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Centre Paper Reference (complete below)

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Signature
Candidate No.

Paper Reference(s) Examiner’s use only

6132/01
Edexcel GCE Team Leader’s use only

Biology (Salters-Nuffield) (Pilot)

Advanced Subsidiary/Advanced
Unit Test 2 Question
Number
Leave
Blank

Thursday 8 January 2004 – Morning 1

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes 2

3
Materials required for examination Items included with question papers
Ruler Nil 4

Instructions to Candidates 8
In the boxes above, write your centre number, candidate number, the paper reference, your surname
and initials, and your signature. 9
The paper reference is shown above. Check that you have the paper for the correct unit.
Answer ALL NINE questions in the spaces provided in this booklet.
If you need to use additional answer sheets, attach them loosely but securely inside this booklet.
Show all the steps in any calculations and state the units. Calculators may be used.
Include diagrams in your answers where these are helpful.

Information for Candidates

The marks for individual questions and parts of questions are shown in round brackets: e.g. (2).
The total mark for this question paper is 80.

Advice to Candidates
You will be assessed on your ability to organise and present information, ideas, descriptions and
arguments clearly and logically, taking account of your use of grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Total

Printer’s Log. No.

N18649A Turn over

*N18649A*
W850/R6132/57570 7/7/7/600

This publication may only be reproduced in accordance with London Qualifications Limited copyright policy. ©2004 London Qualifications Limited.
 Answer ALL questions in the spaces provided. Leave
blank
1. The electronmicrograph below shows part of a cell.

B
C

´15 000

(a) (i) Give one piece of evidence that this is a eukaryotic cell.

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.....................................................................................................................................
(1)

(ii) Name one type of organism that is a prokaryotic cell.

.....................................................................................................................................
(1)

(b) (i) Name the structure labelled A.

.....................................................................................................................................
(1)

(ii) State the function of the structure labelled A.

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................
(1)

(c) Name the parts of the mitochondrion labelled B and C.

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

C ......................................................................................................................................... Q1
(2)

(Total 6 marks)

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2. (a) Describe two features of a human sperm cell and explain how they allow it to carry out Leave
its role in fertilisation. blank

Feature 1 ............................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

Explanation ........................................................................................................................

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Feature 2 ............................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

Explanation ........................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................
(4)

(b) Name the type of nuclear division by which sperm cells are produced, and which
introduces variation through random assortment.

............................................................................................................................................
(1)

(c) In his lifetime a man produces many millions of sperm cells and yet he is most unlikely
to have more than ten children. Suggest a biological advantage of producing such vast
numbers of sperms.

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

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(2) Q2

(Total 7 marks)

N18649A 3 Turn over

3. Plant cells have a cell wall made of cellulose, whereas animal cells do not have a cell wall. Leave
blank
(a) State three other structural features found in plant cells but not in animal cells.

1. ........................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

2. ........................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

3. ........................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................
(3)

(b) The photograph below shows a transverse section through the stem of a stinging nettle
(Urtica dioica), as seen through a light microscope. Diagrams P and Q show some cells
from two regions of the section.

Phloem

Q
Alfred Pasieka /Science Photo Library

(i) Name the type of cell found at P and at Q.

P ..................................................................................................................................

Q .................................................................................................................................
(2)

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 (ii) Explain how the structure of the cell walls found at P and Q provides the strength Leave
to help support the whole plant. blank

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................

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.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................
(3)

(c) Stinging nettles can be grown on land unsuitable for crops.

(i) Suggest one possible use of harvested nettle stems.

.....................................................................................................................................
(1)

(ii) Explain how crops of nettles could be used as a sustainable resource.

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................
(2) Q3

(Total 11 marks)

N18649A 5 Turn over

4. Coral reefs are formed and maintained by very large numbers of simple animals called Leave
polyps. These polyps have single-celled algae (simple photosynthetic organisms) living blank
inside their cells.
It is thought that when the sea is too warm the relationship between the coral polyps and the
algae breaks down, and the reef begins to look white (becomes bleached). If the sea
temperature falls again within a few weeks then the coral polyps and the algae reunite. If it
does not, then the coral polyps die.
In 1998, 16% of the world’s coral reefs showed some bleaching. Half of these damaged reefs
are now recovering.
The Great Barrier Reef off the east coast of Australia has been badly bleached in the last few
years. The average sea temperature on the reef has increased by 0.3 °C in the last century. It
is feared that southern and central sections of the Great Barrier Reef are likely to be severely
affected by sea temperature rises in the next 20– 40 years.

(a) Name a method by which global sea temperatures can be monitored.

............................................................................................................................................
(1)
(b) Suggest how the algae normally help the coral polyps to survive.

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................
(2)
(c) Some recovery in the Great Barrier Reef may be taking place at present. Suggest a
possible explanation for this, other than change in sea temperature.

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................ Q4
(2)
(Total 5 marks)

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5. (a) In human females, each body cell has two X chromosomes but only one of them is Leave
active. The other is inactivated as a result of super coiling. Explain how super coiling blank
may account for this inactivation.

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................
(2)

(b) The sex determination system of birds is not quite the same as in mammals such as
humans. Instead of X and Y chromosomes they have W and Z chromosomes. Males
are ZZ and females ZW. Explain, without using a genetic diagram, how a female bird
zygote came to have one W and one Z chromosome.

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................
(2)

(c) Explain how sex is determined in crocodiles.

