Name:

2013
PRELIMINARY COURSE EXAMINATION

Knowledge and Understanding:15%

Skills in communicating:5%
Skills in planning investigations:15%
Total weighting:35%

Outcomes assessed:
P1:outlines the historical development of major biological principles, concepts and ideas.
P2:applies the processes that are used to test and validate models, theories and laws of science, with
particular emphasis on first-hand investigations in Biology.
P3:assesses the impact of particular technological advances on understanding in Biology.
P11:identifies and implements improvements to investigation plans.
P12;discusses the validity and reliability of data gathered from first-hand investigations and secondary
sources.
P13:identifies appropriate terminology and reporting styles to communicate information and understanding
in Biology.
P14:draws valid conclusions from data gathered and information.

Biology

General Instructions Total marks – 75

 Reading time – 5 minutes

 Working time – 2 hours
 Write using black or blue pen This paper has two parts, Part A and Part B

 Draw diagrams using pencil Part A – 20 marks

 Approved calculators may be  Attempt Questions 1-20
used  Allow about 35 minutes for this part

 Write your student number in the Part B – 55 marks

space provided  Attempt Questions 21-31
 Allow about 1 hour and 25 minutes for this part

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Part A – 20 marks
Attempt Questions 1-20
Allow about 35 minutes for this part

Use the multiple-choice answer sheet.

Select the alternative A,B,C or D that best answers the question. Fill in the response oval
completely.

Sample: 2+4= (A) 2 (B) 6 (C) 8 (D) 9

A B C D

If you think you have made a mistake, put a cross through the incorrect answer and fill in the
new answer.

A B C D

If you change your mind and have crossed out what you consider to be the correct answer,
then indicate the correct answer by writing the word correct and drawing an arrow as
follows.

A B C D

correct

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Questions 1 and 2 refer to the diagram below, which shows the distribution of three types of
plant on a sand dune.

bitou bush

spinifex

mat plant

The large square represents an area of 6 x 6 m. The five smaller squares are 1m2 quadrats.

1. Using the five quadrats, determine the population density of mat plants.

(A) 12 plants / m2.

(B) 1 plant / m2.
(C) 0.3 plants / m2.
(D) 0.2 plants / m2.

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2. In a study such as this, what is the main advantage of increasing the number of
quadrats used.

(A) It reduces the effect of an uneven distribution of plants.

(B) It reduces the effect of experimental bias.
(C) It makes the counting of plants more precise.
(D) It allows for the population density of more than one species to be measured.

3. Marine biologists have recently reported an interesting interaction between two

species of coral reef fish.

The coral trout and moray eel are both carnivores which prey on the same species of
reef fish. The coral trout is best at catching them when they are in the open water
between coral clumps, and the moray eel is most adept when the fish are in amongst
the tunnels and crannies of a clump of coral.

If a coral trout chases a fish which escapes into a clump of coral, it will swim to a
nearby moray eel and make a series of signals which persuades the eel to follow it to
the clump of coral in which the fish is hiding.

Sometimes the eel will catch the fish and gain a meal, and on other occasions the fish
will be caught by the trout as it tries to escape from the eel.

The relationship between the coral trout and the moray eel is an example of both:

(A) predator / prey and competition

(B) predator / prey and mutualism
(C) competition and mutualism
(D) competition and commensalism

4. Which one of the following was the chief contribution of Robert Brown to our current
knowledge about cells?

(A) The development of the first microscope.

(B) The discovery of the cell.
(C) The discovery of the nucleus.
(D) The development of the first electron microscope.

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5. The diagram below shows the structure of a cell membrane.

The molecule indicated by X is a:

(A) carbohydrate.
(B) phospholipid.
(C) nucleic acid.
(D) protein.

6. If plants are not watered in dry weather, the leaves tend to drop. Why does his occur?

(A) The plant cell walls become softer as they dry out.
(B) Salts accumulate within the plant and poison the leaves.
(C) Water enters the leaves and the stems cannot support the increased weight.
(D) Water is lost from cells and the cytoplasm shrinks away from the cell wall.

