Biology 0610/21 May/June 2025: question paper and mark scheme

Question

Which characteristic of living things requires carbon dioxide to diffuse into a leaf? A excretion B movement C nutrition D respiration

Question

Which set of features is characteristic only of birds? A hair and wings B hard-shelled eggs and feathers C scales and soft-shelled eggs D wings and soft-shelled eggs

Question

Which structures are found in both plant and animal cells? A cell walls and cell membranes B nuclei and cell walls C cytoplasm and chloroplasts D cell membranes and nuclei

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A student made the following statements about the movement of ions by active transport. 1 It is the net movement of particles from a low concentration to a high concentration. 2 It is the net movement of particles from a high concentration to a low concentration. 3 It requires the use of energy from respiration. 4 It can only take place in living cells. Which statements are correct? A 1, 3 and 4 B 1 and 4 only C 2 and 4 D 2 only

Question

A DNA molecule contains pairs of bases. What is a correct combination of a pair of bases? A A and G B C and A C G and T D T and A

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What is the test for protein? name of the test heat colour change A Benedict’s yes blue to purple B biuret yes blue to red C biuret no blue to purple D Benedict’s no blue to red

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The graph shows how enzyme activity is affected by temperature. enzyme activity 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 temperature / °C Why is enzyme activity lower at 55 °C than it is at 40 °C? A Heat has killed the enzyme. B The enzyme has been used up. C The reactants are moving faster. D The substrate is less likely to fit into the active site.

Question

Which descriptions of adaptations for photosynthesis are correct for spongy mesophyll tissue? air spaces for long, rectangular efficient gas cells to absorb exchange light A yes yes B yes no C no yes D no no

Question

The table shows the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of some nutrients for young children. The table also shows the masses of these nutrients eaten by a child in one day. mass of mass of mass of mass of vitamin C vitamin D iron calcium / mg / μg / mg / mg RDA 50 10 11 260 mass eaten in one day 54 5 11 150 Which conditions will the child be at risk of developing if they consume the same diet for a long period of time? 1 anaemia (not having enough red blood cells) 2 rickets 3 scurvy A 1, 2 and 3 B 1 and 2 only C 1 and 3 only D 2 only

Question

Which term is used for the uptake and use of nutrients by cells? A absorption B assimilation C egestion D ingestion

Question

What is the function of trypsin in digestion? A It catalyses the breakdown of maltose in the mouth. B It catalyses the breakdown of maltose in the small intestine. C It catalyses the breakdown of protein in the small intestine. D It catalyses the breakdown of protein in the stomach.

Question

The diagram shows the structure of a villus. Which label shows a lacteal? A B C D

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Which graph shows the effect of humidity in the air on the rate of transpiration in a plant? A B rate of rate of transpiration transpiration 0 100 0 100 percentage humidity percentage humidity C D rate of rate of transpiration transpiration 0 100 0 100 percentage humidity percentage humidity

Question

In some countries, spring is the time of year when daffodil plants have green leaves and produce flowers. Which parts of the daffodil plants act as sources and sinks in spring? flowers leaves A sink sink B source source C sink source D source sink

Question

In a fish, what is the sequence of structures that blood passes through after it leaves the heart? A gills → muscles → heart B gills → heart → muscles → heart C muscles → gills → heart D muscles → heart

Question

The diagram shows what happens in the body during active immunity. pathogens enter the body W are detected lymphocytes become active X destroy marking of pathogens Z are produced for pathogens directly occurs so that they long-term immunity can be destroyed by Y Which structures or cells represent W, X, Y and Z? antibodies antigens memory cells phagocytes A W X Y Z B W X Z Y C X W Y Z D X W Z Y

Question

Cholera is a disease caused by a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae which produces a toxin in the infected person’s gut. What is the effect of this toxin? A The toxin causes loss of water from the gut into the blood. B The toxin causes loss of water from the gall bladder into the blood. C The toxin causes water to enter the gut from the blood. D The toxin causes water to enter the gall bladder from the blood.

Question

The graph shows how the volume of air in lungs changes when a person is breathing at rest. X volume of air in lungs time Which processes are occurring to change the volume at the point marked X? A The diaphragm is relaxing and the external intercostal muscles are relaxing. B The diaphragm is contracting and the internal intercostal muscles are contracting. C The diaphragm is contracting and the internal intercostal muscles are relaxing. D The diaphragm is relaxing and the external intercostal muscles are contracting.

