STPM BIOLOGY 964/1: ESSAY QUESTIONS (TOPICAL) 1999 - 2009 Topic 1: Chemicals of Life Yr / Q No. Question 2005 / 5 a.

Desribe briefly the primary, secondary and tertiary structures of proteins. State the importance of these structures which are related to the properties of protein. b. Give four types of proteins and their functions in living organisms. 2006 / 5 a. Describe four properties which render water to be an important medium for life. b. Describe the importance of water soluble vitamins in human metabolism. 2009 / 5 a. (i) Distinguish glycosidic bonds found in starch from those found in cellulose. (ii) Explain why these differences are of biological importance. b. Explain the role of carbohydrate in membranes. Topic 2: Cell Structure Yr / Q No. Question 2000 / 3 a. Draw and label the ultrastructure of a generalized animal cell and plant cell. b. State one function for each organelle that is found in the plant cell and the animal cell. c. Give one example of a prokaryotic and an eukaryotic organism. State eight differences between the prokaryotic and an eukaryotic cell. 2003 / 6 a. Draw and label the structure of a cell membrane based on Singers model. b. Explain the roles of the structures of the cell membrane in the transportation of substances into the cell. 2008 / 5 a. Distinguish a bacteria chromosome from a eukaryotic chromosome. b. With the aid of a labelled diagram, describe the structure and functions of the Golgi apparatus. Topic 3: Cellular Control Yr / Q No. Question 2000 / 6 a. Describe the investigation done by Avery and friends to prove that DNA carry genetic information. 2001 / 5 a. Draw and label a generalized structure of a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). b. Explain how the information from DNA can be used to form a sequence of amino acids in a protein. 2007 / 5 a. What is an enzyme inhibitor? By means of Lineweaver-Burk plots, differentiate between competitive and non-competitive inhibitions. b. Based on the lock and key model, explain the substrate specificity of an enzyme. 2009 / 6 With the aid of a labelled diagram, describe the process of transcription. Topic 4: Photosynthesis Yr / Q No. Question 2000 / 6 With the help of a diagram, describe the dark reaction of carbohydrate synthesis. 2003 / 5 Light is an important factor in the process of photosynthesis in plants. a. During the light reaction, ATP and NADPH are produced. Describe how ATP and NADPH molecules are formed. b. Explain the effect of light intensity on reactions which occur in photosynthesis. 2007 / 6 a. Describe the fization of carbon dioxide in C4 plants. b. Describe the distinctive anatomical features of vascular bundles in maize leaves. Marks 15 10 5 8 7 Marks 12 2 13 5 10 15 Marks 5 10 10 2 13 4 11 Marks 11 4 8 7 4 6 5

Topic 5: Respiration Yr / Q No. Question 2004 / 5 a. Describe the main stages of the Krebs cycle. b. Cyanide is a deadly poison and forms a complex with cytochrome a3. How does this poison affect cellular respiration? Topic 6: Nutrition Yr / Q No. Question Topic 7: Gaseous Exchange Yr / Q No. Question Topic 8: Transport Yr / Q No. Question 1999/3 a. Explain briefly the importance of transpiration to plants b. Plants can be divided into mesophytes, hydrophytes, halophytes and xerophytes. Describe the adaptive features which enable these plants to live in their habitats. 2002 / 5 a. Describe the structure of the mammalian heart in accordance with its function as an organ for pumping blood. b. Describe how the heart beat begins and how the rate of the heart beat is regulated. 2005 / 6 a. Give the definition, causes and methods of prevention of each of the following cardiovascular diseases. (i) Hypertension (ii) Arteriosclerosis b. With the aid of the Munch Model, describe the mechanism of mass translocation in phloem. 2008 / 6 a. The transportation of water molecules and mineral ions from the soil to the roots could occur via several pathways such as the vacuolar, apoplast and symplast pathways. Describe these three pathways. b. Among the mechanisms of the translocation of sugar through sieve tubes are the mass-flow hypothesis, the electro-osmosis hypothesis and cytoplasmic streaming hypothesis. Describe these three mechanisms. Topic 9: Homeostasis Yr / Q No. Question 2009 / 7 a. Explain the role of the liver in the metabolism of protein. b. Describe the Cori cycle and its function in the metabolism of carbohydrate. Topic 10: Nervous System Yr / Q No. Question 2007 / 7 a. With the aid of a labelled diagram, describe the structure of a synapse. b. Describe the transmission of an impulse along a myelinated axon. Marks 8 7 Marks 10 5 Marks 5 20 7 8 10 Marks Marks Marks 9 6

