P530/1

BIOLOGY
(Theory)
Paper 1
Nov./ Dec. 2024
2½ hours

UGANDA ADVANCED CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION

BIOLOGY
(THEORY)
Paper 1
2 hours 30 minutes

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
This paper consists of two sections; A and B
Answer all the questions in both sections
Write answers to section A in the boxes provided and answers to Section
B in the spaces provided.
No additional sheets of paper should be inserted in this booklet.
For Examiners’ Use Only
Section Question Marks Examiner’s Signature
A 1-40

41
42
43
B 44
45
46

Total

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 SECTION A (40 MARKS)
Write the letter corresponding to right answer in the box provided. Each
question in this section carries one mark.
1. When proteins are mixed with some organic solvents, hydrophobic
interaction and hydrogen bonding are changed in the protein
molecules. Which of the following levels of protein structure would be
affected?
A. Secondary and Tertiary.
B. Secondary and Quaternary.
C. Tertiary and Quaternary.
D. Secondary, Tertiary and Quaternary.
2. Antimycin is a chemical that inhibits the function of mitochondria.
Which methods of transport across the cell surface membrane would be
inhibited by Antimycin?
(I) Active transport
(II) Facilitated diffusion
(III) Endocytosis
A. (I), (II) and (III)
B. (I) and (II) only
C. (I) and (III) only
D. (II) and (III) only
3. The net primary productivity for a temperate forest was measured at
2000mg/cm2/day. The respiratory rate of the community was
determined to be 1000mg/cm2/day. What is the gross primary
productivity for this community?
A. 1000 mg/cm2/day
B. 2000 mg/cm2/day
C. 3000 mg/cm2/day
D. 4000 mg/cm2/day
4. Which of the following is the correct order of tissues through which an
impulse travels during the cardiac cycle?
A. SAN muscle wall of atria Purkyne tissue AVN
B. SAN muscle wall of atria AVN Purkyne tissue
C. AVN muscle wall of atria Purkyne tissue SAN

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 D. AVN SAN muscle wall of atria Purkyne tissue
5. The graph in the figure shows the rate of water loss for three plants.
One plant is exposed to normal conditions, a second plant is exposed to
high temperature, and a third plant is exposed to high humidity.

The sudden decrease in water loss after 1.5hours for the plant exposed
to high temperatures is probably caused by;
A. Stomatal closure
B. The burning of the leaves
C. A lack of carbon dioxide to maintain photosynthesis
D. The collapse of sieve-tube elements
6. Which of the following would be activated first in response to a body
cell that has been invaded by a virus?
A. Cytotoxic T cells
B. Natural killer cells
C. Neutrophils
D. Macrophages
7. What is the correct sequence of stages in the mitotic cell cycle?
A. G1 G2 mitosis S cytokinesis
B. G1 G2 S mitosis cytokinesis
C. G1 S G2 mitosis cytokinesis
D. S G1 mitosis G2 cytokinesis
8. What is the main function of a companion cell in phloem tissue?
A. Providing cytoplasmic contact with the sieve tube element for
loading
B. Providing structural support for the sieve tube element
C. Providing the nucleus for cell division in the phloem
D. Providing the source of assimilates for storage

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9. The graph shows the oxygen dissociation curves of haemoglobin from
two species of mammal, S and T.

Which statements could explain the difference in oxygen dissociation

curves of species S and T?
(I) Species T has a lower concentration of haemoglobin in its red
blood cells than species S
(II) The haemoglobin in species T has a lower affinity for oxygen than
the haemoglobin in species S.
(III) Species T lives at high altitudes than species S.
A. (I), (II) and (III)
B. (I) and (II) only
C. (II) only
D. (III) only
10. Angiosperms differ from all other plants because…
A. They produce fruits
B. They produce pollen tube
C. The sporophyte generation is dominant
D. They produce wind-dispersed pollen
11. Which of the following generates the formation of adaptations?
A. Genetic drift
B. Mutation
C. Gene flow
D. Natural selection
12. All of the following enzymes are involved in DNA replication except…..
A. Helicase
B. DNA ligase
C. DNA polymerases
D. RNA polymerases