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Questions 7 and 8 refer to the experiment described below.

Four identical leaves were placed in test tubes of water as show below and subjected to the
conditions described in the table.

After 2 hours the water loss in each test tube was measured.

A B C D

Test tube Wind speed (km/hr) Humidity (%) Temperature (oC)

A 5 20 25
B 5 60 35
C 5 50 25
D 10 20 35

7. Which two test tubes would you use to investigate the effect of humidity on water loss
from a leaf?

(A) A&C
(B) B&D
(C) A&B
(D) C&D

8. Which leaf would you expect to lose the most water over the two hour period?

(A) A
(B) B
(C) C
(D) D

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9. The photograph below shows cells in an onion root undergoing mitosis.

B
D

Which one of the nuclei indicated is at the stage where the amount of DNA within it
doubles?

(A) A
(B) B
(C) C
(D) D

10. A large surface area, thin walls and a good blood supply allow the rapid and efficient
transfer of materials to meet the body’s needs.

TWO such areas in a mammalian body where this may occur are:

(A) Heart and lungs.

(B) Small intestine and kidney nephrons.
(C) Skin surface and capillary network.
(D) Lungs and small intestine.

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11. The key below can be used to place arthropods into various groups.

1a Three pairs of legs Insecta

1b More than three pairs of legs 2.

2a Four pairs of legs 3

2b More than four pairs of legs 6

3a Body divided into two distinct body segments with a constriction

between them. Araneida
3b Body not divided into two distinct body segments with a
constriction. 4

4a Distinct pincers visible at front of body Scorpionidae

4b Distinct pincers not visible at front of body 5

5a Legs more than three times the length of the body Opiliones
5b Legs less than three times the length of the body Acari

6a Two pairs of legs per segment Diplopoda

6b One pair of legs per segment 7

7a Eight body segments Isopoda

7b More than eight body segments Chilopoda

Use the key to classify the arthropod above.

(A) Araneida
(B) Scorpionidae
(C) Opiliones
(D) Acari

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12. What is the function of the Xylem vessel?

(A) To transport water and mineral ions up and down the stem.
(B) To transport organic substances up and down the stem.
(C) To transport water and mineral ions upwards towards the leaves.
(D) To transport organic substances down towards the root.

13. The text boxes below show some of the significant events that occurred during the
evolution of life on earth.

1. first 2. first 3. first

eucaryotic membranes organic
cells molecules

4. first 5. first
prokaryotic multicellular
cells organisms

The correct sequence of these events is:

(A) 32415
(B) 23541
(C) 32451
(D) 32145

14. Which one of the following best expresses the main reason why biologists are
interested in studying extremophile procaryotes in their natural environments?

(A) To learn how life might survive on Earth after a mass extinction.
(B) To investigate ways of breaking down nuclear wastes.
(C) To see how humans might be able to survive in outer space.
(D) To learn how life might have survived on the early Earth.

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15. Palaeontological studies on Easter Island, an isolated island in the South Pacific, have
shown that it was originally covered in forest.

These studies reveal that during the years following colonisation of the island by
Polynesian people, the forests were systematically cut down and the majority of the
native fauna became extinct. Palaeontological evidence suggests that the human
population after deforestation was lower than that before.

Which one of the following is the best reason for studies of this sort?

(A) They show us how indigenous peoples lived in harmony with the environment.
(B) They are proof that the animal fauna is dependent on the vegetation.
(C) They show how European settlement upset the balance of nature.
(D) They help us predict the impact of human activity in present environments.

16. The line drawn on the map below is called the Wallace Line. It was first proposed by
Alfred Russel Wallace, and separates two completely different biotas.

Wallace noticed that the flora and fauna to the North and West of his line were
predominantly Asian – tigers, monkeys, peacocks etc. while those to the South and
East were predominantly Australian – marsupials, cockatoos etc.