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Topic 11: Hormone / Chemical Coordination Yr / Q No. Question 1999 / 4 a. State the important characteristics of phytochrome in flowering and photoperiodism in plants. b. Name five plant hormones. Describe the role of each named hormone. 2000 / 7 a. Name one example of a steroid hormone and one example of a non-steroid hormone. b. With the aid of a diagram, describe the mechanism of steroid hormone action. 2006 / 6 a. Hormones are important chemical signals in the growth and development of plants and animals. Compare plant and animal hormones from the aspects of their production, transportation and mechanism of action. b. Abscisic acid is a hormone that can inhibit plant development. Describe the inhibitory action of this hormone. 2008 / 7 Explain the mechanism of action of adrenaline on the liver cell. 2009 / 8 a. Explain the interaction of phytochromes in flowering. b. Describe the involvement of hormones in apical dominance. Topic 12: Immunity Yr / Q No. Question 2002 / 6 a. Immunity is the potential of an organism to fight diseases. Describe the humor reaction in human immunity system. b. Describe how HIV acts to bring about AIDS. 2004 / 6 a. Name the organs and structures of the lymphatic system and describe their functions. b. A malfunctioned kidney may be replaced by a healthy one which is transplanted from a donor. (i) Explain why the healthy kidney may later be rejected by the recipients body. (ii) What are the steps taken to overcome the problem of rejection by the recipients body? 2006 / 7 a. Explain how active immunity is acquired through humoral response. b. State one function of each type of the following cells: (i) Plasma cell (ii) Helper T cell (iii) Macrophage (iv) Cytotoxic T cell (v) Suppressor T cell Topic 13: Reproduction Yr / Q No. Question 2000 / 4 a. Describe how the fertilization of the ovule occurs. b. Explain how plants can avoid self-pollination. 2001 / 8 Define the following terms by giving appropriate examples: a. Parthenogenesis b. Polyembryony c. Sporulation (spore production) 2002/ 7 By referring to an example, describe how sexual reproduction takes place in the (a) phylum Bryophyta (b) phylum Coniferophyta Marks 15 10 6 4 5 8 7 Marks 7 8 8 7 Marks 5 20 2 13 8

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Topic 13: Reproduction (continued) 2005 /8 a. With the aid of a diagram, describe the process of double fertilization in an angiosperm. b. Describe the main structural features that favour cross-pollination in an angiosperm. c. Describe the characteristics of the following types of asexual reproduction. (i) Polyembryony (ii) Parthenogenesis (iii) Vegetative reproduction Describe the formation of the gametophyte in liverworts and sporophyte in ferns. 5 4 6

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Topic 14: Development Yr / Q No. Question 2006 / 9 b. Describe the processes involved during fertilization in humans. 2008 / 8 a. State the principal target tissue and the action of each of the following female reproductive hormones. (i) progesterone (ii) oestrogen (iii) oxytocin (iv) prolactin b. Explain the events involved in the development of a fruit after the process of double fertilization. Topic 15: Growth Yr / Q No. Question 1999/ 5 a. Explain briefly the importance of dormancy in seed. b. To overcome the harsh conditions of lives, some organisms are adapted by diapaus, aestivation, or hibernation. Explain how the specific organisms would benefit from the phenomenon for their survival. 2003 / 7 a. State the external factors which influence the germination of seeds. b. The germination of dormant seeds involves the mobilization of food reserves which is stimulated by gibberellin. Describe this process in detail. 2003 / 8 a. With the aid of sketch graphs, explain what is meant by the following terms: (i) absolute growth curve (ii) absolute growth curve rate (iii) relative growth rate curve b. Explain why the curves in (a) above differ from each other for the growth of a particular animal. c. Describe the shape of the absolute growth curve of a named animal. 2006 / 9 a. Describe the processes involved in the mobilization of food reserve in an endosperm in seed germination. 2007 / 9 a. What is meant by growth? Describe allometric and isometric growth. b. State two parameters used in the measurement of growth of a plant, and explain their advantages and disadvantages. Marks 5 Marks 7 8

