TOPIC 3 - VOICE OF THE GENOME

Q1. The electronmicrograph below shows part of a cell.

(a) (i) Give one piece of evidence that this is a eukaryotic cell.

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(ii) Name one type of organism that is a prokaryotic cell.

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(1)

(b) (i) Name the structure labelled A.

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(ii) State the function of the structure labelled A.

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(c) Name the parts of the mitochondrion labelled B and C.

B ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

C ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
(2)

Total 6 marks
Q2. The table below refers to some features of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

Complete the table by writing a tick if the feature is present or a cross if the feature is absent.
Do not leave any boxes empty. The first line has been done for you.

Prokaryotic cell Eukaryotic cell

Ribosomes present

Cell diameter usually

more than 2O µm

Cells may contain

plasmids

DNA combined with

protein into
chromosomes

Nuclear membranes
present

Cell wall always

present

(5)

Total 5 marks

Q3. The diagram below shows part of a cell as it might appear in an electronmicrograph.
(a) (i) Identify the organelle labelled A.

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(b) (ii) Identify the structure labelled B.

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(iii) Name the process which is taking place at C.

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(b) Use the information in the diagram to suggest the specialised function of this cell.

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(c) When a human sperm makes contact with an ovum, the acrosome of the sperm breaks
open. This opens a way through the jelly surrounding the ovum allowing the male nucleus to
enter.

(i) What substances does the acrosome release?

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(1)

(ii) Describe how these substances get into the acrosome from their site of production.

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Total 8 marks
Q4. (a) Identify the organelles (structures inside a cell) which fit the descriptions given in the
table below. The first one has been done for you.

(5)

(b) Give two ways in which the structure of a prokaryotic cell differs from a eukaryotic
cell.

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Total 7 marks
Q5 (a) Describe two features of a human sperm cell and explain how they allow it to carry out
its
role in fertilisation.

Feature 1 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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Explanation ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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Feature 1 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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Explanation ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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(b) Name the type of nuclear division by which sperm cells are produced, and which
introduces variation through random assortment.

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(c) In his lifetime a man produces many millions of sperm cells and yet he is most unlikely to
have more than ten children. Suggest a biological advantage of producing such vast numbers
of sperms.

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Total 7 marks
Q6. Read through the following account relating to sexual reproduction. Write on each dotted line the
most appropriate word to complete the account.

A sperm is produced by a special kind of nuclear division called ……………………………………...

In this type of division the chromosome number of the normal body cell is …………………………………

The chromosomes are ………………………….……….. assorted which increases genetic variation.

A sperm can only fertilise an egg by penetrating the jelly surrounding the egg membrane. The

head of the sperm releases ……………………………………… which allow the sperm to reach the egg

membrane. This process is called the ………………………………….. reaction. Fertilisation produces a

diploid cell called a ……………………………… which divides by …………………………………… to form an embryo.

Total 7 marks

Q7 (a) The photomicrograph below shows cells undergoing mitosis in a root tip.

(i) Name the stage of mitosis shown by the cell labelled X.

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(ii) Explain why the cells labelled Y are smaller than cell X.

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(iii) Suggest why so few of the cells in the photograph are at the same stage of mitosis as cell X.

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(iv) Suggest why no chromosomes are visible in some of the cells.

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(b) (i) Describe what is meant by the term DNA replication.

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(ii) At what stage of the cell cycle does DNA replication take place?

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(c) Diagram A below shows the chromosomes in a cell in an early stage of meiosis.

Complete diagram B to show the chromosomes of one of the cells that will be produced
when meiosis of the cell in diagram A is complete.

(2)

Total 9 marks
Q8 The diagrams below show cells from a garlic plant at five different stages of mitosis as seen using
a light microscope. These stages are in the wrong order.

A B C D E

(a) Give the correct order in which the five stages take place by using the letters A—E.

1st stage …………… 2nd stage …………… 3rd stage ……………

4th stage …………… 5th stage …………… (2)

(b) (i) Name the part of a garlic plant which is used to prepare a slide showing
the stages of mitosis.

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(ii) Name a stain which is used to make the chromosomes easy to see.

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(c) Name the process which must occur in the genetic material before the chromosomes
become visible.

(i) Name of the process ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… (1)

(ii) State what happens to the genetic material during this process.

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Total 6 marks
Q9 (a) The diagram below shows the results of two different types of cell division, A and B, in
an
animal cell with six chromosomes.

Name the types of cell division indicated by A and B.

A ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

B …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… (2)

(b) The diagram below shows the fusion of two gametes.

(i) Name the process by which gametes fuse.

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(ii) Name the type of cell formed by this process.

