evolutionary events

D. The reality of evolution [1]

20. [Maximum mark: 1] 17N.1.HL.TZ0.36

What is the most likely cause of this pattern?

A. Crossing over has occurred.

B. The two genes are linked.

C. The traits are polygenic.

D. The genes are codominant. [1]

22. [Maximum mark: 1] 17N.1.HL.TZ0.38