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Topic 16: Heredity and Genetics Yr / Q No. Question 2002 / 8 A cross of a bean variety produces 9744 individuals with dominant tall genotype (T) compared with 256 individuals with recessive short genotype (t). (a) By assuming that the crossing in the bean population above takes place in equilibrium, calculate the genotype frequency in the crossing. (b) State the necessary assumptions in the above crossing. (c) Give the meaning of alleles frequency in a population. 2004 / 7 a. State Mendels First and Second Laws. Explain the conditions under which these laws are applicable. b. By using suitable genetic symbols, explain the use of a recessive homozygous organism in a breeding experiment to determine the genotype of an organism showing a dominant phenotype. 2005 / 7 In pea plant, yellow seed colour which is controlled by Y allele is dominant over green seed colour which is controlled by y allele, and smooth seed which is controlled by R allele is dominant over wrinkled seed which is controlled by r allele. In a cross between parents with genotypes YYrr and yyRR, determine (a) the phenotype of each parent (b) the genotype and phenotype of the resulting F1, I the genotype and phenotype of F2 and their ratios. 2007 / 10 In pea plants, the allele for smooth seed, W is dominant over the allele for wrinkled seed, w, while the allele for yellow seed, G, is dominant over the allele for green seed, g. In one of Mendels dibybrid crosses, pea plants of genotypes wwGG were crossed with WWgg. The F1 obtained were selfed and yielded 315 F2 plants with phenotypes of smooth and yellow, 108 smoothe and green, 101 wrinkled and yellow, and 32 wrinkled and green seeds. Using the 2 test at 5% level, determine whether (a) the result fits a 9:3:3:1 ratio, (b) the number of phenotypes of smooth seeds to wrinkled seeds fits a 3:1 ratio, (c) the number of phenotypes of yellow seeds to green seeds fits a 3:1 ratio. Table of ( ) values at 5% level Degree of freedom 5% level 1 3.841 2 5.991 3 7.815 4 9.488 5 11.070 Topic 17: Mutation Yr / Q No. Question 2000 / 6 b. What is meant by chromosome mutation? State the types of chromosome mutation, and explain how each mutation occurs. 2006 / 8 b. Describe the mutations that occur in DNA and chromosomes. Marks 13 12
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Topic 18: Population Genetics Yr / Q No. Question 2006 / 8 a. According to Hardy-Weinbergs law, five conditions must be satisfied to achieve genetic equilibrium in a population. State three of the conditions. 2008 / 9 In a small population, 40 individuals are tasters of phenylthiocarbamide and 60 are non-tasters. The dominant allele T controls the ability to taste phenylthiocarbamide. a.(i) Determine the frequencies of allele t and T. (ii) Determine the number of individuals who are heterozygous in the population. b. If 20 non-tasters immigrate into the population, determine the new frequencies of allele t and T. 2009 / 9 a. Describe the assumptions that maintain the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. b. Phenylketonuria is a genetic disorder due to homozygosity of a certain recessive allele which occurs in one out of every 15 000 individuals. Determine the number of individuals in a population which are carriers of the disorder. Topic 19: Gene Regulation and Expression Yr / Q No. Question 2003 / 9 a. Explain what is meant by lactose operon. b. With the aid of a diagram, explain how lactose affects the lactose operon. Marks 6 9 Topic 20: Modern Genetic Technology Yr / Q No. Question 2004 / 8 a. Explain the steps involved in the synthesis of human insulin. b. State the negative effects on health and the environment that may arise from the use of recombinant DNA technology Topic 21: Taxonomy Yr / Q No. Question Topic 22: Biodiversity Yr / Q No. Question 1999 / 6 a. Compare and contrast the plants of division Pteridophyte with the plants of division Byrophyte. b. Most scientists consider insects as the largest animal class, widely dispersed, and the most successful in their lives. Explain how their adaptive characteristics to the different habitats contribute to the success of this animal class. 2002 / 10 Malaysia is one of the countries that are rich with flora and fauna. Describe the forest biological diversity of Taman Negara. 2004 / 9 a. Describe the characteristic features of the following phyla: (i) Chordata (ii) Cnidaria b. Human disturbance to the habitat is the greatest threat to biodiversity in Malaysia. Discuss this statement. Marks 12 13 Marks Marks 10 5 Marks 3