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(c) Explain how a cancer arises in lung tissue through the effects of smoking.

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(d) The diagram below shows a sperm cell.

Name the organelles labelled X, Y and Z.

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Z ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… (3)

Total 10 marks
Q10 (a) A person who has Type 1 diabetes cannot make enough of the hormone insulin. This is
because the beta cells in the pancreas have been destroyed by the immune system. It is
possible that, in the future, we will be able to replace beta cells with ones produced from
embryonic stem cells.

(i) Explain what is meant by embryonic stem cells.

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(ii) Explain how stem cells might provide a way of obtaining beta cells.

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(b) Some people object to the use of embryonic stem cells and consider it to be ethically
wrong.
State whether you are for or against stem cell research.

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Give reasons for your choice.

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(c) The occurrence of Type 1 diabetes is more common in some families than others,
through many generations even if the members of the family now live in different parts of
the world. In pairs of identical twins one twin may develop the condition and the other may
not.

Explain what the information above tells you about the causes of Type 1 diabetes.

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Total 7 marks
Q11 When a spinal injury occurs, many neurones (nerve cells) die and cannot be replaced naturally by
the body. Researchers at the Washington University Medical School in St Louis (USA) have
reported that the injection of embryonic stem cells into damaged spinal cords of rats could
enable recovery to take place.

(a) Explain why embryonic stem cells can be used to provide replacement neurones when
most other cells cannot.

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(b) The research on rats might suggest that a similar treatment could be applied to humans
who are suffering the effects of severe spinal injury. Suggest why the use of such a
procedure would be controversial.

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Total 7 marks
Q12 The enzyme β-galactosidase catalyses the hydrolysis of the sugar lactose to its constituent
sugars glucose and galactose. It also catalyses the breakdown of a colourless synthetic substance
known as ONPG to a yellow substance called ONP.

(a) An experiment was carried out to investigate the activity of β-galactosidase in bacterial cells.

A culture of Escherichia coli in nutrient broth was divided into two subcultures, A and B.
These subcultures were treated in two different ways.

Three test tubes were then set up, each containing 1 cm3 ONPG and 5 cm3 of buffer. Five drops
of methylbenzene, which breaks open bacterial cells, were also added to each tube. 1 cm3 of
culture A was placed in the first tube, 1 cm3 of culture B in the second, and 1 cm3 of sterile
broth in the third.

The tubes were incubated in a water bath at 35 °C for the same length of time. The results are
shown below.

(i) What was the purpose of the buffer in the experiment?

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(ii) Use your knowledge of the control of gene expression to provide an explanation for
the results of this experiment.

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(b) A further experiment was carried out to find the optimum temperature for the
breakdown of ONPG by β-galactosidase.

Explain how the experiment could be designed to allow accurate quantitative

comparisons of the rate of this reaction at different temperatures.

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Total 9 marks
Q13 Human skin colour is controlled by genetic and environmental factors. When the skin is exposed to
sunshine it can respond as shown below,

(a) Melanin is formed from amino acids. State the part of the cell where amino acids are joined
together.

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(b) Explain how human skin becomes darker when exposed to ultraviolet radiation in
sunlight.

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(c) Some people’s skin does not go brown when they sunbathe, even if they do not use any
barrier cream. Their skin quickly becomes red and sore when exposed to sunlight, because
they are unable to produce melanin. Suggest two possible reasons for this lack of melanin
production.

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(d) Melanin helps to reduce the incidence of skin cancer.

(i) Suggest where in a skin cell melanosomes are likely to be found in the greatest numbers.

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(ii) Suggest how melanin reduces the chance of skin cells becoming cancerous.

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Total 8 marks
Q14 A newspaper recently published the following report:

‘Scientists find gene to halt ovarian cancer’

A gene that can stop the development of cancer of the ovary has been identified. This
gene acts as a tumour suppressor. If the gene is switched off then a tumour develops.
Scientists have switched the gene back on in mice and the cancer cells stopped
developing.

Scientists hope to be able to find a drug to turn this gene back on. This could provide a
means of treating ovarian cancer in humans.

(a) Suggest how a tumour could develop in ovarian tissue.

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(b) In the fixture, it may be possible to treat ovarian cancer by transplanting healthy stem
cells into a diseased ovary. Some people think that stem cell research should not be carried
out.

State whether you are for or against the use of stem cells to treat ovarian cancer.

For or against? ……………………………………..

Present an argument to explain why you hold this point of view (for or against) using
your biological knowledge of stem cell research and the ethical issues connected with it.

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Total 5 marks
Q16 (a) Describe what is meant by cancer.

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(b) Explain why lung cancer frequently develops in people in the U.K.

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Total 6 marks