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UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATIONS

General Certificate of Education
Advanced Subsidiary Level and Advanced Level
* 5 1 9 7 5 0 8 2 9 4 *

BIOLOGY 9700/23
Paper 2 Structured Questions AS May/June 2012
1 hour 15 minutes
Candidates answer on the Question Paper.
No Additional Materials are required.

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

Write your Centre number, candidate number and name in the spaces provided at the top of this page.
Write in dark blue or black ink.
You may use a soft pencil for any diagrams, graphs or rough working.
Do not use red ink, staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid.
DO NOT WRITE IN ANY BARCODES.

Answer all questions.

At the end of the examination, fasten all your work securely together.
The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question.

For Examiner’s Use

Total

This document consists of 13 printed pages and 3 blank pages.

DC (SM/SW) 47766/5
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1 Fig. 1.1 is an electron micrograph of a cross section through a blood vessel. For
Examiner’s
Use

X A

Fig. 1.1

(a) Name the type of blood vessel shown in Fig. 1.1 and describe one visible feature which
is characteristic of this type of vessel.

type of vessel ....................................................................................................................

characteristic feature .......................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [2]

(b) Name:

(i) structure A ................................................................................................................

(ii) the main component of substance B. .......................................................................

[2]

(iii) Cell C in Fig. 1.1 is an endothelial cell.

Name structure D.

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

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(c) The magnification of Fig. 1.1 is × 6000. For

Examiner’s
Calculate the diameter of the lumen along the line X–X. Use

Show your working and give your answer in micrometres (μm) to the nearest whole
number.

answer .......................................... μm [2]

[Total: 7]

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2 Fig. 2.1 shows an apparatus used to measure the rate of water uptake by leafy parts of For
plants. Examiner’s
Use

cut leafy twig water reservoir

tap
rubber tubing
narrow tube
water

water

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150

mm scale gas bubble

Fig. 2.1

(a) State the name of this apparatus.

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

(b) Explain why the rate of water uptake by the leafy part of the plant shown in Fig. 2.1 will
not be the same as the rate of transpiration.

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...................................................................................................................................... [2]

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(c) Using the apparatus as shown in Fig. 2.1, the rate of water uptake at 25 °C was found to For
be greater than at 20 °C. Examiner’s
Use

(i) Explain the effect of increasing the temperature on the rate of water uptake.

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(ii) State two environmental conditions, other than temperature, which will affect the
rate of water uptake of a leafy twig as shown in Fig. 2.1.

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

2. ........................................................................................................................... [2]

(d) Transpiration is sometimes described as an ‘inevitable consequence of gas exchange’ in

plants.

Explain this statement.

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

[Total: 11]

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3 Cholera is a disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The disease symptoms are For
caused by a toxin, produced by the bacterium, interacting with proteins in the cell surface Examiner’s
membranes of epithelial cells in the human intestine. Use

The cholera toxin is a protein and is composed of two subunits, A and B. Subunit A is made
from one polypeptide and subunit B is made from five identical polypeptides.

Fig. 3.1 shows the structure of the cholera toxin.

subunit A

subunit B

Fig. 3.1

(a) Name:

(i) the level of structure that is only shown by a protein that has more than one
polypeptide chain

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

(ii) the part labelled S.

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

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The cholera toxin interacts with ion channels in the epithelial membranes, resulting in For
watery diarrhoea. Examiner’s
Use

These channels open, allowing ions to move from the epithelial cells into the lumen of
the intestine.

(b) (i) Name the process by which the ions move in this case.

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

(ii) Due to the movement of ions into the lumen, water moves from the epithelial cells
into the lumen.

Name the process by which water moves and explain why it moves into the lumen.

name ........................................................................................................................

explanation ...............................................................................................................

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

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

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

Large outbreaks of cholera are often associated with natural disasters. For example, following
an earthquake in Pakistan in 2005, an estimated 20 000 cholera cases were reported in the
vicinity, compared to approximately 1000 cases in the rest of the country.

(c) (i) Describe the mode of transmission of cholera.

