PMT

SPECIMEN MATERIAL

A-level
BIOLOGY
(7402/1)
Paper 1

Specimen 2014 Session Time allowed: 2 hours

Materials
For this paper you must have:
• a ruler with millimetre measurements
• a calculator.

Instructions
• Use black ink or black ball-point pen.
• Fill in the boxes at the bottom of this page.
• Answer all questions.

Information
• The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
• The maximum mark for this paper is 91.

Please write clearly, in block capitals, to allow character computer recognition.

Centre number Candidate number

Surname

Forename(s)

Candidate signature
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Answer all questions in the spaces provided.

1 A technician investigated the effect of temperature on the rate of an enzyme-controlled

reaction. At each temperature, he started the reaction using the same concentration
of substrate.

Figure 1 shows his results.

0 1 . 1 Give two other factors the technician would have controlled.

[1 mark]

0 1 . 2 Draw a tangent on each curve to find the initial rates of reaction.

Use these values to calculate the ratio of the initial rates of reaction at 60 °C : 37 °C.
Show your working.
[2 marks]

Ratio = :1
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0 1 . 3 Explain the difference in the initial rate of reaction at 60 °C and 37 °C.

[2 marks]

0 1 . 4 Explain the difference in the rates of reaction at 60 °C and 37 °C between 20 and

40 minutes.
[4 marks]

[Extra space]

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0 2 . 1 Describe how oxygen in the air reaches capillaries surrounding alveoli in the lungs.
Details of breathing are not required.
[4 marks]

[Extra space]

Forced expiratory volume (FEV) is the greatest volume of air a person can breathe out
in 1 second.

Forced vital capacity (FVC) is the greatest volume of air a person can breathe out in a
single breath.

Figure 2 shows results for the volume of air breathed out by three groups of people,
A, B and C. Group A had healthy lungs. Groups B and C had different lung conditions
that affect breathing.
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0 2 . 2 Calculate the percentage drop in FEV for group C compared with the healthy
people.
[1 mark]

Answer =

0 2 . 3 Asthma affects bronchioles and reduces flow of air in and out of the lungs.
Fibrosis does not affect bronchioles; it reduces the volume of the lungs.

Which group, B or C, was the one containing people with fibrosis of their lungs?
Use the information provided and evidence from Figure 2 to explain your answer.
[3 marks]

[Extra space]

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3 Species richness and an index of diversity can be used to measure biodiversity within
a community.

0 3 . 1 What is the difference between these two measures of biodiversity?

[1 mark]

Scientists investigated the biodiversity of butterflies in a rainforest. Their investigation

lasted several months.

The scientists set one canopy trap and one understorey trap at five sites.

• The canopy traps were set among the leaves of the trees 16–27 m above ground
level.
• The understorey traps were set under trees at 1.0–1.5 m above ground level.

The scientists recorded the number of each species of butterfly caught in the traps.
Table 1 summarises their results.

Table 1

Species of butterfly Mean number of butterflies P value

In canopy In understorey

Prepona laertes 15 0 < 0.001

Archaeoprepona 14 37 < 0.001

demophon

Zaretis itys 25 11 > 0.05

Memphis arachne 89 23 < 0.001

Memphis offa 21 3 < 0.001

Memphis xenocles 32 8 < 0.001

0 3 . 2 The traps in the canopy were set at 16–27 m above ground level. Suggest why there
was such great variation in the height of the traps.
[1 mark]
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0 3 . 3 By how many times is the species diversity in the canopy greater than in the
understorey? Show your working.

Use the following formula to calculate species diversity.

𝑁(𝑁 − 1)
𝑑=
∑ 𝑛 (𝑛 − 1)

where 𝑁 is the total number of organisms of all species and 𝑛 is the total number of
organisms of each species.
[3 marks]

Answer =

0 3 . 4 The scientists carried out a statistical test to see if the difference in the distribution
of each species between the canopy and understorey was due to chance.
The P values obtained are shown in Table 1.

Explain what the results of these statistical tests show.

[3 marks]

[Extra space]

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4 Starch and cellulose are two important plant polysaccharides.

Figure 3 shows part of a starch molecule and part of a cellulose molecule.

0 4 . 1 Explain the difference in the structure of the starch molecule and the cellulose
molecule shown in Figure 3.
[2 marks]

0 4 . 2 Starch molecules and cellulose molecules have different functions in plant cells. Each
molecule is adapted for its function.

Explain one way in which starch molecules are adapted for their function in plant cells.
[2 marks]
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0 4 . 3 Explain how cellulose molecules are adapted for their function in plant cells.
[3 marks]

[Extra space]

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0 5 . 1 Contrast the processes of facilitated diffusion and active transport.

[3 marks]

[Extra space]

Students investigated the uptake of chloride ions in barley plants. They divided the
plants into two groups and placed their roots in solutions containing radioactive
chloride ions.

• Group A plants had a substance that inhibited respiration added to the solution.
• Group B plants did not have the substance added to the solution.

The students calculated the total amount of chloride ions absorbed by the plants every
15 minutes. Their results are shown in Figure 4.
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0 5 . 2 Calculate the ratio of the mean rate of uptake of chloride ions in the first hour to the
rate of uptake of chloride ions in the second hour for group B plants.
[2 marks]

Ratio = :1

0 5 . 3 Explain the results shown in Figure 4.