Question

The processes listed occur in living organisms. 1 cell division 2 diffusion 3 muscle contraction 4 osmosis Which processes require energy from respiration? A 1, 2, 3 and 4 B 1 and 3 only C 2 and 3 only D 3 and 4 only

Question

What is a role of the glomerulus? A assembling amino acids into proteins B filtration of water, glucose, urea and ions from the blood C reabsorption of glucose, ions and water back into the blood D removal of the nitrogen-containing part of amino acids to form urea

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The diagram shows a synapse. P neurone 1 R Q S neurone 2 What are the labelled parts? P Q R S A synaptic gap neurotransmitter vesicle receptor B synaptic gap receptor vesicle neurotransmitter C vesicle neurotransmitter synaptic gap receptor D vesicle receptor synaptic gap neurotransmitter

Question

Which row shows the function of rod cells? night vision colour vision A yes yes B yes no C no yes D no no

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The diagram shows the positions of two endocrine glands in the human body. endocrine glands kidneys What is a response of the body to the hormone released from these glands? A a decrease in heart rate B a decrease in blood glucose concentration C an increase in pupil diameter D the development of secondary sexual characteristics

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What is a response of the human body to overheating? A vasoconstriction of arterioles B vasoconstriction of veins C vasodilation of arterioles D vasodilation of veins

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What is an example of phototropism? A the growth of a root in the direction of gravity B the growth of a shoot towards light C the release of energy from glucose using light D the synthesis of glucose using light

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Which statement describes the effect of antibiotics? A Antibiotics do not affect bacteria or viruses. B Antibiotics kill bacteria but do not affect viruses. C Antibiotics kill both bacteria and viruses. D Antibiotics kill viruses but do not affect bacteria.

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The diagram shows one parent Hydra growing and releasing an offspring from the side of its body. offspring parent Hydra Which row is correct? parent and involves asexual offspring are reproduction genetically identical A yes yes B yes no C no yes D no no

Question

The diagram shows the changing concentrations of some hormones involved in the menstrual cycle. W hormone concentration Y 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 days Which letters identify two of the hormones? A W is FSH and Y is oestrogen. B W is LH and Y is oestrogen. C W is progesterone and Y is FSH. D W is progesterone and Y is LH.

Question

The diagram shows the chromosomes in the nucleus of a cell that divides by mitosis. Which diagram shows the chromosomes in the nucleus of one of the daughter cells produced? A B C D

Question

A farmer bred together male cattle with white hair and female cattle with red hair. All the offspring produced had roan hair (a mixture of red and white). He then repeatedly bred together two roan cattle, and the offspring were in the ratio of 1 red : 2 roan : 1 white. What explains why the farmer obtained this ratio? A The red phenotype is dominant to the white phenotype. B The roan phenotype is an example of codominance. C The roan phenotype is dominant to the red phenotype and the white phenotype. D The white phenotype is dominant to the red phenotype.

Question

Phagocytes and neurones are two types of specialised cell. Which statements are correct? 1 Phagocytes and neurones express the same genes. 2 Both types of cell have the same genes. 3 Both types of cell only express the genes that make the proteins needed for the cell to function. A 1 and 2 B 1 and 3 C 2 and 3 D 2 only

Question

The table shows some features of leaves. Which leaf is adapted to survive in hot, dry habitats? number of thickness of surface area stomata waxy cuticle of leaf A many thick small B many thin large C few thick small D few thin large

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Which row correctly describes a type of selection? type of humans example selection involved A artificial no production of farmed animals that produce lots of milk B artificial yes production of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics C natural yes production of insulin through genetic modification of bacteria D natural no production of wild animals with long necks to reach tree leaves as a food source

Question

Which statement about a pyramid of energy for a food chain is correct? A It shows how energy is lost at each trophic level. B It shows the energy stored at each trophic level. C It shows the input of energy from the principal source. D It shows the total energy stored within an ecosystem.

Question

The food web shows part of an ocean ecosystem. orca whale seal sea lion sea otter sea urchin mussel clam prawn kelp algae diatom Which row shows the number of secondary consumers and the number of tertiary consumers in the food web? number of number of secondary tertiary consumers consumers A three one B four one C three two D four two

Question

A student investigated the effect of high temperature on the production of nitrate ions in soil. Two samples of soil were taken. One sample was heated to 100 °C. All the nitrate ions were completely removed from both soil samples. Ammonium ions were then added to both soil samples. After two weeks, both soil samples were tested for the presence of nitrate ions. The results are shown. nitrate ions soil sample present or absent not heated to 100 °C present heated to 100 °C absent Which statement explains the results? A Heating the soil broke down the nitrate ions. B Heating the soil increased the activity of denitrifying bacteria. C Heating the soil killed nitrifying bacteria. D Heating the soil killed nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

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Which letter represents the lag phase in the population graph shown? A B C D number of individuals in the population time

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Which term describes the number of different species living in an area? A biodiversity B conservation C ecosystem D population

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Which source of pollution can cause eutrophication? A carbon dioxide B methane C non-biodegradable plastic D sewage

Question

Some of the processes involved in the production of insulin by genetic modification are listed. 1 cutting of bacterial plasmid DNA with restriction enzymes 2 expression in bacteria of the human gene to make insulin 3 insertion of recombinant plasmids into bacteria 4 multiplication of bacteria containing recombinant plasmids In which order do these processes occur? A 1→3→4→2 B 2→1→3→4 C 3→1→2→4 D 4→1→3→2