Paper 2

30 minutes
55 marks

Human Biology
1. If you were to touch a very hot object with your hand your nervous system would react very quickly. The
muscles in your arm would be stimulated to contract and your hand would be moved away.
By using the letters, put the following components of the nervous system in the order in which they would
be involved:
A.
B.
C.
D.

Relay neurone
Receptor
Sensory neurone
Motor neurone

2. When blood returns to the heart from the body it is then pumped through the
lungs to collect oxygen before being pumped back to the body. By using the
letters, re-arrange the following into the correct order beginning at the point the
blood returns from the body.
A. Right ventricle
B. Left Atrium
C. Left Ventricle
D. Right Atrium
E. Lungs
3. The photograph shows a chimpanzee in London Zoo. The eyes of a chimp work like human eyes. The
table below gives some names of the parts of a chimps eye and their functions but they have been mixed
up. Write the correct letter in the answer grid in each case.
Name of part
i. Pupil

Function
A. Transparent tissue that produces mucus and tears

ii. Conjunctiva

B. Coloured part of the front of the eye

iii. Optic nerve

C. Changes shape to focus an image on the retina

iv. Lens

D. Bundle of sensory neurones

v. Iris

E. Changes size to control the amount of light entering

the eye

For questions 4-13 indicate your answer by putting a tick in the appropriate box.
4. Your nervous system is also involved in ensuring your body temperature stays constant. What is the
normal body temperature of a human?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

27.5oC
31.5oC
37.0oC
40.0oC
47.0oC

5. Which of the following changes would take place in your body if your temperature increased above
normal?
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.

sweating
contraction of erector muscles attached to hairs in the skin
shivering
dilation of blood vessels in the skin

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

i and ii
i and iii
i and iv
ii and iii
ii and iv

6. Your stomach contains hydrochloric acid and has a pH of around 2. What is the function of this acid?
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.

Neutralise your saliva when you swallow your food

Kill microbes
Emulsify fats
Provide the optimum pH for stomach enzymes

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

i and ii
i and iii
i and iv
ii and iii
ii and iv

7. Which of the following is not something which can be caused by malnutrition?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Reduced resistance to infections

Cystic fibrosis
Girls having irregular periods
High cholesterol levels
Obesity

8. Astigmatism is a common problem in humans. What is it?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Birthmarks on the skin

A problem with urea formation by the liver
Absence of a stigma
Incorrect shape of the lens or cornea
Lack of pigment in the skin

9. Which drug that was effective in relieving morning sickness led to babies being born with severe limb
abnormalities?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Cannabis
Aspirin
Thalidomide
DDT
Aloe vera

10. Bile is a green substance which is stored in the gall bladder before being released into the small
intestine. What is bile made from?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Broken down plant cells

Broken down liver cells
Broken down bacteria
Broken down red blood cells

11. The three bones in your ear are commonly known as what?
A. Hammer, anvil and stirrup
B. Drum, saw and bridle
C. Mallet, drill and harness
D. Chisel, axe and saddle
12. Chlamydia is the most common preventable cause of infertility in women. Which of the following
statements is true?
A.
B.
C.
D.

It often has no symptoms

It can be contracted from drinking water
It does not respond to antibiotics
It affects only women

13. Which of the following vitamins can be made in the skin?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Vitamin K
Vitamin E
Vitamin B

Plant Biology
For questions 1 8, indicate your answer by putting a tick in the appropriate box.
1. Which two of these structures are found in both plant cells and animal cells?
I
ii
iii
iv
A.
B.
C.
D.

