T1 HOLIDAY REVISION 2024

FULL NAME:

Form 6
SUBJECT: BIOLOGY
PAPERS: 4 & 5
1 (a) The aye-aye, Daubentonia madagascariensis, is a mammal, native to Madagascar.
Aye-ayes are active at night and make their nests high up in trees. They feed on insect
larvae in the trunks of trees.

Fig. 1.1 shows an aye-aye.

Fig. 1.1

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categorises the aye-aye as
endangered. This means that the aye-aye has a very high risk of becoming extinct in the wild.

(i) Name the domain to which the aye-aye belongs.

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(ii) State one reason why aye-ayes may have become endangered.

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(iii) Suggest ways in which zoos may be able to protect this species from extinction.

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(b) There are two main aye-aye populations on the island of Madagascar, one in the west and
one in the east.

Fig. 1.2 is a map of Madagascar showing the location of the two main populations.

river
west population
mountain range

east population

river

Fig. 1.2

A study into the variation in the DNA nucleotide sequence of aye-ayes showed that there
is a large genetic difference between the west population and east population. The two
populations of aye-ayes may be evolving into separate species.
(i) With reference to Fig. 1.2, suggest why there is a large genetic difference between the
two populations.

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(ii) Name the type of speciation that is most likely to occur.

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[Total: 11]
2 Fig. 2.1 shows a diagram of a motor neurone.

synaptic knob dendrite

nucleus

B
Schwann cell A C

Fig. 2.1

(a) Name the structures labelled A, B and C on Fig. 2.1.

A ...............................................................................................................................................

B ...............................................................................................................................................

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

(b) Describe the function of a motor neurone.

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(c) With reference to Fig. 2.1, explain the fast transmission of impulses along a motor neurone.

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3 Corals grow in shallow sea water. Corals consist of colonies of small animals called polyps.
These polyps have photosynthetic protoctists called algae within their cells, which is
advantageous both to the coral polyps and to the algae.

The algae that live within the cells of coral polyps can also live independently as free-living algae.

(a) The rate of photosynthesis of algae that live within the cells of coral polyps is higher than
that of free-living algae.

Suggest and explain why the rate of photosynthesis in algae that live within the cells of coral
polyps is higher than that of free-living algae.

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 (b) The algae that live within the cells of coral polyps have five different chloroplast pigments.

Table 3.1 shows the light wavelengths at which each algal chloroplast pigment shows its two
largest peaks of light absorption.

Table 3.1

chloroplast peak 1 peak 2

pigment wavelength / nm wavelength / nm
chlorophyll a 430 662
peridinin 456 485
chlorophyll c2 450 396
dinoxanthin 442 471
-carotene 454 480

Corals can be kept in glass tanks that are usually lit by lamps radiating mainly violet and blue
light, with wavelengths in the range of 400 nm to 490 nm.

With reference to Table 3.1, suggest why lamps radiating mainly violet and blue light are
expected to increase the growth of coral polyps more than lamps radiating light of all
wavelengths.

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 (c) Photosynthesis in the algae living within the cells of coral polyps is the same as
photosynthesis in plant cells.

Outline the process of cyclic photophosphorylation.

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[Total: 10]

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 Question 4 starts on page 12

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 4 The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is used to produce large quantities of DNA from a very
small original sample. The main steps of one PCR method are shown in Fig. 4.1.

step 1
heat mixture of DNA, Taq polymerase, primers and nucleotides to 95 °C

repeat step 1 to step 3

step 2
cool mixture to 65 °C

step 3
incubate mixture at 72 °C

Fig. 4.1

(a) (i) Explain why it is necessary to heat the mixture to 95 °C (step 1).

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(ii) Explain why primers are included in the mixture.

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 (iii) Explain why the enzyme Taq polymerase, rather than any other type of DNA
polymerase, is used in PCR.

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(b) The presence of a faulty allele of the gene BRCA2 can lead to an increased chance of
developing breast cancer. There are many different faulty alleles of the gene BRCA2.

People who are considered to be at risk of breast cancer may choose to be tested for the
presence of these alleles in their genomes.

A microarray can be used to test blood samples for the presence of these alleles. The
microarray contains DNA probes for different faulty alleles of the BRCA2 gene.

(i) State the meaning of the term genome.

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(ii) Suggest which type of cell from a blood sample is suitable for testing for the presence of
these faulty alleles.

Give a reason for your choice.

type of cell .........................................................................................................................