Which one of the following is the best explanation for this distribution.

(A) As the continent of Australia dried out, the animals we think of as ‘Asian’
retreated to the wetter North West.

(B) Richer soils to the North West of the line allowed a different community of
animals and plants to evolve there.

(C) Animals that we think of as ‘Australian’ retreated from Asia as more efficient
placental predators and competitors drove them out.

(D) The biotas of Asia and Australia evolved in isolation from each other, and have
only been brought into contact relatively recently by plate tectonics.

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17. Which one of the following vegetation types has decreased the most in Australia over
the last fifteen thousand years?

(A) Rainforest
(B) Sclerophyll woodland
(C) Grassland
(D) Desert

18. Sexual reproduction involves meiosis; asexual reproduction involves mitosis.

From an evolutionary point of view, which one of the following is the main advantage
of meiosis?

(A) It produces more daughter cells than mitosis.

(B) It produces daughter cells which are genetically different to each other.
(C) It produces daughter cells which are genetically different from the parent.
(D) It produces daughter cells which are identical to each other.

19. Which one of the following is considered the best evidence that Australia was once
part of Gondwana?

(A) The presence of Glossopteris fossils in Australia and Antarctica.

(B) The adaptive radiation of Australian marsupials.
(C) The location of the mid-ocean ridge in the Atlantic.
(D) The evidence that Australia, like every other continent, once had a megafauna.

20. When assessing the reliability of experimental data, you are mainly assessing:

(A) Whether other variables in the investigation have been adequately controlled.

(B) Whether the data was obtained using a device which measured to the correct
level of precision.

(C) Whether the experiment has a clearly stated independent variable.

(D) Whether enough data has been collected to ensure that observed trends cannot
just be due to chance.

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Part B – 55 marks

Attempt Questions 21 – 31

Allow about 1 hour and 25 minutes for this part

Answer the questions in the spaces provided.

Marks
Question 21 (7 marks)

The transect diagram below shows the distribution of the two main groups of coral
across a small reef.

round corals

branching corals
corals
North South

(a) Describe the distribution of these corals. 2

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(b) Name a biotic factor and explain how it could be responsible for this 2
distribution.

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Question 21 (continued) Marks

(c) Assess the transect method as a way of studying distribution.

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Question 22 (3 marks)

(a) Name two organisms from an ecosystem that you studied, which have a
‘predator – prey’ relationship. 1

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(b) The graph below represents the fluctuations in biomass of a prey species over
several years.

Assuming this ecosystem to be a simple one; there to be just one prey species
and one predator; sketch a line to represent the fluctuations of the predator 2
species over the same time.
Biomass

Time

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Question 23 (4 marks) Marks

The fossil record suggests that primitive amphibians inhabited the swamps of
Australia during the Devonian Period (408 – 360 million years ago). However, the
first truly successful terrestrial vertebrates were the reptiles, known from fossils
from the Carboniferous Period (306 – 286 million years ago).

Their success was partly due to the evolution of structures which allowed for
internal fertilisation.
2
(a) Outline the differences between internal and external fertilisation.

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2
b) Explain why internal fertilisation is advantageous in a terrestrial
environment.

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Question 24 (8 marks) Marks

The photograph below shows the apparatus used in the famous series of
experiments performed by Urey and Miller..

The diagram below represents the reactions which were observed.

(i).......................... (iii).......................

(ii)........................ (iv).......................
U-V rays
Electric spark

(a) Complete the diagram above to indicate TWO reactants (i & ii) and TWO
products (iii & iv) of these reactions 2

Question 24 continues on page 16.

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Question 24 (continued) Marks

(b) Assess the contribution of the Urey and Miller experiments to the debate
about the origins of life on Earth. 6

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Question 25 (3 marks) 1

Recent advances in DNA sequencing have enabled comparisons to be made

between amino acid sequences in the DNA of echidna species, platypus species and
kangaroos. The table below shows the pairs of organisms that were compared and
the number of amino acid differences in their DNA.