Ribosomes
Cell wall
Chloroplast
Nucleus
i and ii
i and iii
i and iv
ii and iii

2. On a packet of wallflower seeds, it says they are biennial. What does this mean?
A.
B.
C.
D.

they flower twice a year

they flower for two years
they flower in their second year
they flower every year

3. Which of these parts of the flower produces pollen?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Anther
Carpel
Stigma
Ovary

4. The leaves of plants have many pores called stomata. Which of the following statements is false?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Stomata are involved in the absorption of gases from the atmosphere

Stomata are found on the upper surface of leaves so they can take in water
Water escapes from leaves through the stomata and they can be closed when conditions are dry
Stomata are too small to be seen with the naked eye

5. Each of these words can be used in association with plant reproduction. Which is the odd one out?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Pollination
Cuttings
Asexual
Cloning

6. Which of the following statements is true?

A.
B.
C.
D.

At night plants cannot photosynthesise and so all their cells become dormant
Plants produce oxygen 24 hours a day
At night plants change starch to sugar for respiration
During the day plants release carbon dioxide as a waste product of photosynthesis

7. Which of the following is a tap root?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Leek
Potato
Onion
Carrot

8. Some fresh potatoes were left in a bowl of salty water and others were left in a bowl of unsalted water.
They were then removed from their bowls and cooked. Which of the following predictions seems most
likely regarding the potatoes left in salty water compared to the others?
A.
B.
C.
D.

They will take longer to cook because water moved into them by osmosis
They will take less time to cook because water has moved out of them by osmosis
They will take less time to cook because they lost water by evaporation
They will be inedible because they will absorb the salt

Natural History
1. Identify this animal.
i. A group is known as a celebration
ii. The female is able to live without eating for 8 months each year
iii. It has an outer layer of fur made of transparent hairs
iv. It has black skin
v. Its a carnivore

For questions 2 10, indicate your answer by putting a tick in the appropriate box
2. Hedgehogs are lactose-intolerant which means that if they eat certain types of food they suffer

problems with their digestive system. What type of food is therefore likely to cause problems for a
hedgehog?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Dairy products
Meat and fish
Vegetables
Fruit

3. Which row in the table below correctly identifies the young of the four animals?
Housefly
leveret
caterpillar
maggot
leatherjacket

A
B
C
D

Butterfly
caterpillar
leatherjacket
caterpillar
leveret

Cranefly
leatherjacket
nymph
leatherjacket
maggot

Hare
nymph
leveret
leveret
nymph

4. Which of the following ( A D) represents the correct order of size of the creatures listed, starting with
the smallest?.
i Honey bee
ii Dust mite
iii Aphid
iv Praying mantis
A
B
C
D

iii, i, ii, iv
i, iii, ii, iv
ii, iii, i, iv
iv, iii, ii, i

5. Which row in the table below correctly identifies the terms for groups of the four animals?

A
B
C
D

Vipers
Pod
Nest
Murder
Troop

Crows
Troop
Murder
Pod
Nest

Baboons
Murder
Troop
Nest
Pod

Whales
Nest
Pod
Troop
Murder

6. Which of the following consists of a fungus and an alga living together as if they were one organism?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Yeast
Seaweed
Mushroom
Lichen

Questions 7-10 were kindly provided by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
7. Which small bird of prey, well known for hunting dragonflies in flight and eating them on the wing, is
described as having red trousers?
A. Golden Eagle
B. Kestrel

C. Hobby
D. Osprey
8. On which continent would you find the large flightless bird called the Rhea?
1.
2.
3.
4.

Africa
South America
Europe
North America

9. To which family of birds do the Jay, Magpie and Jackdaw belong?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Crows
Finches
Gulls
Terns

10. The wolf, water, zebra and swamp are species of what sort of animal?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Wasp
Orchid
Beetle
Spider

Biology by numbers
i. How many chromosomes are there in the nucleus of a human brain cell?
ii. How many strands are there in a DNA molecule?
iii. How many kingdoms are there in the most commonly used classification system?
iv. How many bones are there in the adult human body?
v. How many canine teeth do human adults usually have?
vi. How many stomachs does a cow have?
vii. How many sperm must fertilise an egg if it is to go on to develop into identical twins?
viii. How many kidneys does a dog have?
ix. How many classes of vertebrates are there?
x. How many pairs of legs do insects have?
xi. How many bronchi are there in the human body?