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

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[1]

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 (iii) Outline how faulty alleles of the BRCA2 gene can be detected using the microarray.

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(iv) Outline the advantages of screening for faulty alleles of the BRCA2 gene.

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5 (a) The contraction of striated muscle is explained by the sliding filament model.

(i) Describe what happens in the sarcomere when the myosin head releases ADP and
inorganic phosphate (Pi).

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(ii) Explain the precise function of ATP in the sliding filament model.

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(b) During contraction, muscles use up ATP very quickly. For a short period of time, ATP can be
resynthesised using creatine phosphate, as shown in Fig. 5.1.

ADP + creatine phosphate ATP + creatine

Fig. 5.1

The creatine formed as a result of the resynthesis of ATP is converted to creatinine.

Creatinine production in the body stays fairly constant. Creatinine becomes part of the
glomerular filtrate during ultrafiltration in the kidney nephrons.

(i) Ultrafiltration requires a high blood pressure in the glomerulus.

Explain how this high blood pressure is achieved.

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(ii) Name the main filtration barrier in the nephron that allows creatinine to pass into the
Bowman’s capsule but stops red blood cells from passing through.

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 (c) The concentration of creatinine in the blood largely depends on the glomerular filtration rate
(GFR). By measuring the concentration of creatinine in the blood, the GFR can therefore be
estimated. The value of the GFR can be used to assess the efficiency of the kidneys.

In humans, a normal value of the GFR is 100 cm3 min–1.

Fig. 5.2 shows the relationship between the GFR and the concentration of creatinine in the
blood.

0.14

0.12

0.10

0.08
concentration of
creatinine in the
blood
/ g dm– 0.06
3

0.04

0.02

0.00
0 25 50 75 100 125

GFR / cm3 min–1

Fig. 5.2

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 (i) Describe the relationship shown in Fig. 5.2.

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(ii) Use Fig. 5.2 to estimate the concentration of creatinine in the blood that indicates a
normal GFR.

concentration =............................................................[2]

(iii) Suggest two reasons why the GFR of a person might decrease.

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[Total: 12]

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6 The black pigment melanin contributes to hair, skin and eye colour. Melanin is produced by cells
known as melanocytes.

(a) Tyrosinase is an enzyme involved in the production of melanin.

A study was carried out to investigate the effect of an extract of the starfish, Patiria
pectinifera, on the activity of tyrosinase.

Table 6.1 shows the results of this study.

Table 6.1

concentration of percentage activity

starfish extract / μg cm– of tyrosinase
3

0 100
4 90
8 77
16 68
32 56
64 46
128 32

Suggest how the starfish extract affects the activity of tyrosinase.

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 (b) The dominant allele of the TYR gene codes for the enzyme tyrosinase.

In people with albinism, the melanocytes do not produce melanin. This is caused by a
recessive allele of the TYR gene.

(i) Explain what is meant by the terms recessive and allele.

recessive ...........................................................................................................................

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allele ..................................................................................................................................

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(ii) Construct a genetic diagram to show how a man and a woman, who both produce
melanin, could have a child with albinism.

Use appropriate symbols in your answer and state what they represent.

[3]

[Total: 8]
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7 (a) Fig. 7.1 shows a red deer, Cervus elaphus. Red deer feed on a wide range of plants.

Fig. 7.1

The number of red deer in the UK increased from 135 000 in 1960 to 360 000 in 2010.

Environmental factors affect the population size of red deer so that numbers do not continue
to increase.

Suggest environmental factors that may prevent further increases in the size of red deer
populations.

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The body mass of red deer shows wide variation within a population. This is shown in Fig. 7.2.

number of
red deer

low medium high

body
mass
Fig. 7.2
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(b) A selection pressure acted consistently over many years against red deer of low body mass
in a population.

(i) Sketch a curve on Fig. 7.3 to show the pattern of variation of body mass in this red deer
population after this time.

number of
red deer

low medium high

body
mass
Fig. 7.3
[1]

(ii) Name the type of force of natural selection that is acting on this population.

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(c) A selection pressure acted consistently over many years against red deer of medium body
mass in a population.

(i) Sketch a curve on Fig. 7.4 to show the pattern of variation of body mass in this red deer
population after this time.

number of
red deer

low medium high

body
mass
Fig. 7.4
[1]

(ii) Name the type of force of natural selection that is acting on this population.

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[Total: 7]
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8 (a) During a sporting event, an athlete carries out aerobic respiration.