[4 marks]

[Extra space]

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6 Table 2 shows how a bird called the bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) is classified by
biologists.
Table 2

Taxon Name of taxon

Domain Eukaryota

Animalia

Chordata

Aves

Passeriformes

Muscicapidae

Genus

Species

0 6 . 1 Complete Table 2 by filling the seven blank spaces with the correct terms.
[2 marks]

A group of scientists investigated genetic diversity in different species of bird. For

each species, the scientists:
• collected feathers from a large number of birds
• extracted DNA from cells attached to each feather
• analysed the samples of DNA to find genetic diversity.

Table 3 summarises their results.

Table 3

Number of genes
Number of genes
Species of bird examined that showed
examined
genetic diversity
Willow flycatcher 708 197
House finch 269 80
Bluethroat 232 81
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0 6 . 2 In this investigation, what is meant by genetic diversity?

[1 mark]

0 6 . 3 The scientists concluded that the bluethroat showed greater genetic diversity than the
willow flycatcher. Explain why they reached this conclusion. Use calculations to
support your answer.
[2 marks]

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7 Figure 5 shows a test that has been developed to find out if a person has antibodies
to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antigen.

Figure 5

Step 1 HIV antigens are attached to

a test well in a dish.

A sample of blood plasma is

Step 2 added to the well.
If HIV antibodies are present,
they bind to the HIV antigen.

The well is washed.

A second antibody with an
Step 3 enzyme attached is then
added.
This binds specifically to the
HIV antibody.

The well is washed again.

Step 4 A yellow solution is added,
which changes to blue if the
enzyme is present. A blue
colour shows that the person
has HIV antibodies.

0 7 . 1 This test only detects the presence of HIV antibodies. Give two reasons why it cannot
be used to find out if a person has AIDS.
[2 marks]

2
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0 7 . 2 The solution will remain yellow if a person is not infected with HIV. Explain why.
[2 marks]

0 7 . 3 A mother who was infected with HIV gave birth to a baby. The baby tested positive
using this test. This does not prove the baby is infected with HIV.
Explain why.
[2 marks]

0 7 . 4 A control well is set up every time this test is used. This is treated in exactly the same
way as the test wells, except that blood plasma is replaced by a salt solution.

Use information from Figure 5 to suggest two purposes of the control well.
[2 marks]

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8 Figure 6 represents part of a DNA molecule.

0 8 . 1 Draw a box around a single nucleotide.

[1 mark]

Table 4 shows the percentage of bases in each of the strands of a DNA molecule.

Table 4

DNA strand Percentage of each base

A C G T

Strand 1 16

Strand 2 21 34

0 8 . 2 Complete Table 4 by adding the missing values.

[2 marks]
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0 8 . 3 During replication, the two DNA strands separate and each acts as a template for the
production of a new strand. As new DNA strands are produced, nucleotides can only
be added in the 5’ to 3’ direction.

Use Figure 6 and your knowledge of enzyme action and DNA replication to explain
why new nucleotides can only be added in a 5’ to 3’ direction.
[4 marks]

[Extra space]

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0 9 . 1 Describe the mass flow hypothesis for the mechanism of translocation in plants.
[4 marks]

[Extra space]

Scientists measured translocation in the phloem of trees. They used carbon dioxide
labelled with radioactive 14C.

They put a large, clear plastic bag over the leaves and branches of each tree and
added 14CO 2 . The main trunk of the tree was not in the plastic bag.

At regular intervals after adding the 14CO 2 to the bag, the scientists measured the
amount of 14CO 2 released from the top and bottom of the main trunk of the tree. On
the surface of the trunk of these trees, there are pores for gas exchange.

Figure 7 shows the scientists’ results.

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9 .
14
0 2 Name the process that produced the CO 2 released from the trunk.
[1 mark]

0 9 . 3 How long did it take the 14C label to get from the top of the trunk to the bottom of the
trunk? Explain how you reached your answer.
[2 marks]

0 9 . 4 What other information is required in order to calculate the mean rate of movement of
the 14C down the trunk?
[1 mark]

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1 0 Figure 8 shows some cells from an onion root tip at different stages of the cell cycle.

Figure 8

A B C

D E

1 0 . 1 Place stages A to E in the correct order. Start with stage D.

[1 mark]

To obtain these images, the onion root tip was cut off, stained and put on a
microscope slide. A cover slip was placed on top. The root tip was then firmly
squashed and viewed under an optical microscope.

1 0 . 2 Complete Table 5 to give one reason why each of these steps was necessary.
[2 marks]

Table 5

Step Reason

Taking cells from the root tip

Firmly squashing the root tip

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Figure 9 shows how the amount of DNA per cell changed during interphase and
meiosis in an animal.

1 0 . 3 Explain how the behaviour of chromosomes causes these changes in the amount of
DNA per cell between F and G.
[3 marks]

[Extra space]

1 0 . 4 What would happen to the amount of DNA per cell at fertilisation of cell G?
[1 mark]

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1 1 . 1 Messenger RNA (mRNA) is used during translation to form polypeptides.

Describe how mRNA is produced in the nucleus of a cell.
[6 marks]

[Extra space]
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1 1 . 2 Describe the structure of proteins.

[5 marks]

[Extra space]

Question 11 continues on the next page

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1 1 . 3 Describe how proteins are digested in the human gut.

[4 marks]

[Extra space]

END OF QUESTIONS
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