Pairs of organisms Number of amino acid differences

Platypus-grey kangaroo 35
Platypus-echidna 10
Platypus-potoroo 32 2
Echidna-potoroo 29
Echidna-grey kangaroo 34
Potoroo-kangaroo 11

(a) From the above table, which organisms are more closely related to each
other?

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(b) Since amino acid similarity is related to time evolutionary relationships, we

can infer the order of evolution of these organisms from the table. Assuming
the kangaroos evolved after the platypus, and using only the data supplied in
this question, which were the next two organisms to evolve?

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Question 26 (3 marks) Marks

Like every other continent, except Antarctica, Australia once had a megafauna.

The diagram below shows a fossil skeleton of the grazing herbivorous marsupial,
Diprotodon. Like the rest of Australia’s megafauna, it became extinct between
15,000 and 50,000 years ago.

Suggest why Diprotodon, or some other named Australian animal that you have
studied, became extinct. 3

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Question 27 (3 marks)

(a) Explain how a named example of a technological advance contributed to the

development of the cell theory.

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Question 28 (6 marks)

Marks

The function of the flower is to facilitate pollination.

The shape, colour and scent of a flower have all evolved to maximise its ability to
perform this function.

The Australian Wattlebird is an important pollinator of native plants.

Design an experiment that you could perform to investigate the following

hypothesis: 6

Red flowers are more attractive to wattlebirds than white flowers.

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Question 29 (6 marks)

The Angophoras are members of the Myrtaceae family. They look quite
similar to eucalypts, and one, the Sydney Red Gum (Angophora costata),
is very common around Sydney Harbour.

Below is a dichotomous key to four common members of the Angophora

genus.

New South Wales

Angophora species

Leaf heart-shaped at Leaf not heart-shaped

the base at the base

Fruit about Fruit about Bark smooth Bark rough

15 mm long 8 mm long

A. cordifolia A. subvelutina A. costata A. floribunda

(a) Use the key to identify the Angophora below. 1

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10 mm

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(b) Explain how you could distinguish between A. cordifolia and A. costata. 2

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(c) The drawings below are of four types of arthropod, found by

students on a field study in a bush reserve.

Dragonfly Fly

Spider Ant

Q29 continues on page 21.

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29(c) (Continued) Construct a dichotomous key to distinguish between them. 3

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Question 30 (6 marks)

Amoeba is single celled eucaryotic organism which lives in fresh water.

It achieves water balance by allowing its contractile vacuole to steadily fill with
water, and then expel that water back into the environment.

contractile vacuole contractile vacuole

slowly fills with water moves to edge and
expels water

nucleus

The table below shows the results of an experiment in which the effect of the salt
concentration of its surroundings on the rate at which it expelled water (in
expulsions per five minutes) was investigated.

Rate of expulsion of water

Salt concentration (g/L)
(expulsions per five minutes)

0 16

5 9

10 5

15 2

20 0

Question 30 continues on page 23.

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 Marks
Question 30 (continued)

(a) Graph these results on the grid below. 3

(b) Identify the process by which water moves into the Amoeba. 1

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(c) Account for the results of this experiment. 2

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Question 31 (6 marks)

(a) Complete the following table to compare mitosis and meiosis.

Feature Mitosis Meiosis 4

Purpose of the process

Number of daughter cells

produced
Chromosome number of
daughter cells
Genetic variability of the
daughter cells produced

(b) Pollination and seed dispersal are two mechanisms found in Australian flora.
Distinguish between pollination and seed dispersal. 2

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 Student Name ____________________
2013
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION

Biology
Multiple Choice Answer Sheet

1. A B C D

2. A B C D

3. A B C D

4. A B C D

5. A B C D

6. A B C D

7. A B C D

8. A B C D

9. A B C D

10. A B C D

11. A B C D

12. A B C D

13. A B C D

14. A B C D

15 A B C D

16. A B C D

17. A B C D

18. A B C D

19. A B C D

20. A B C D

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