Structures and compounds involved in aerobic respiration are listed, 1 to 10.

1 coenzyme A 6 carrier protein

2 cytoplasm 7 inner mitochondrial membrane

3 pyruvate 8 intermembrane space of mitochondrion

4 NAD 9 ADP

5 outer mitochondrial membrane 10 acetyl group

Complete Table 8.1 by matching each description with one number chosen from 1 to 10, to
show the correct structure or compound.

You may use each number once, more than once or not at all.

Table 8.1

description number
location of ATP synthase
transports hydrogen atoms
nucleotide with a purine base
location of substrate-linked phosphorylation
enters the Krebs cycle
produced by oxidation of triose phosphate
[6]

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 (b) Sometimes the muscle cells of an athlete need to carry out respiration in anaerobic conditions.

Explain why the respiration of glucose in anaerobic conditions produces less ATP than in
aerobic conditions.

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9 The diversity of dung beetle species was investigated at two grassland sites in North America.
Dung beetles feed on animal faeces (dung).

The first grassland site was grazed by cattle and the second grassland site was not grazed by
cattle. The areas of the two grassland sites were the same.

At each grassland site, dung beetles were collected, identified and counted.

(a) The results are shown in Table 9.1.

Table 9.1

dung beetle number of dung number of dung

species beetles on grassland beetles on grassland
grazed by cattle not grazed by cattle
A 4267 6641
B 2005 774
C 353 108
D 218 85
total 6843 7608

(i) Simpson’s index of diversity (D) for the dung beetles on the grassland site grazed by
cattle was calculated as 0.522, using the formula:
J 2N K n O
D = 1  /d n
K N O
L P

Key to symbols:
n = number of individuals of each species present in the sample
N = the total number of all individuals of all species present in the sample

Calculate Simpson’s index of diversity (D) for the dung beetles on the grassland site
that was not grazed by cattle.

Complete Table 9.2 to show your working.

Write your final answer to three decimal places on the dotted line.

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 Table 9.2

number of dung 2
dung beetle n n
beetles on grassland N dNn
species
not grazed by cattle
A 6641
B 774
C 108
D 85
total 7608

Simpson’s index of diversity (D) = ...............................................................

[3]

(ii) Describe what the results in Table 9.1 and both figures for Simpson’s index of diversity
show about the effect of grazing by cattle on the diversity of dung beetles.

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(b) Other species of beetle that do not feed on animal dung are found on the grassland sites.

Name and describe one method for estimating the population size of a species of beetle
that does not feed on dung in each of the two areas of grassland.

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10 Explain genetic control of protein production in a prokaryote using the lac operon.

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 2

1 A group of six students carried out an experiment to determine their reaction times using a ruler.

Fig. 1.1 shows the basic procedure used for the experiment.

student student
B B

ruler

student student
A A

bench

Fig. 1.1

The students worked in pairs.

• Student A rested their hand on a bench.
• Student B then dropped a ruler from a set height.
• Student A had to catch the ruler as quickly as possible.
• The distance the ruler had dropped was measured and recorded.
• The students calculated their reaction times.

The formula for calculating reaction time in seconds is shown in Fig. 1.2.

reaction time =2 × D
g

D = distance ruler had dropped in metres

g = 9.8 m s–2

Fig. 1.2
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Table 1.1 shows the results for the six students.

Table 1.1

student distance ruler had dropped / reaction time/ s

m
1 0.17 0.19
2 0.10 0.14
3 0.16 0.18
4 0.08
5 0.16 0.18
6 0.35 0.27

(a) (i) Use the formula in Fig. 1.2 to complete Table 1.1. [1]

(ii) Predict what would happen to the reaction time if the ruler was held higher than the
original set height.

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There was some background noise in the classroom when the students carried out their experiment.
The students thought that this noise might have affected their reaction times. They decided to modify
their original experiment to find out if the presence or absence of background noise affects reaction
time.

(b) (i) Identify the dependent variable in this investigation.

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(ii) Using the procedure shown in Fig. 1.1, describe a method that the students could use
to find out if the presence or absence of background noise affects reaction time.

Your method should be set out in a logical order and be detailed enough for another
person to follow.

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Fig. 1.3 shows some results for a reaction time test that the students found on the internet.

0.25

0.20

mean 0.15
reaction
time
0.10
/s

0.05

0.00
absent present
background noise

Fig. 1.3

(c) State why a bar chart is a suitable way to show the data.