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13. ATP, the common energy-carrying molecule, most resembles the
A. Adenine DNA nucleotide
B. Adenine RNA nucleotide
C. Adenine RNA nucleotide with two extra phosphates
D. Adenine DNA nucleotide with two extra phosphates
14. Cholesterol is an integral component of the cell surface membrane.
Which statement about cholesterol is correct?
A. It allows ions to pass freely through the cell surface membrane.
B. It has a hydrophobic head and a hydrophilic tail
C. It helps to regulate the fluidity of the cell membrane
D. It reduces the mechanical stability of the phospholipid bilayer
15. After being given a vaccine, it takes a period of time before a person
develops long-term immunity against the disease. Which of the
following statements about this period explains the delay?
A. No memory cells have been produced from B-lymphocytes
B. No plasma cells have been produced from B–lymphocytes
C. The primary immune response has not produced enough
antibodies
D. The secondary immune response has not produced enough
antibodies
16. The inheritance of skin colour in humans is an example of which of the
following?
A. Pleiotropy
B. Codominance
C. Epistasis
D. Polygenic inheritance
17. Chemiosmotic theory describes how ATP is generated from ADP. All of
the following statements conform to the principles of the theory
except….
A. Hydrogen ions accumulate in the area between the membrane of
the cristae and the outer membrane of the mitochondria
B. A pH gradient is created across the cristae membrane
C. Electrons flowing through the ATP synthase channel protein
provide the energy to phosphorylate ADP to ATP
D. A voltage gradient is created across the cristae membrane

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18. Which of the following is the main form of photosynthetic product
transported through the phloem?
A. Starch
B. Amino acid
C. Sucrose
D. Glucose
19. Establishing the genotype of an organism by crossing it with a
homozygous individual is carrying out a
A. Test cross
B. Dihybrid cross
C. Back cross
D. Monohybrid cross
20. Diagram below represents the three major biosynthetic pathways in
aerobic respiration. Arrows represent net reactants or products.

What compound could be represented by arrows 4, 8 and 12?

A. NADH
B. ATP
C. H2O
D. FADH2
21. Which of the following cellular structures are common to both
prokaryotes and eukaryotes?
A. Nucleoli
B. Ribosomes
C. Chloroplasts
D. Golgi bodies
22. Which statement explains why two species cannot permanently occupy
the same ecological niche?
A. The two species could not interbreed
B. The two species may be part of separate food webs
C. The two species would compete for the same resources

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 D. The two species would have different nutritional requirements
23. Which type of tissue is present in the walls of all blood vessels?
A. Elastic
B. Endothelial
C. Fibrous
D. Smooth muscle
24. The diagram shows a model which can be used to demonstrate mass
flow.

X and Y are filled with sucrose solutions of different concentrations,

causing water to move in or out of X and Y by osmosis or a hydrostatic
pressure. Sucrose solution then moves through tube T joining X and Y.
A. Water potential in X is higher than in Y, sucrose solution moves
through tube T from X to Y
B. Water potential in X is higher than in Y, sucrose solution moves
through tube T from Y to X
C. Water potential in X is lower than in Y, sucrose solution moves
through tube T from X to Y
D. Water potential in X is lower than in Y, sucrose solution moves
through tube T from Y to X
25. What does not occur in the conversion of glucose to two molecules of
pyruvate?
A. Hydrolysis of ATP
B. Phosphorylation of ATP
C. Phosphorylation of Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate
D. Reduction of NAD
26. For which process is the large surface area of the cristae in the
mitochondria important?
A. Energy radiation
B. Enzyme reaction

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 C. Gaseous exchange
D. Protein synthesis
27. Which of the following is NOT a role of elastic fibres in the gaseous
exchange system?
A. Contract to decrease the volume of the alveoli during expiration
B. Recoil to force air out of the alveoli during expiration
C. Stretch to accommodate more air in the alveoli during deep
breathing
D. Stretch to increase the surface area of the alveoli for gaseous
exchange.
28. In which animal cells would Golgi apparatus be most abundant?
A. Ciliated epithelial cells
B. Goblet cells
C. Red blood cells
D. Smooth muscle cells
29. DNA from a chromosome is analysed and 20% of its bases are found to
be cytosine.
What percentage of uracil molecules will be found in mRNA transcribed
from the DNA?
A. 20
B. 30
C. 40
D. 60
30. Which process does not make nitrogen-containing compounds available
to plants?
A. Ammonification by decomposers
B. Denitrification by denitrifying bacteria
C. Nitrogen fixation in plant root nodules
D. Nitrogen fixation by soil bacteria
31. In a DNA molecule, the base sequence AGT codes for the amino acid
serine. What is the base sequence of the anti-codon on the tRNA to
which serine becomes attached?
A. AGU
B. GAU
C. TCA
D. UCA

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32. What limits the number of trophic levels in a food chain?
A. Biomass of the autotrophs
B. Efficiency of energy conversion between levels
C. Net productivity of the ecosystem
D. Species diversity in the ecosystem
33. What is correct for the cell surface membrane and membranes within
cells?
A. Both allow intracellular transport
B. Both are stabilised by glycoproteins
C. Both have sites for enzyme attachment
D. Both protect cells from the contents of lysosomes
34. The diagram shows the water potential of three adjacent plant cells.

