Cambridge International Examinations

Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education

* 4 2 3 3 1 6 2 7 8 8 *

BIOLOGY (US) 0438/41

Paper 4 Theory (Extended) October/November 2017
1 hour 15 minutes
Candidates answer on the Question Paper.
No Additional Materials are required.

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

Write your Center number, candidate number and name on all the work you hand in.
Write in dark blue or black pen.
You may use an HB pencil for any diagrams or graphs.
Do not use staples, paper clips, glue or correction fluid.
DO NOT WRITE IN ANY BARCODES.

Answer all questions.

Electronic calculators may be used.

You may lose marks if you do not show your working or if you do not use appropriate units.

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.

This document consists of 18 printed pages and 2 blank pages.

DC (KS) 156057
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1 Fig. 1.1 and Fig. 1.2 show two images of villi.

Fig. 1.1 shows a surface view of many villi viewed through a scanning electron microscope.

Fig. 1.2 shows a section of one villus viewed through a light microscope.

villi

Fig. 1.1

Fig. 1.2

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Villi are found in the small intestine.

(a) State the function of villi.

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(b) Identify and describe two of the labeled components of a villus.

Use the letters in Fig. 1.2 in your answer.

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(c) Some infections in the small intestine can cause diarrhea.

(i) Describe the effects of diarrhea on the body.

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(ii) State the treatment for the effects of severe diarrhea.

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(d) (i) Blood transports nutrients.

State the component of the blood that transports nutrients.

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(ii) The nutrients in the blood can be used to become part of cells.

State the name of this process.

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(iii) Amino acids are an example of a type of nutrient transported in the blood.

State two examples of larger molecules found in cells that are made from amino acids.

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

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

[Total: 12]

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2 A group of students planned an investigation to determine the effects of physical activity on

breathing rate.

(a) Describe how the students could measure their breathing rates.

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(b) The students measured their breathing rates before physical activity and every minute for
five minutes after cycling around the school field.

Write a hypothesis for their investigation.

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(c) Fig. 2.1 shows a woman on a stationary bicycle. The mask fitted over her nose and mouth
measures the composition of the air she breathes out.

Fig. 2.1

Fig. 2.2 shows the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air expired by the woman in the five
minutes after she stopped exercising.

The dashed line on the graph shows the concentration of carbon dioxide in her expired air
when she was at rest, before she began to exercise.

6.5
concentration of
6.0 carbon dioxide
expired
percentage before exercise
concentration 5.5
of carbon dioxide concentration of
5.0 carbon dioxide
expired
4.5 immediately
after exercise
4.0
0 1 2 3 4 5
time / min

Fig. 2.2

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Describe and explain the results of the investigation shown in Fig. 2.2.

Use the data in Fig. 2.2 in your answer.

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(d) Before starting the investigation, the researchers confirmed that the woman did not have
coronary heart disease.

(i) Suggest why.

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(ii) Explain why exercise is recommended for people with a high risk of developing coronary
heart disease.

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[Total: 14]
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3 The flowers of pea plants can be pollinated by bees.

(a) State three features of flowers that would attract insects such as bees.

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[3]

(b) Successful pollination results in fertilization.

Describe the events that occur after pollen grains leave the anther of a flower until fertilization
takes place.

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(c) Following fertilization, seeds will form.

In pea plants there are two alleles for height:

• tall (T)
• dwarf (t)

(i) Define the term allele.

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(ii) A farmer wanted to identify the genotype of tall pea plants as either homozygous
dominant or heterozygous.

He used a homozygous recessive dwarf pea plant to determine the genotype of the tall
pea plants.

State the name of this type of genetic cross.

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(iii) Complete the genetic diagram to determine the genotype of the parent plant if all the
offspring from the cross are tall plants.

parental phenotypes tall × dwarf

parental genotypes .................................. × ..................................

gametes ............. ............. + ............. .............

offspring genotype .............................................................................................................

offspring phenotype ...........................................................................................................

[4]

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(iv) Another farmer wants to produce pure-breeding dwarf pea plants.

State the genotypes of both of the parent pea plants the farmer should use.

Give a reason for your choice.

genotypes ..........................................................................................................................

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

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[2]

[Total: 16]

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4 A neuron is a type of specialized animal cell.

(a) (i) Neurons develop from unspecialized cells.

State the name of these unspecialized cells.

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(ii) All animal cells have some common features.

State two structural features common to all animal cells.

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[2]

(iii) Most neurons are longer than other types of animal cell.

Suggest why most neurons are very long.

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(b) Some neurons connect to effector organs.

(i) State the name of the type of neuron that connects to an effector organ.

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(ii) State one example of an effector organ.

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(c) Fig. 4.1 shows parts of two neurons. The area in the dashed circle has been magnified.

E
L

J
K

Fig. 4.1

(i) Complete Table 4.1. One row has been done for you.

Table 4.1

letter from name description

Fig. 4.1
component of the cell that releases energy during
aerobic respiration
H neurotransmitters chemicals that transmit signals from one neuron
to the next neuron
the gap between two neurons

the sac in which neurotransmitters are transported

to the cell membrane
the molecules that the neurotransmitters bind to

the structure that controls the activities in the cell

[5]

(ii) State where in the body the neurons in Fig. 4.1 would be found.

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(d) Describe how neurotransmitters move across the gap between two neurons.

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(e) Nerves and hormones coordinate the functions of the body.

Suggest why blinking of the eyes is coordinated by nerves and not hormones.

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[Total: 16]

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5 (a) Yeast can respire aerobically and anaerobically.

State the balanced chemical equation for aerobic respiration by yeast.

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(b) When yeast respires anaerobically, ethanol is released.

Ethanol is a type of sustainable resource that can be produced from a wide range of crops.
It can be used as a biofuel.

Table 5.1 summarizes some information about crops that are used to make biofuel.

Table 5.1

biofuel energy yield optimum growth optimum annual

crop
produced / GJ per ha temperature / °C rainfall range / mm
wheat ethanol 53–84 24 800–1200
corn ethanol 63–76 18 360–1000
sugar beet ethanol 110–122 18 360–1000
sugar cane ethanol 110–140 28 800–1200
oil palm oil 150–166 28 1100–2500

(i) Uruguay has an average temperature range of 12 °C to 24 °C and an average annual

rainfall of 1000 mm.

Suggest and explain which crop would be the most suitable crop to grow for producing
biofuel in Uruguay.

Use the information in Table 5.1 to justify your choice.

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(ii) Sugar cane requires soil with high concentrations of nitrogen and potassium.

Describe how the lack of nitrate ions would affect the production of sugar cane.

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(iii) Researchers in Brazil are considering using microscopic algae that live in water to
produce biofuels. They have found that algae can produce a maximum amount of energy
of 200 GJ per m2.

1 m2 = 0.0001 ha

Convert the production of biofuel from algae into GJ per ha.

Space for working.

.......................................... GJ per ha [1]

(iv) Suggest why people who are concerned about the environment want countries to
produce more biofuel from algae rather than the crops listed in Table 5.1.

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(c) Define the term sustainable development.

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[Total: 14]

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6 Viruses can cause diseases.

(a) (i) State two other features of all viruses.

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(ii) Describe how vaccination can prevent the spread of disease.

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(b) Fig. 6.1 shows four different viruses.

herpesvirus retrovirus

adenovirus picornavirus

Fig. 6.1

Suggest one feature that could be used to classify viruses into groups.

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[Total: 8]

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