DEPARTMENT FOR CURRICULUM,

LIFELONG LEARNING AND EMPLOYABILITY

Directorate for Learning and Assessment Programmes Track 3
Educational Assessment Unit
Annual Examinations for Secondary Schools 2023

YEAR 11 BIOLOGY TIME: 2 hours

Name: _____________________________________ Class: _______________

Section A Section B
Question
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5

Max.
10 11 8 11 7 8 15 15 15 15 15
mark

TOTAL MARK
Actual
mark

85% Theory Paper 15% Practical Final Score

Section A: Answer all questions in this section.
1. Figure 1 shows a cross-section of a kidney.

Figure 1: Cross-section of a kidney

Source: Science Diagrams

a. Identify the section of the kidney that: (3)

contains loop of Henle and collecting ducts

collects urine as it is produced

opens into afferent arterioles

b. The kidney filters urea, a nitrogenous waste product.

i) Name where and describe when urea is produced. (2)

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________
ii) Name one other function of the kidney other than filtering urea out of the
blood. (1)

____________________________________________________________

c. Explain the role of Anti-Diuretic Hormone (ADH) on the kidneys on a hot day if
you do not drink. (4)

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________
Total: 10 marks

Page 2 of 12 Biology – Year 11 – Track 3 – 2023

2. Figure 2 shows nine common invertebrates found in soil. The title in the bracket
gives the taxonomical group of the organism.

Figure 2: Common soil invertebrates

Source: Advanced Biology, C J Clegg with D G Mackean

a. Name one invertebrate from the figure that is not an arthropod. (1)
________________________________________________________________

b. i) The insect group has two larvae, that of the fly and the beetle. Describe
how larvae develop into adults. (3)
____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

ii) From the figure, give one distinguishing feature that identifies the
woodlouse from the mite. (1)
____________________________________________________________

c. In an investigation on the total numbers of invertebrates in soil, a group of

students used a soil sampler to obtain soil cores 5 cms wide down to a depth of
20 cms. The soil was taken from an abandoned field.
The results obtained were the following:

Depth/cm 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0 12.5 15.0 17.5 20.0

Average no. of
animals per 5 85 160 44 49 20 12 7 9
cm core

i) On the following page, using the graph paper provided, plot a histogram of
the average no. of animals per 5 cm core (y-axis) against depth in cms (x-
axis). (4)
ii) Describe the general trend of this graph. (2)
____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Total: 11 marks

Biology – Year 11 – Track 3 – 2023 Page 3 of 12

Page 4 of 12 Biology – Year 11 – Track 3 – 2023
3. Figure 3 shows the label of a bottle of orange juice.
a. Explain why:
i) drinking this drink will provide strong bones and teeth.
(3)
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
ii) it is best that obese people do not drink this drink. (2)
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Figure 3
Source: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Images-of-
the-juice-bottles-with-different-sugar-labels-or-no-label_fig1_350768927

b. Benedict’s solution can be used to test the presence of reducing sugar in this
drink.
i) Give the initial colour of the Benedict’s solution. (1)
____________________________________________________________

ii) State the end result if a reducing sugar is present. (1)

____________________________________________________________

iii) Explain why identifying the result may be difficult when testing the above
orange juice. (1)
____________________________________________________________

Total: 8 marks
4a. Use your biological knowledge to explain the following:
The ozone hole above the Antarctic is slowly decreasing in size. (3)

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Biology – Year 11 – Track 3 – 2023 Page 5 of 12

b. In 2019, Malta had the second highest nitrate levels in ground water in Europe,
over 50mg per litre.
i) Outline two causes that lead to the high nitrate levels in ground water. (2)

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________
ii) Propose one way to reduce these nitrate levels. (1)

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________
c. The following is a paragraph on a non-native species of crab in the
Mediterranean Sea.
“The Mediterranean is changing, and our only solution is to adapt" says Ben Souissi.
Climate change means it will likely be impossible to stop the continued spread of
destructive invaders (Blue crabs) across the Mediterranean. But in a region where
so much depends on healthy ecosystems, there is an urgent need to act.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220809-how-the-mediterranean-became-the-worlds-
most-invaded-sea

i) Define the term ecosystem. (2)

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________
ii) Why is the increase in the Mediterranean Sea temperature bringing about a rapid
invasion of the crabs? (1)

________________________________________________________________
iii) Give two reasons why the countries around the Mediterranean need a ‘healthy
ecosystem’. (2)

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________
Total: 11 marks
5. Figure 4 shows the rate of photosynthesis at different temperatures.