In which directions will there be net movement of water by osmosis?

35. A camel can obtain 1.12ml of water from each gram of fat stored in its
hump. How many millilitres of water would a camel obtain from 36kg
of stored fat?
A. 32.142
B. 40.320
C. 32142
D. 40320
36. A biologist kept four beetle populations in the laboratory. The number
of beetles in each population is shown in the Table below. The
populations were identical except number of beetles.
Population P Q R S
Number of beetles 54 84 72 36

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 In which population will the effects of genetic drift be greatest?
A. S
B. Q
C. R
D. P
37. Which of the following processes generates genetic variation in bacteria
and viruses?
A. Binary fission
B. Fertilisation
C. Meiosis
D. Mutation
38. Two species of tortoises live on separate islands. These two species
evolved from a common ancestor by allopatric speciation. The likely
order of events in the speciation, from first to last would have been…
A. Natural selection, reproductive isolation, geographical isolation
B. Natural selection, geographical isolation, reproductive isolation
C. Geographical isolation, natural selection, reproductive isolation
D. Geographical isolation, reproductive isolation, natural selection
39. Sickle cell anaemia is caused by a double recessive gene and sufferers
usually die before maturity. The continued existence of the sickle allele
in the human population demonstrates
A. Drug resistance
B. Heterozygous advantage
C. Inbreeding
D. Genetic drift
40. Respiratory quotient is less than when the respiratory substrate is
A. Sucrose
B. Fat
C. Glucose
D. Both fat and glucose

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 SECTION B (60 MARKS)
Write the answers in the spaces provided.
41. (a) The number of rough endoplasmic reticulum within liver cells is less
than that in pancreatic cells. Explain the difference. (02 marks)
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(b) Explain the significance of surface area to volume ratio of a cell.
(04 marks)
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(c) State four roles of proteins in the membranes of cells. (04 marks)
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42. (a) What is meant by oxidative decarboxylation? (02 marks)
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(b) Diagram shows some of the reactions that occur during aerobic
respiration in an animal.

(i) Identify pathways X and Y. (02 marks)

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(ii) State precisely where in animal cells, pathways X and Y occur.
(01 mark)
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(iii) Explain why one of the enzymes involved in the conversion of
pyruvate to acetyl coenzyme A is called pyruvate
dehydrogenase. (02 marks)
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 (c) Give three advantages of ATP as an energy source within cells.
(03 marks)

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43. Figure 1.1 and 1.2 show the effect of leaf temperature and light
intensity on the rate of photosynthesis in a leaf of a temperate plant,
Atriplex patula at two different oxygen concentrations.
All measurements were made at atmospheric carbon dioxide
concentration.

Fig 1.1 Fig 1.2

(a) Describe the effect of the factors depicted in the figures, 1.1 and 1.2
on the rate of photosynthesis in A. patula. (05 marks)
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(b) (i) With reference to fig. 1.1 and 1.2, state the conditions under
which oxygen exerts a significant inhibitory effect on
photosynthesis in A. patula. (02 marks)
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(ii) Why was the experiment on the effect of leaf temperature (Fig
1.1) carried out in conditions of light saturation? (01 mark)
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(c) State two disadvantages of photorespiration to plants. (02 marks)
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44. (a) Distinguish between the following terms.
(i) genotype and phenotype. (02 marks)
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(ii) gene and allele (02 marks)
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 (b) In a cross between sweet pea plants with purple flowers and long
pollen grains and plants with red flowers and round pollen grains, all
the F1 plants were purple-flowered with long pollen grains.
However, in the F2 there were
4831 purple, long
390 purple, round
393 red, long
1338 red round plants, a ratio of about 11. 1. 1. 3
(i) What theoretical ratio would you expect the four classes to
show in the F2? (02 marks)
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(ii) Give an explanation for the experimental ratio. (04 marks)
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45. (a) State
(i) the two main structural features of a virus. (02 marks)
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(ii) three characteristics of a virus that suggest it is not a
living organism. (03 marks)
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(b) Describe ways by which viruses are transmitted from one host to
another. (03 marks)
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(c) Outline methods of preventing the spread of viral diseases.
(02 marks)
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46. (a) Describe the structure of a triglyceride. (03 marks)
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(b) (i) Give three functions of lipids in organisms. (03 marks)
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(ii) What features of lipids make them suitable for the functions in
(i) above. (02 marks)
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(c) Structurally distinguish lipids from waxes. (02 marks)
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