Evolution and Genetics

Proteins are constructed from information contained in chromosomes. Chromosomes are made from a
molecule called DNA which in turn is made from smaller molecules. There are only four types of these
smaller molecules but thousands of them can be joined together in any order. The four types are
abbreviated to A, C, G and T.
The following table shows part of the genetic code. Each group of three letters in the DNA codes for an
amino acid in a protein.
DNA
ACG
ATG
GGC
CAC
CTC
CAG

Amino acid
Cysteine
Tyrosine
Proline
Valine
Glutamic acid
Glutamine

The gene for a particular protein has the following DNA sequence: CAGCACCTCATGACGGGC
1. Write out the correct sequence of the order of the amino acids in this protein. Each amino acid in the
table above occurs only once.
2. DNA is copied when cells divide and sometimes a mistake is made. When this happens its called a
mutation. If an organism has a mutation it can mean that one of their proteins is different from normal.
For example, a change in the gene above could result in a protein with valine replaced by glutamic acid.
Write out the DNA sequence of this new gene using the letters C, A, G and T.
3. Which of the following statements is true?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Mutations always reduce the probability that an organism will survive and pass on its genes
Mutations always increase the probability that an organism will survive and pass on its genes
Some mutations increase the probability that an organism will survive and pass on its genes
Mutations dont make the slightest bit of difference to the survival of an organism

4. The words missing from the sentences below can all be found in the list below. Write the correct word
on the answer sheet in each case. (Clue: The first letters of the answers spell out the DNA sequences for
two of the amino acids described above.)
Clones, Genes, Tuberculosis, Attenborough, Alleles, Charles, Antibiotics, Asexual, Tetanus, Aspirin, Graham
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.

The Blue Planet was presented by David

is a disease of the lungs.
A chromosome is made of many .............., each of which controls one characteristic.
Individuals which are genetically identical to each other are known as ..
MRSA is a super bug and is a problem in hospitals because it is resistant to
. Darwin wrote a book about evolution called On the Origin of Species.

End of questions

Biology Challenge Paper 2

Name .

School name. .

School code ..

Human Biology
1.

i. ....... ii. .......

iii. ........

iv. .......

2.

i. ....... ii. .......

iii. ........

iv. ....... v. ........

3.

i. ....... ii. .......

iii. ........

iv. ....... v. ........

4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13

Plant Biology
A

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Natural History
1. ...................................................
A
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Score ..

Biology by numbers
i.

...

ii.

...

iii.

...

iv.

...

v.

...

vi.

...

vii.

...

viii.

...

ix.

...

x.

...................

xi.

...................

Evolution and Genetics

1. i. ..........

ii. .......... iii. ..........

iv. ........... v. ..........

2.

3
4.
i.

............................................

ii.

............................................

iii.

............................................

iv.

............................................

v.

............................................

vi.

............................................

vi. ..........

Biology Challenge Paper 2

Mark scheme
Maximum 55 marks
One mark for each correct answer unless otherwise indicated
Human Biology
1.

i. B

ii. C

iii. A

iv. D

2.

i. D

ii. A

iii. E

iv. B

v. C

(all must be correct for one mark)

3.

i. E

ii. A

iii. D

iv. C

v. B

(one mark each correct answer)

A
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13

C
/
/

(all must be correct for one mark)

/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/

Plant Biology
A
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

C
/
/

/
/
/
/
/
/

Natural History
1.

Polar Bear

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

A
/

/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/

Biology by numbers
i.

46

ii.

iii.

iv.

206

v.

vi.

vii.

viii.

ix.

x.

xi.

Evolution and Genetics

1. i. Glutamine ii. Valine iii. Glutamic acid
(all must be correct for one mark)

iv. Tyrosine v. Cysteine

vi. Proline

2. One mark for changing A to T as below. One mark for correct answer.
*

A
3
4.
i.

Attenborough

ii.

Tuberculosis

iii.

Genes

iv.

Clones

v.

Antibiotics

vi.

Charles

C
/