Figure 4: Graph of rate of photosynthesis against temperature

Source: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/

Page 6 of 12 Biology – Year 11 – Track 3 – 2023

a. What is the importance of carbon dioxide in photosynthesis? (1)

________________________________________________________________

b. i) Describe the trend from Point A to Point B. (1)

________________________________________________________________

ii) Explain why the rate of photosynthesis decreases from Point B to Point C.
(3)
________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________
c. A farmer growing tomatoes sets the temperature of the tomato greenhouse to
37˚C. Explain why the farmer chooses this temperature. (2)

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________
Total: 7 marks

6. Figure 5 shows an apparatus used to demonstrate anaerobic respiration.

Figure 5: Apparatus for anaerobic respiration

Source: https://qsstudy.com/experiment-of-anaerobic-respiration/

a. Write an equation to show the substrate/s and products of anaerobic respiration

in yeast cells. (1)

________________________________________________________________
b. Explain why a layer of oil was put on top of the glucose and yeast suspension. (2)

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________
c. Explain the presence of lime water in the test-tube. (1)
________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Biology – Year 11 – Track 3 – 2023 Page 7 of 12

d. Human muscle cells can also respire anaerobically. What causes muscle fatigue?
Use the terms anaerobic respiration and oxygen debt in your answer. (4)

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________
Total: 8 marks
Section B: Attempt Question 1 and any two other questions.
1. Read the following article and answer the questions that follow.
Climate change is making plants more vulnerable to disease
When heat waves hit, they don't just take a toll on people - the plants we depend on
for food suffer too. That's because when temperatures get too high, certain plant
defences, such as the defence hormone salicylic acid, don't work as well leaving them
more susceptible to attacks from microbes and insect pests. Scientists say they have
identified a specific protein in plant cells that explains why immunity falters as the
mercury rises. They've also figured out a way to reverse the loss and bolster plant
defences against the heat.
The findings, were found in a spindly plant with white flowers called Arabidopsis
thaliana that is the ‘lab rat’ of plant research. Heat waves can have a dramatic effect
on hormone defences in Arabidopsis plants, leaving them more prone to infection by a
bacterium called Pseudomonas syringae.
Normally when this microbe attacks, the levels of salicylic acid in a plant's leaves
increase to keep bacteria from spreading. But when temperatures rise above 30˚ C
for just two days, plants can no longer make enough defence hormone to keep
infection from taking hold. Through experiments, the authors found that many genes
that were suppressed at elevated temperatures were regulated by the same gene.
This gene acts like a master switch that controls other genes, so anything that
downregulates or ‘turns off’ the gene means lots of other genes are turned off, too -
they don't make the proteins that enable a plant cell to build up salicylic acid.
Further experiments revealed that the cellular machinery needed to start reading out
the genetic instructions in the CBP60g gene doesn't assemble properly when it gets
too hot, and that's why the plant's immune system can't do its job anymore.
The team was able to show that mutant Arabidopsis plants that had their CBP60g
gene constantly ‘switched on’ were able to keep their defence hormone levels up and
bacteria at bay, even under heat stress. Next, the researchers found a way to
engineer heat-resilient plants that turned on the CBP60g master switch only when
under attack, and without stunting their growth - which is critical if the findings are
going to help protect plant defences without negatively impacting crop yields.
The findings could be good news for food supplies made insecure by climate change.
The team found that elevated temperatures didn't just impair salicylic acid defences in
Arabidopsis plants - it had a similar effect on crop plants such as tomato, rapeseed
and rice. The team stated: "We were able to make the whole plant immune system
more robust at warm temperatures. If this is true for crop plants as well, that's a
really big deal because then we have a very powerful weapon."
Adapted from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220629121138.htm

Page 8 of 12 Biology – Year 11 – Track 3 – 2023

a. From the text, identify the terms that signify the following: (1, 1, 1)
i) a nitrogenous organic compound composed of long chains of amino acids.
ii) a sequence of DNA considered as the basic unit of heredity.
iii) a regulatory molecule that is transported in an organism to stimulate
specific cells or tissues into action.

b. i) State one main characteristic of bacteria. (1)

ii) Explain why the scientific names of the spindly plant and the bacterium are
written in italics in the text. (2)

c. One of the EU responses to climate change is to limit global warming.

i) Describe how humans have contributed to global warming. (3)
ii) List two other biological impacts of climate change on organisms. (2)

d. Plant hormones provide responses to different plant stimuli. In phototropism the

hormone auxin regulates growth when light is a stimulus.
i) Describe the action of the hormone auxin when unilateral light falls on a
shoot of a plant. (3)
ii) State the direction of movement of the plant when there is unilateral light
on one side of the shoot. (1)

Total: 15 marks

2. Last July two turtles were released back into the Mediterranean Sea after being
treated for sustained injuries. One had fishing hooks and was tangled in a fishing
line while the other had ingested plastic.