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(d) (i) Suggest one conclusion the students could have made based on these results.

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(ii) The students decided to carry out a t-test to find out if the difference in reaction time
was significant.

State why a t-test is suitable for these data.

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(iii) State a null hypothesis for this test.

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 7

Table 1.2 shows some probability values of t.

Table 1.2

degrees of
10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 40 50 60
freedom
probability
2.23 2.18 2.14 2.12 2.10 2.09 2.07 2.06 2.06 2.05 2.04 2.02 2.01 2.00
0.05

(iv) The students used 16 degrees of freedom and calculated t = 2.05.

State and explain what the value of t indicates about the difference in mean reaction
times shown in Fig. 1.3.

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 8

Another student, when carrying out the ruler experiment shown in Fig. 1.1, noticed that the more
repetitions carried out, the faster the reaction time became.

The student decided to carry out a different experiment to investigate the effect of repetition on the
accuracy of carrying out a task.

Five students, V, W, X, Y and Z were tested.

• Each student was given a picture of a star, as shown in Fig. 1.4.

• Each student sat at a desk so that the star was only visible in a mirror, as shown in Fig. 1.5.
• Each student was asked to draw between the double lines of the star when looking at it only
in the mirror. Fig. 1.6 shows a star diagram completed by a student.
• The students recorded the number of times their lines went outside the double line of the star.

double lines of the star

screen blocking direct
view of star

mirror

paper with star

Fig. 1.4 Fig. 1.5

line drawn by student

Fig. 1.6

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Each student repeated the task nine times on the same day. The results are shown in Table 1.3.

Table 1.3

number of times the students’ lines went outside the double lines of the star
student
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
V 48 48 46 44 42 40 41 41 41
W 45 42 43 40 38 35 36 35 35
X 38 37 34 32 31 30 28 28 28
Y 31 30 31 29 44 28 26 25 25
Z 41 40 38 37 35 35 33 33 32

(e) (i) Identify the independent variable in this experiment.

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(ii) Suggest the hypothesis that was tested in this experiment.

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(iii) A person walked into the room and started talking to one of the students who was
carrying out the test.

Circle the result in Table 1.3 that was affected by this. [1]

(iv) One of the students had previously carried out a similar task.

Identify this student and give a reason for your answer.

student ..............................................................................................................................

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

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(f) State two conclusions based on the data in Table 1.3.

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2 Artificial insemination (AI) is one method used in assisted reproduction programmes for large
mammals.

For many years, horse breeders have collected semen samples from male horses and used
these to inseminate female horses. Success rates have been good. However, due to the sample
containing live sperm cells, the process needed to be carried out quickly.

New technologies exist to allow horse semen to be frozen in small plastic straws. Semen
samples can now be stored for many years and transported all over the world.

• Each 0.5 cm3 straw can hold 7.5 × 107 sperm cells.
• A typical sample of horse semen contains 7.5 × 109 sperm cells.

(a) (i) Calculate the volume of a typical horse semen sample.

................................................... cm3 [1]

(ii) To inseminate one female horse, 5.0 × 108 sperm cells are needed.

Calculate the minimum number of straws needed to carry out this process.

minimum number =.............................................................[1]

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The semen from a horse is analysed by technicians to determine its quality before the horse is
accepted onto the assisted reproduction programme.

Technicians use microscopy to look at the appearance and motility of the sperm cells and to
estimate the sperm count.

Fig. 2.1 shows the surface view of a haemocytometer used to estimate the number of sperm cells
in a sample.
Each number represents a sperm cell which was counted in the sample.
Each star (*) represents a sperm cell not counted in the sample.

The depth of the haemocytometer is 0.1 mm.

0.25 mm

1 3 6
5 7 *
4
2
sperm
* 8
9 10 1
16 0.25 mm
12
14 17
13
15
20
18 1
*
21 * *
* *

Fig. 2.1
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(b) Suggest how this apparatus could be used to estimate the number of sperm cells per cm 3 of
semen and describe how the technician decided which sperm cells to include in the count.

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(c) To ensure that the sperm cells remain viable after they have been frozen, a solution is
added to the sample before freezing the semen in the straws.

The solution contains:

• a sugar
• a buffer to maintain pH
• antibiotics.

Explain why it is necessary for the solution to contain these three substances.

sugar .........................................................................................................................................

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buffer .........................................................................................................................................

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antibiotics ..................................................................................................................................

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