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Topic 22: Biodiversity (continued) 2006 / 10 a. What is meant by biological diversity? b. Describe the physical and biological characteristics of mangrove swamp forests in Malaysia. c. State the threats to the ecosystem in (b) and the conservation measures that can be taken to address them. 3 6 6

Topic 23: Variation and Theory of Evolution Yr / Q No. Question Marks 2000 / 5 a. With the aid of separate graphs, explain stabilizing selection, directional 15 selection and disruptive selection. b. What is meant by genetic drift? Explain the sources that cause the genetic drift in one population. 10 2001 / 9 a. State two sources of variation and elaborate on both of the variation sources. 12 b. Explain the importance of variation in a population. 3 2005 / 9 a. What is meant by species? 2 b. Explain the problems that exist in defining species. 5 c. Explain how different species could maintain their identities through the 8 isolating mechanism. Topic 24: Ecosystem Yr / Q No. Question 1999 / 7 a. Explain the meaning of the following items. (i) Ecosystem (ii) Niche (iii) Biomass pyramid b. Describe the energy flow in an ecosystem by relating it to the carbon cycle. 2001 / 10 a. What is meant by niche and habitat? b. State three types of niche in ecology and elaborate on each of them. 2002/ 9 a. Give the meaning of biogeochemical cycle. b. Describe the components that could be found in the biogeochemical cycle, with reference to the sulphur cycle. 2008 / 10 a. State the first and the second law of thermodynamics. b. Using the laws of thermodynamics in (a), explain how energy could be transferred in a named ecosystem. Topic 25: Quantitative Ecology Yr / Q No. Question 2000 / 7 a. Describe the survivorship concept in a context of population ecology. b. The sea turtle is one of the animals which will become extinct. (i) Discuss the possible factors that can cause the animal to be extinct. (ii) State the measures to be taken to protect the animal from extinction. 2003 / 10 a. Describe how climatic and biotic factors affect the size of a population. b. Describe how the size of a population of an animal can be estimated. Marks 12 13 Marks 13

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Topic 25: Quantitative Ecology (continued) 2004 / 10 a. Sketch a graph showing the survivorship curves for a population of human beings (K strategists), a population of oysters (r strategists) and a population of hydras. b. Using the graphs in (a), explain the survival patterns of the population of humans, oysters and hydras. c. Describe the adaptation characteristics of organisms which use K and r strategies to survive. a. Define the concept of carrying capacity and state the effects of environment on the carrying capacity of a particular habitat. b. (i) By using a suitable method of sampling an area, explain how species frequency, species density and species coverage of tress are determined in a lowland dipterocarp forest. (ii) State the advantages and disadvantages of each of the parameters in b (i) above. a (i). Describe the procedure of quadrat sampling. (ii). State three conditions for a reliable estimate of a population. b (i). Explain the capture-recapture technique. (ii). State the assumptions that need to be considered for the application of the capture-recapture technique. 3

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