a. Turtles are reptiles.

i) Name the phylum of the class reptiles. (1)
ii) State one characteristic of the class reptile. (1)
iii) List two classes of organisms of the same phylum of the reptiles that also
live in the Mediterranean Sea. (2)

b. The Loggerhead turtle is described as both endangered and vulnerable. Explain,

with reference to the first statement, the reasons why such turtles are listed as
endangered. (3)

Biology – Year 11 – Track 3 – 2023 Page 9 of 12

c. Different species of sea turtles feed on animals and plants. The main food
source of Leatherback turtles are jellyfish while that of green turtles are
seagrasses and seaweeds.
i) The teeth of each of the above species have adapted to the diet they eat.
Leatherbacks have pointed teeth while green turtles have teeth that are like
a saw. Explain the importance of such teeth in relation to the type of food
they eat. (4)
ii) Jellyfish are Cnidarians (Coelenterates). State one characteristic of cnidaria.
(1)
iii) One seagrass is the Posidonia oceanica. State the species name of this
seagrass. (1)
iv) Seagrasses are monocots. List two characteristics of monocots. (2)
Total: 15 marks
3. Red blood cell disorders include several types of anaemia including iron-
deficiency anaemia, inherited haemolytic anaemia and aplastic anaemia.
Inherited haemolytic anaemia occurs when red blood cells are broken down more
quickly than they are replaced. Aplastic anaemia occurs when the bone marrow
stops producing red blood cells.
a. Describe the structure of a red blood cell. (2)
b. Why is iron important for red blood cells? (1)
c. Predict one effect/symptom of a person suffering from anaemia. (1)
d. β-Thalassaemia is a type of inherited haemolytic anaemia, prevalent in Malta.
This is an autosomal recessive disease which results in warped haemoglobin.
Most types of β-Thalassaemia are the result of a form of mutation. Humans
having the heterozygous form of the gene are carriers.
i) Why will warped haemoglobin create problems to a human’s health? (2)
ii) Define the term mutation. (1)
iii) Use a genetic diagram to work out the probability of a child being
homozygous recessive to β-Thalassaemia when the parents are both
carriers of the disease. (4)
e. Phagocytes (white blood cells) and platelets are also produced by the bone
marrow.
i) Describe how phagocytes perform their role. (1)
ii) Describe the structure and function of platelets. (3)
Total: 15 marks

Page 10 of 12 Biology – Year 11 – Track 3 – 2023

4. In an investigation on the factors affecting germination, four test tubes at
different conditions were set up as in Figure 6 below.

Figure 6: Investigation on germination

The four test tubes were set with the following conditions:
A Seeds on dry cotton wool at 25˚C
B Seeds submerged in water with a layer of oil on top at 25˚C
C Seeds on moist cotton wool at 25˚C
D Seeds on moist cotton wool at 5˚C

a. i) Define the term germination. (1)

ii) Describe the importance of seeds in the reproductive cycle of plants. (1)

b. Germination occurs in test tube C.

i) Explain why germination occurs in this test tube. (2)
ii) Name the condition that is absent in test tube B. (1)
iii) State one other precaution that must be taken to ensure the lack of
condition of test tube B. (2)
iv) Give two constant variables of this investigation. (2)
c. The seeds used are sunflower seeds. These seeds undergo epigeal germination.
Describe epigeal germination. (2)
d. How does growth of:
i) the embryo take place during germination. (2)
ii) the seedling take place above the ground. (2)
Total: 15 marks

Biology – Year 11 – Track 3 – 2023 Page 11 of 12

5a. Name the process that describes the movement of the following substances into
or out of the cells.
i) glucose moves from the small intestine into the blood. (1)
ii) carbon dioxide passes from the blood into the lungs. (1)

b. Pieces of potato were weighed, placed in salt solutions of different concentrations

for one hour and reweighed. The graph below shows the percentage (%) change
in mass at each concentration.

Figure 7: % change in mass at each concentration

i) Name the substance, the movement of which is responsible for the change
in mass. (1)
ii) Explain why the potato strips are dried before reweighing. (2)
iii) Describe the general trend of the graph. (2)
iv) Give a term to describe the salt concentration in comparison to the
cytoplasm of the potato strips at Point Q. (1)
v) Describe the process responsible for the change in mass at Point R. (4)
c. In an investigation on transpiration, a fan blowing hot air was placed near the
leaves of the plant.
i) Define transpiration. (1)
ii) Describe the effect of the fan blowing hot air on the rate of transpiration. (2)
Total: 15 marks

Page 12 of 12 Biology – Year 11 – Track 3 – 2023