CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL AS & A LEVEL BIOLOGY: COURSEBOOK

Exam-style questions and sample answers have been written by the authors. In examinations, the way marks are awarded
may be different.

Coursebook answers
Chapter 2
Exam-style questions
The mark schemes, suggested answers and AVP means ‘additional valid point’. This means
comments that appear here were written by the accept any additional points given by the student
author(s). In examinations, the way marks would that are not in the mark scheme, provided they
be awarded to answers like these may be different. are relevant. But accept only as many additional
points as indicated by the bold semicolons, e.g.
Notes about mark schemes  AVP ; ; means award a maximum of 2 extra marks.
A or accept indicates an alternative acceptable ORA means ‘or reverse argument’ and is used
answer. when the same idea could be expressed in the
reverse way. For example: ‘activity increases
R = reject. This indicates a possible answer that
between pH2 and pH5 ORA’ means accept
should be rejected.
‘activity decreases between pH5 and pH2’.
; The bold semicolon indicates the award of 1 mark.
max. This indicates the maximum number of
/ This indicates an alternative answer for the same marks that can be given.
mark. The alternatives may be separated from the
rest of the answer by commas. 1 D ; [1]
( ) Text in brackets is not required for the mark. 2 C; [1]
Underlining This is used to indicate essential 3 B ; [1]
word(s) that must be used to get the mark.
AW means ‘alternative wording’. It is used to indicate
that a different wording is acceptable provided the
essential meaning is the same, and is used where
students’ responses are likely to vary more than usual.

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 CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL AS & A LEVEL BIOLOGY: COURSEBOOK

(e.g. haemoglobin)
Globlular protein

Monosaccharide
Fibrous protein
(e.g. collagen)

Disaccharide

Glycogen

Cellulose
Starch

Lipid
monomer  ✘ ✘ ✔ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
polymer  ✔ ✔ ✘ ✘ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✘
macromolecule  ✔ ✔ ✘ ✘ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✘
polysaccharide  ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✘
contains subunits that form branched ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✔ ✔ ✘ ✘
chains 
contains amino acids  ✔ ✔ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
made from organic acids and glycerol  ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✔
contains glycosidic bonds ✘ ✘ ✘ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✘
contains peptide bonds  ✔ ✔ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
one of its main functions is to act as an ✘ ✘ ✘ accept ✔ ✔ ✘ ✔
energy store 
✔ or ✘
usually insoluble in water ✘ ✔ ✘ ✘ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
usually has a structural function ✘ ✔ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✔ ✘
can form helical or partly helical structures  ✔ ✔ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✔ (see ✘ ✘
amylose)
contains only carbon, hydrogen and ✘ ✘ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
oxygen

Award 1 mark for each correct column. [8]

5 6 dissolve easily in water ;

Function  Example  sweet ; 

structural collagen ; keratin ; AVP general formula (CH2O)n / contain the
e.g. elastin, viral coat elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen /
protein ; [max. 2] hydrogen and oxygen are present in ratio
of 2 : 1 ;  [3]
enzyme AVP e.g. amylase ;
7 a lactose could be a source of energy ;
hormone ;  insulin
it could be digested to, monosaccharides
respiratory haemoglobin and
/ glucose and galactose, which could
pigment / AW ; myoglobin
then be used as building blocks for larger
defence antibodies / fibrinogen / molecules ; [2]
AVP ;
b condensation ; [1]
contraction / actin and myosin
AW ; c glycosidic bond ; [1]
storage casein / ovalbumin / AVP ;
 [8]

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 CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL AS & A LEVEL BIOLOGY: COURSEBOOK

d f carry out a Benedict’s test on both

OH on C atom 1 above solutions ;
ring (β-galactose) lactose would give a brick-red / brown
6CH OH
2 precipitate, sucrose would not ;
5 O
OH OH
accept positive result for lactose,
H negative result for sucrose [2]
4 1
DH H  [Total: 10]
H H
3 2 8 a i  
H OH
CH3 H
galactose H H
O O
(drawn according to convention)
N C C N C C
H OH H OH
H OH H H
3
2 alanine glycine
H H OH
OH H
4 1
H CH3 H CH2
OH HOH O H O H O
O
5 N C C N C C N C C
6CH OH
2 H OH H OH H OH
H H H
galactose
(molecule rotated 180° in order alanine glycine serine
to line up with α-glucose)

OH
6CH OH
2

CH3 5 O H CH2
H H O H
H O H O
H
N C4 C N C C N C C
1
H OH H OH H OH
OH H
H OH 2 OH H H
3
alanine OH glycine serine
H
OH on C atom 1
α-glucose
below ring
   C
 of COOH joined to N of NH2 for

both peptide bonds ;
glucose correctly drawn ;     p
 eptide bonds shown as C=O
galactose correctly drawn ;  [2] joined to –NH (i.e. water has been
eliminated) ;

Carbon atoms need not be numbered.
Note that galactose will probably be drawn    a ll three amino acids joined and in
‘upside down’ as in the disaccharide – the correct sequence ; accept even if errors
conventional way of drawing it is also in bonding [3]
shown in the diagram answer. The form ii  primary structure ;  [1]
used to make the disaccharide is the beta
form of galactose, but students will not iii water ; [1]
need to know this, other than for interest. iv ring drawn around –OH or whole
e alpha glucose / α-glucose ;  R group (–CH2OH) of serine ; [1]

the –OH group on carbon atom 1 is v  r ings drawn around two peptide
below the ring ; [2] bonds and bonds labelled
appropriately ; [1]
vi ring drawn around –NH group one
side of a peptide bond and group
labelled A ; [1]

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 CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL AS & A LEVEL BIOLOGY: COURSEBOOK

b held in place by hydrogen bonding ; 10 a

secondary structures ;
Collagen  Haemoglobin 
all the –NH and –C=O groups of, peptide
bonds / polypeptide backbone, are 1 Globular fibrous globular
involved ; [3] or fibrous? 
2 Entirely entirely partly
c molecule made from repeating subunits ;
or partly
subunits similar or identical to each other ; helical?
giant molecule / macromolecule ;[max. 2] 3 Type of triple helix / alpha
d i  XXX, XXY, XYY, XYX, YYY, helix  extended
YYX, YXX, YXY ; [1] helix / three-
stranded
ii   2 ;
3
[1]
4 Prosthetic no yes
 [Total: 15] group
9 a A identified as lipid, present?
B identified as phospholipid ; [1] 5 Soluble in no / insoluble yes / soluble
b i  junction between head and tail for all water? 
three tails is indicated on diagram ; ; Award 1 mark for each correct row. No half marks
  allow 1 mark if only one or two  [5]
junctions indicated [2] b 
1 mark for structural feature, 1 mark for
ii  fatty acids ;  linking this feature to its function,
e.g. haemoglobin contains iron ; iron
  glycerol ; [2] combines with oxygen ; [2]
c head of phospholipid is labelled c molecule has more than one polypeptide
phosphate ; [1] chain ; [1]
d i  phospholipid / B ; [1] R molecule has four polypeptide chains
ii phosphate is, charged / polar / d carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, iron ; ;
hydrophilic ; [1]
2 marks for all five correct, 1 mark for
e lipid: four correct, 0 marks for three or fewer
energy store / insulator / buoyancy / correct  [2]
source of metabolic water / any other  [Total: 10]
suitable example ;
phospholipid:
any reference to the importance of
phospholipids in structure of
membranes ; [2]
 [Total: 10]

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