Year 9 Exam – Biology – Practice Questions

Q1.
The diagrams below show a human ovum (egg) and a human sperm.

(a) What are eggs and sperm?

Tick the correct box.

animals cells organs

1 mark

(b) Which part does a sperm use to swim towards an egg?

......................................................
1 mark

(c) Give the name of the male reproductive organ where sperm are made.

.......................................................
1 mark

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 (d) The diagram below shows a sperm joining with an egg.

What is this process called?

Tick the correct box.

fertilisation growth

nutrition respiration
1 mark
Maximum 4 marks

Q2.
Nadine mixed grass seeds with sand.
She put the mixture into three mesh bags to make three model heads.
She soaked two of the bags in water.

(a) The drawings below show the model heads after one week.

(i) Which two model heads did Nadine soak in water?

Give the letters.

................... and ...................

How can you tell this from the drawings?

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

...............................................................................................................
1 mark

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 (ii) Nadine watered both of these models for two weeks.
She watered one more often than the other.

How would the model that was watered more often look different from the
other one?

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

...............................................................................................................
1 mark

(b) Nadine put one of the watered models near a window.

Why did the grass grow towards the window?

........................................................................................................................
1 mark

(c) (i) Grass plants have root hairs. Which diagram shows a root hair cell?
Tick the correct box.

A B C D
1 mark

(ii) Fill the gaps in the sentence below.

Root hairs take in ................................... and

1 mark

................................... from the soil.

1 mark
maximum 6 marks

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Q3.
The drawing shows an experiment to investigate photosynthesis in weed from a pond.

Bubbles of gas produced during photosynthesis were given off from the pond weed
and collected in the test tube.

(a) Name the gas given off in photosynthesis

......................................................................................................................
1 mark

(b) What two substances are taken in by the plant and used for photosynthesis?

1. ..................................................................................................................

2. ..................................................................................................................
2 marks

Light of different intensities was shone onto the pond weed. The number of gas
bubbles given off in one minute at each light intensity was counted. The results are
shown in the graph.

(c) Which letter on the horizontal axis shows the light intensity at which the rate of
photosynthesis first reaches its maximum?

............................................................
1 mark

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Blue, green and red light were then shone, in turn, onto the pond weed. The number
of bubbles of the gas given off in one minute was counted. The results are shown in
the table.

The leaves of the pond weed contain a green pigment which absorbs light for
photosynthesis

(d) (i) Name this pigment.

.............................................................................................................
1 mark

(ii) Using the information in the table, tick a box by one colour of light which
is strongly absorbed by the pigment.

blue

green

red
1 mark

(e) Sugar is also produced during photosynthesis.

Give two ways in which the plant uses sugar.

1. ..................................................................................................................

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

2. ..................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................
2 marks
Maximum 8 marks

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Q4.
The diagram below shows a plant cell.

(a) In which part of a plant would you find this type of cell?

........................................................
1 mark

(b) (i) Give the function of the nucleus.

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

...............................................................................................................
1 mark

(ii) Give the function of the chloroplasts.

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

...............................................................................................................
1 mark

(iii) Give the function of the cell wall.

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

...............................................................................................................
1 mark

(c) Give the names of two labelled parts that are not present in animal cells.

1. .............................................................

2. .............................................................
2 marks

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 (d) Tick one box in each row to show whether the statement is true for
photosynthesis or for respiration.

statement photosynthesis respiration

carbon dioxide is produced

light is needed

it occurs in plants and animals

oxygen is produced
2 marks
maximum 8 marks

Q5.
Cholera is a disease caused by bacteria. These bacteria produce a poison.
The poison prevents the large intestine from absorbing water from the food passing
through it.
People with cholera can lose more than a litre of water per hour.

(a) Give one function of water in the body.

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

.....................................................................................................................
1 mark

(b) People can be injected with a vaccine against cholera. The vaccine contains a tiny
amount of the cholera poison and not the cholera bacteria. As a result, people
become immune to cholera.

Describe how vaccination makes a person immune to cholera.

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

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

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

.....................................................................................................................
2 marks

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 (c) The cholera poison makes the skin permeable. A new method of vaccinating
against cholera is to put a small amount of the poison, mixed with other vaccines, on
a plaster. The plaster is left on the skin for a day. The vaccines pass through the
skin and the person becomes immune to cholera and to other diseases.

(i) Why should only a tiny amount of the poison be used?

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

.............................................................................................................
1 mark

(ii) Suggest one advantage of vaccinating people in this way.

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

.............................................................................................................
1 mark
Maximum 5 marks

Q6.
Viruses have a very simple structure as shown below. They have no nucleus.

Viruses only reproduce inside living cells. Unlike bacteria, viruses are not affected by
medicines called antibiotics.

(a) Describe how vaccines can help the body’s natural defences against viruses.

……….………………………………………………………………………………

……….………………………………………………………………………………

……….………………………………………………………………………………
2 marks

(b) Some viruses are able to change their genetic material frequently.
Each change produces a virus with different protein molecules in the protein wall.
Explain why a vaccine which worked against the old virus may not work against
the new types.

……….………………………………………………………………………………

……….………………………………………………………………………………
1 mark
Maximum 3 marks

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Q7.
Genetic engineering can be used to prepare human growth hormone using bacteria. The
diagrams represent six stages in the process. They are not in the order, and they are not
drawn to scale.

