UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATIONS

General Certificate of Education

Advanced Subsidiary Level and Advanced Level
*1670827941*

BIOLOGY 9700/31
Paper 3 Advanced Practical Skills May/June 2008
2 hours
Candidates answer on the Question Paper.
Additional Materials: As listed in the Instructions to Supervisors

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

Write your Centre number, candidate number and name on all the work you hand in.
Write in dark blue or black pen.
You may use a soft pencil for any diagrams, graphs or rough working.
Do not use 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.
You are advised to spend one hour on each question.

The length of the

smallest division on the
stage micrometer scale

For Examiner’s Use

Total

This document consists of 10 printed pages and 2 blank pages.

SPA (FF/DT) T58783/4

© UCLES 2008 [Turn over
 2

You are reminded that you have only one hour for each question in the practical examination. For
You should read carefully through the whole of each question and then plan your use of Examiner’s
the time to make sure that you finish all of the work that you would like to do. Use

1 You are required to carry out tests, using only the reagents provided, to identify each of the
solutions S1, S2 and S3.
One of the solutions is glucose, another a protein and the third a carbohydrate other than
glucose.

You are required to identify each of the solutions, S1, S2 and S3. You must use only the
reagents provided.

(a) (i) Prepare and use the space below to record the test used, observations and
conclusions.

[5]

© UCLES 2008 9700/31/M/J/08

 3

(ii) Describe and explain how you identified the carbohydrate that was not glucose. For
Examiner’s
.................................................................................................................................. Use

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

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

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

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

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

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

(iii) Use your results and the information in Table 1.1 to estimate the concentration of
the glucose solution.

Table 1.1

glucose concentration
colour
/ mol dm–3
blue 0.00

green 0.01

yellow 0.05

red 0.10

concentration of glucose solution ........................................................................ [1]

(iv) Identify two sources of error in estimating the concentration of the solution.

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

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

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

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

© UCLES 2008 9700/31/M/J/08 [Turn over

 4

(v) If you were to repeat this experiment to make a more accurate estimation of the For
glucose concentration, state how you would carry out your investigation. Examiner’s
Use

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(b) A student carried out an investigation on starch suspensions with various concentrations
testing for starch with iodine in potassium iodide solution. To find the concentration of
starch, the student used a colorimeter to determine the mean transmission of light
through the solutions.
Five replicates were run, starting with fresh materials each run.
The data in Table 1.2 were obtained.

Table 1.2

percentage transmission of light / arbitrary units

concentration of first second third fourth fifth
starch suspension mean
run run run run run
0.0 92 91 92 94 89 92

0.5 61 60 59 60 58 60

1.0 41 41 42 43 41 42

1.5 31 30 30 29 31

2.0 25 23 25 23 24 24

2.5 22 23 21 23 21 22

(i) Complete Table 1.2 by calculating the missing value. [1]

(ii) When the student performed this investigation, the transmission for a 2.5%
suspension of starch in the first run was 95 arbitrary units.
Explain why the student discarded this result and repeated the experiment with a
freshly made solution.

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

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

© UCLES 2008 9700/31/M/J/08

 5

(iii) Plot a graph of percentage concentration of starch suspension against the For
transmission of light using the student’s results. Examiner’s
Use

[3]

(c) The student’s hypothesis was:

Transmission of light is proportional to the concentration of starch suspension.
Draw an appropriate conclusion to the student’s experiment.
You should include in your conclusion whether the experimental data support the
hypothesis and produce a revised hypothesis, if necessary.

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

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

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

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

[Total : 21]

© UCLES 2008 9700/31/M/J/08 [Turn over

 6

2 J1 is a slide of a stained transverse section through the leaf of a xerophyte. For

You are also provided with an eyepiece graticule that has been fitted to the eyepiece of your Examiner’s
Use
microscope and a stage micrometer scale.

(a) (i) Draw a large low-power plan diagram of a part of J1 as shown in Fig. 2.1.
Labels are not required.

drawing of this part required

Fig. 2.1

[4]

© UCLES 2008 9700/31/M/J/08

 7

(ii) Fig. 2.2 is a photomicrograph of part of J1. For

Examiner’s
tip of Use
trichome

base of
trichome

Fig. 2.2

Carefully examine a similar area of J1 using the high-power of your microscope.

Put a ring round the number written on the objective lens.

×40 4 mm ¹
₆" other ……

Identify a trichome (hair).

Count the number of eyepiece graticule divisions across the width of the base of
the trichome.

number of eyepiece graticule divisions .............................................

Remove the slide J1 and replace it with the stage micrometer scale.

The length of the smallest division on the stage micrometer scale is ............... mm.

Using the same magnification, adjust the focus until you can see the eyepiece
graticule on top of the stage scale.
Count the number of eyepiece graticule divisions that match an exact number of
stage scale divisions.

number of eyepiece graticule divisions .............................................

number of stage micrometer scale divisions ....................................

Use this information to calculate the actual width of the trichome on your slide J1.

Show your working.

actual width of trichome ...................................................µm [4]

© UCLES 2008 9700/31/M/J/08 [Turn over

 8

(iii) Suggest how an error in measuring the trichome could occur. For
Examiner’s
.................................................................................................................................. Use

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

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

(iv) Suggest the purpose of the trichomes on the leaf of the xerophyte.

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

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

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

© UCLES 2008 9700/31/M/J/08

 9

(b) In the space below, make a large high-power drawing of three cells from the inner layer For
(at X) and three cells from the outer layer (at Y) of J1, as shown in Fig. 2.3. Examiner’s
Use

X Y

Fig. 2.3

three cells from the inner layer (at X)

three cells from the outer layer (at Y)

[4]

© UCLES 2008 9700/31/M/J/08 [Turn over

 10

(c) Fig. 2.4 is a photomicrograph of a transverse section of a leaf of another xerophyte. For
Examiner’s
Use

× 50
Fig. 2.4

Prepare the space below so that it is suitable for you to compare and contrast the section
on slide J1, with the section shown in Fig. 2.4.

Record your observations in the space that you have prepared.

[5]

[Total : 19]

[Paper total : 40]

© UCLES 2008 9700/31/M/J/08

 11

BLANK PAGE

9701/32/M/J/08
 12

BLANK PAGE

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.

9701/32/M/J/08