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.............................................................................................................................. [2]

(ii) Explain how natural disasters can sometimes result in transmission to more
individuals.

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.............................................................................................................................. [2]

[Total: 10]

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4 The two strands of a DNA molecule are held together by hydrogen bonds between For
complementary base pairs. Examiner’s
Use

(a) Explain why the hydrogen bonding between the two strands of DNA is important for it to
carry out its functions.

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Switching genes on and off allows proteins to be synthesised only when required.

Processes P and Q occur when a gene is switched on, as shown in Fig. 4.1.

P Q
DNA mRNA polypeptide

Fig. 4.1

(b) Name processes P and Q.

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

Q .................................................................................................................................. [1]

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DNA is a very stable molecule. This means that it is not broken down either chemically or by For
enzymes during the normal life of the cell. Examiner’s
Use

In contrast, mRNA is described as being highly labile. This means that most mRNA molecules
are broken down in the cytoplasm within a few hours of their release from the nucleus.

(c) Suggest the significance of:

(i) DNA being very stable

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

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

.............................................................................................................................. [2]

(ii) mRNA being highly labile.

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.............................................................................................................................. [2]

[Total: 9]

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5 Malaria is a disease caused by the parasite, Plasmodium. The parasite has a complex For
life-cycle, part of which involves development within the gut of the female mosquito which is Examiner’s
responsible for the transmission of the disease. Use

Fig. 5.1 shows part of the life-cycle of the malarial parasite.

1. female mosquito
injects malarial parasite
into uninfected person
3. parasite travels to the liver
2. malarial parasite in blood plasma
enters blood

4. parasite
multiplies in the liver
and is then
transported away
inside red blood cells

Fig. 5.1

Research has been directed towards the development of a malarial vaccine. Much of this
research relies on the fact that Plasmodium has different forms in its life cycle.

During trials of a malarial vaccine, the parasites were killed using radioactivity and then
injected into volunteers. This method provided some protection against malaria.

(a) Explain why the parasites were killed using radioactivity and not by using high
temperatures.

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(b) With reference to Fig. 5.1, explain why the researchers decided to use the form of the For
parasite which is injected by mosquitoes and not the form which leaves the liver. Examiner’s
Use

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(c) The volunteers who were injected with the killed parasites produced antibodies, which
provided some protection against the disease.

Outline the events that occur following injection of the parasites, which lead to the
production of antibodies.

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[Total: 11]

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12

6 Read the following passage. For

Examiner’s
Use
Catfish are a commercially important species of freshwater fish used
as a human food source. In the wild, catfish are found in all types of
large freshwater habitats, such as rivers, lakes and reservoirs. In North
America, they are often maintained in catfish ponds, which are artificially
constructed habitats. Each pond functions as a self-sustaining ecosystem
with its own community of organisms. Catfish feed on living and dead
fish, amphibians, insects and even dead mammals found on the bottom
of the pond. Different species of phytoplankton are always present in
these ponds. They are small organisms found suspended in the water
and they are essential for the growth of all the other pond organisms.

(a) With reference to the passage:

(i) state the meaning of the terms habitat and community

habitat

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community

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.............................................................................................................................. [4]

(ii) name the producer in the pond ecosystem

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

(iii) describe the features of producers.

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

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

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(b) Studies on the energy efficiency of raising catfish in ponds have shown that only For
15–20% of the energy taken in by the catfish population in their food is used to increase Examiner’s
their total biomass. Use

(i) Explain why only some of the energy taken in by the catfish is used to increase
biomass.

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

(ii) In the wild, only about 10% of the energy taken in by the catfish in their food is used
to increase biomass.

Suggest why this percentage is lower in the wild than in the pond.

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

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

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

[Total: 12]

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Copyright Acknowledgements:

Question 1, Fig. 1.1 © CNRI / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY.

Question 3, Fig. 3.1 © PHANTATOMIX / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY.

Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every
reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the
publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.

University of Cambridge International Examinations is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of University of
Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is itself a department of the University of Cambridge.

© UCLES 2012 9700/23/M/J/12