(a) Put the stages shown in the diagrams above in the correct order. Two stages have
already been put in for you.

1 mark

(b) Give two reasons why these bacteria are used in this process.

1. ..................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................
1 mark

2. ..................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................
1 mark
Maximum 3 marks

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Mark schemes

Q1.
(a) cells
if more than one box is ticked, award no mark
1 (L3)

(b) tail
1 (L3)

(c) testis or testicle

accept plurals
1 (L4)

(d) fertilisation
if more than one box is ticked, award no mark
1 (L3)
[4]

Q2.
(a) (i) • A and C
answers may be in either order
both the letters and the reason are required for the mark
‘A and C are the same’ is insufficient

any one from

• grass has germinated or grown

accept ‘A and C have hair’
accept ‘something has grown in A and C’
accept ‘they have hair’
accept ‘they have longer or more grass’

• seeds did not germinate or grow in B

accept ‘B has no hair’
‘seeds need water to grow’ is insufficient
1 (L3)

(ii) any one from

• it would have longer grass

accept ‘it had more grass or more hair’

• the grass would have grown more

accept ‘it grew more or faster’
accept ‘it would have grown less because it was
over-watered’
‘it would be greener’ is insufficient
‘it would be healthier’ is insufficient
1 (L4)

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 (b) any one from

• it grew towards the light

• that is where the light is coming from

accept ‘it grew towards the Sun’
accept ‘to get light or sunlight’
accept ‘plants or grass need light’
accept ‘to get more Sun’
‘because of the sunlight’ is insufficient
‘to get more heat’ is insufficient
1 (L3)

(c) (i) • B
if more than one box is ticked, award no mark
1 (L4)

(ii) any two from

• water
accept ‘moisture’ or ‘dampness’

• oxygen

• minerals
accept a named mineral
accept ‘nutrients’ or ‘salts’
accept, for two marks, two named minerals
such as ‘nitrates’ and ‘phosphates’
do not accept ‘plant food’ or ‘food’ or ‘nutrition’
2 (L4)
[6]

Q3.
(a) oxygen
1

(b) carbon dioxide

do not accept light
1

water
do not accept chlorophyll
1

(c) D
if more than one letter is given award no mark
1

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 (d) (i) chlorophyll
1

(ii) blue or red

if blue and red are both ticked award the mark,
but if green is ticked award no mark
1

(e) any two from

• as an energy source or for respiration

accept ‘for energy’ or ‘for food’

• to make starch
accept ‘for growth’ or ‘as a starting

• to make cellulose material for other compounds’

2
[8]

Q4.
(a) • leaf
accept ‘stem’ or ‘stalk’
1 (L5)

(b) (i) • it controls the cell or cell’s activities

accept ‘it tells the cell what to do’
‘it is the brain of the cell’ is insufficient
accept ‘it contains or passes on (genetic)
information or genes or DNA’
1 (L5)

(ii) any one from

• absorbs light or Sun’s energy

accept ‘traps or catches light’
do not accept ‘it attracts light’

• photosynthesis
accept ‘it makes food or glucose or sugar
or starch or carbohydrate’
‘it produces oxygen’ is insufficient
1 (L6)

(iii) any one from

• gives the cell its shape

‘it protects the cell’ is insufficient

• supports the cell

1 (L6)

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 (c) any two from

• cell wall
accept ‘wall’

• vacuole

• chloroplast
2 (L6)

(d) •
photosynthesis respiration

if all four answers are correct, award two marks

if two or three answers are correct, award one mark
if more than one box is ticked in any row, do not credit that
row
2 (L6)
[8]

Q5.
(a) any one from

• for transport or for blood or plasma

accept ‘it stops cells becoming dehydrated’
‘it stops the body becoming dehydrated’
or ‘it keeps us hydrated’ are insufficient

• it is needed for sweat or for cooling

• for tears

• it is a solvent

• for getting rid of waste

• it is needed for gas exchange

• it is a lubricant

• it is part of the cytoplasm

accept ‘allows chemical reactions to take place’
accept ‘for digestion’
1 (L7)

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 (b) any two from

• white blood cells

• (produce) antibodies or antitoxins

• prevent further infections or destroy the toxin or poison

accept ‘destroy or kill the bacteria’
2 (L7)

(c) (i) any one from

• so that the patient does not get cholera

accept ‘the person might die’

• so the poison does not prevent the large intestine from

absorbing water
accept ‘intestine’ for large intestine
do not accept ‘small intestine’
1 (L7)

(ii) any one from

• no need for injections

• some people are afraid of needles

accept ‘it does not hurt’

• less or no risk of infection

do not accept ‘so they can be vaccinated against several
diseases’
1 (L7)
[5]

Q6.
(a) any two from

• they contain weakened viruses

• the body makes antibodies

accept ‘the body makes antitoxins’

• antibodies kill or destroy healthy viruses

accept ‘antibodies destroy new infections’
2

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 (b) any one from

• it does not produce the right antibodies

accept ‘it makes the wrong antibodies’

• antibodies only kill one type of virus

• antibodies only work on the right proteins

accept ‘the old antibodies do not recognise the new viruses’
do not accept ‘vaccines only work on one type of virus’
1
[3]

Q7.
(a) 5 2 1 4
1

(b) any two from

• they reproduce rapidly

• they are easy to culture

• they contain plasmids

• they reproduce asexually or clone

or produce genetically identical populations
accept ‘easy to grow’
2
[3]

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