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(3) Q5

(Total 7 marks)

N18649A 7 Turn over

6. Hazel nuts are the fruit of the hazel tree. Each nut contains one seed enclosed in a woody Leave
case. blank

(a) The hazel seed contains large reserves of lipid. Explain why this is important for the
successful germination of the seed.

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................
(2)

(b) Hazel seeds form part of the diet of animals such as squirrels. The squirrels collect the
nuts and bury them to eat later. Explain why this is of benefit to the hazel tree.

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

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(2)

N18649A 8
 (c) Hazel seeds do not germinate until after they have been exposed to low temperatures. Leave
This ensures that the seeds do not germinate until spring when they have the best chance blank
of survival. In order to germinate, the seeds need to produce lipase enzymes to break
down the food reserve. Hazel seeds do not produce these enzymes until they have been
exposed to cold and the necessary genes are switched on.

(i) Give the technical term for the switching on of a gene.

.....................................................................................................................................
(1)

(ii) If gibberellic acid is added to dormant hazel seeds, it causes germination to begin
even if the seeds have not been exposed to low temperature. Hazel seeds placed in
a refrigerator start to produce gibberellic acid.

Suggest a possible role that the gibberellic acid plays in the control of germination
of hazel seeds.

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................
(2)

(iii) Describe how molecules of lipase enzyme are produced once mRNA has been
formed from a gene.

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.....................................................................................................................................
(3) Q6

(Total 10 marks)

N18649A 9 Turn over

7. The possible effects of global warming on the growth of Arctic shrubs were investigated Leave
using small portable greenhouses in which dwarf birch trees were grown. blank

(a) Suggest three factors, other than temperature, which would be affected by enclosing a
plot of land inside one of these greenhouses.

1. ........................................................................................................................................

2. ........................................................................................................................................

3. ........................................................................................................................................
(3)

(b) The diagram below shows the wood of one of the dwarf birch trees used in the
experiment, as seen in transverse section under a microscope. Inorganic ions (fertiliser)
were added to the soil while the tree was growing. The white arrows indicate the wood
that was formed just before the fertiliser was added.

(i) Name the method by which tree rings can be used to make deductions about the
climate in the past.

.....................................................................................................................................
(1)
(ii) Describe the change in growth following the addition of the fertiliser.

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................
(2)

N18649A 10
 (c) Describe a technique which could be used to provide evidence that dwarf birch became Leave
more abundant 9000 years ago during an earlier period of global warming. blank

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................
(2)

(d) Explain why a large increase in growth of trees may help to reduce the amount of global
warming in future.

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................
(2)

(e) Explain why an increase in the temperature of the soil (such as that due to global
warming) would affect the decay of plant material in Arctic soils.

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................
(2) Q7

(Total 12 marks)

N18649A 11 Turn over

8. (a) Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a common species of soil bacterium often used by plant Leave
breeders to add new genes to plants (genetic modification). For example, oil seed rape blank
plants can be modified to make them produce new kinds of oils which are used in
making detergents.

Explain why the following features of A. tumefaciens make it especially useful in genetic
modification.

(i) A. tumefaciens bacteria naturally enter plant root cells.

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................
(1)

(ii) A. tumefaciens cells contain plasmids.

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................
(2)

(b) State two ways of introducing new genes into plant cells, other than by using bacteria.

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................
(2)

(c) Scientists often carry out genetic modification of plants by preparing plant protoplasts.

State how a plant protoplast differs from a typical plant cell.

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................
(1)

N18649A 12
 (d) In the 1960s, Professor Steward of Cornell University found that new carrot plants could Leave
be grown from individual carrot root cells placed in a culture medium. Professor blank
Steward’s method is now used on a commercial scale and is known as micropropagation.

(i) Describe two changes that take place as a carrot root cell develops into a complete
carrot plant.

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................
(2)

(ii) Outline the advantages of micropropagation compared with conventional plant

propagation.

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................
(2) Q8

(Total 10 marks)

N18649A 13 Turn over

9. Read the following passage before answering the questions below. Leave
blank
According to the World Health Organisation, about 250 million people worldwide are
deficient in vitamin A, putting them at risk of permanent blindness and other serious
illnesses.

Scientists based at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich have inserted three
genes into a rice variety that make the plant produce large amounts of beta-carotene, also
known as provitamin A. This gives the rice a yellow colour and has led to it being called
“Golden Rice”. Under a new agreement, seeds would be distributed to farmers in developing
countries. One of the rice’s inventors, Professor Ingo Potrykus, said that up to 80 developing
nations had been approached across Asia, Africa and Latin America, and that all had
welcomed the prospect of receiving the seeds.

But a leading critic of GM technology, Dr Mae Wen Ho, from the Open University in the
UK, said that Golden Rice was a giant public relations exercise to cover up the potential risks
of gene-altered crops. “It is much cheaper for poor people to buy vegetables, which are a
very good source of vitamin A”, she said.
Modified from an article on the BBC website dated 18th December 1999

(a) Describe and explain three examples of what Dr Mae Wen Ho might consider to be the
‘potential risks of gene-altered crops’.

1. ........................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

2. ........................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

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3. ........................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................
(6)

N18649A 14
 (b) Suggest arguments that Professor Potrykus might use to answer Dr Mae Wen Ho’s Leave
criticism of Golden Rice. blank

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(6) Q9

(Total 12 marks)
TOTAL FOR PAPER: 80 MARKS

END

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