BANGALORE SAHODAYA SCHOOLS COMPLEX ASSOCIATION (BSSCA)

PRE-BOARD EXAMINATION (2023-2024)

CLASS: XII
DATE: 13.12.2023 MAX. MARKS: 70
SUBJECT: BIOLOGY (CODE 044) TIME: 3 HOURS
SET 2 - MARKING SCHEME

General Instructions:
i. All questions are compulsory.
ii. The question paper has five sections and 33 questions. All questions are compulsory.
iii. Section–A has 16 questions of 1 mark each; Section–B has 5 questions of 2 marks each; Section– C has 7
questions of 3 marks each; Section– D has 2 case-based questions of 4 marks each; and
Section–E has 3 questions of 5 marks each.
iv. There is no overall choice. However, internal choices have been provided in some questions. A
student has to attempt only one of the alternatives in such questions.
v. Wherever necessary, neat and properly labelled diagrams should be drawn.

Q.
Answer Marks
No
1 a. Commelina 1

2 c. Pea 1

3 c. G+C/A+T 1

4 d. (i) and (iv) 1

5 c. 0.6 1

6 d. Discontinuous variations. 1

7 c. 2:2 1

8 a. 3’-5’ phosphodiester bond 1

b. T F F T
9 1
c. Retrovirus
10 1
d. Parents are heterozygous
11 1
d. GrassFrogVulture
12 1

13 c 1

14 a 1

15 c 1

16 a 1

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 Progestogens alone or in combination with estrogen can also be used by females as injections 1
or implants under the skin.
17 Their effective periods are much longer and are very effective as emergency contraceptives as
1
they could be used to avoid possible pregnancy due to rape or casual unprotected intercourse

a) In A, memory cells "remember" the pathogen, so if the person is exposed to the same
pathogen in the future, the immune response is much quicker and more effective. This
results in long-lasting immunity- passive immunity provides immediate protection
1
because it introduces ready-made antibodies, it does not stimulate the recipient's immune
system to develop memory cells. As a result, there is no long-term immune memory, and
the protection is temporary-
18
b) A booster dose for polio is necessary to maintain long-term immunity and ensure
continued protection against the poliovirus. –
Herd immunity occurs when a sufficiently high percentage of the population is immune to
1
a disease, making it less likely to spread within the community. Booster doses help ensure
that immunity is sustained at a level that protects those who may not have been effectively
immunized in previous rounds of vaccination-

Acts at Leydig cells and stimulates secretion of

Luteinizing hormone (LH)
19 androgen. ½ X4=2

Acts on Sertoli cells and stimulates factors which are

Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
involved in spermatogenesis.

a. Adding an exonuclease to the tube containing the rDNA will not affect further steps of
this technology. Recombinant DNA is circular with no free ends; hence exonuclease
cannot cleave this kind of DNA. 1
b. Endonuclease: These enzymes cleave the phosphodiester bonds within a nucleic acid
20 strand internally, meaning they break the bonds at sites within the molecule, not at the
ends.
Exonuclease: Exonucleases cleave the phosphodiester bonds at the ends of a nucleic ½ X2=1
acid strand, which means they remove nucleotides one by one from the end of the
molecule.

a)

21
1

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 b)
1

OR

NPP=GPP-R 1X2=2
38,000 - 13,500 = 24,500 kcal/m 2

SECTION C
Any 3 ARTs out of 5 ART’s given below with explanation.

22 1. In vitro fertilization (IVF)

2. Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) 1X3=3
3. Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT)
4. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
5. Artificial insemination

Any 4
labellings
½ x4=2
23
Neatness of
the diagram

1m

Convergent evolution is the process whereby organisms not closely related, independently evolve
similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches. Convergent 1
24 evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the
last common ancestor of those groups. Any example with suitable explanation 2

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 a) In the given piece of DNA, the total number of bases adenine, thymine, cytosine and
guanine is 3.2kbp which is equal to 3200 base pairs. 2
The number of cystosines will be 780 bps.
Formula for Chargoff’s base rule
25
Calculation
b) DNA polymerase is highly specific to recognise only deoxy ribonucleoside triphosphates. 1
Therefore it cannot hold RNA nucleotides-

a) Species specific and Narrow spectrum – ½ X2=1

b) a method of agricultural production that excludes the use of synthetic substances,
such as pesticides, synthetic medicines or fertilisers, and genetically modified 1
organisms-
26 c) There is a switch over to organic farming because of the increased soil fertility for a long
time without harming the environment. It also controls diseases and pests, and the damage 1
observed in cultivation by the use of synthetic chemicals is also prevented through this
method of farming-
Bacillus thuringiensis – 1
Flowchart including the following steps –
2
 Bt gene forms protein crystals that contain a toxin insecticidal protein.
 It is in an inactive state.
 The inactive toxin is converted into active form due to the alkaline pH of the gut which
solubilizes the crystal.
 Activated Bt-toxin binds to the surface of midgut epithelial cells and creates pores that
cause cell swelling and lysis. It finally leads to the death of the insect.

OR
27
 A nematode Meloidogyne incognita infects the roots of tobacco plants which reduces the
production of tobacco.
 The infection can be prevented using the RNA interference (RNAi) process which is 3
checked by silencing of specific mRNA due to a complementary ds RNA.
 The ds RNA binds and prevents translation of the mRNA.
 By using Agrobacterium vectors, nematode-specific genes were introduced into the host
plants which produce both sense and antisense RNA in the host cells. These two RNAs
are complementary to each other and form a double-stranded RNA (ds RNA) that initiates
RNAi and hence, silences the specific mRNA of the nematode. The parasite cannot
survive in a transgenic host and so, prevents the plants from pests.

(a) Graphs which represent tropical region are : 2

Dec 22  X
June 22  Y
The temperate regions are depicted by graphs:
June 22  X
28 Dec 22  Y
1
(b) The tropical region will show high biological diversity. This is because it produces
more solar radiations than temperate zones, and they have a stable climate and few
seasonal changes. This encourages more productivity and hence more species richness,
leading to higher biological diversity.

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 a. Gel electrophpresis, it is a separation technique- 1
b. DNA is negatively charged because of the presence of phosphate groups in nucleotides.
The phosphate backbone of DNA is negatively charged, which is due to the presence of 1
bonds created between the phosphorus and oxygen atoms.
29 c. Seaweeds, Sieving effect-
OR

c. Electric current influences DNA fragments to move, Ethidium Bromide helps to visualize
DNA fragments- 2
a. Carrying capacity - the maximum number of individuals of a population, a location can
accommodate after which the growth in of the population stabilizes.
b. A decrease in the availability of food, water, and shelter, more competition – 1

c. Carrying capacity can be increased by the amount of food available, the local extinction of 1
30 a competitor, an increase in species fertility, a decrease in predation, an increase in

OR
c. It may be because of the availability of sufficient phytoplanktons/and or less number of 2
individuals of the fish species -
a. artificial hybridization definition – 1
including the following key terms-collection of pollen, emasculation, bagging, fertilization 2
The central cell after triple fusion becomes the primary endosperm cell (PEC) and develops
into the endosperm which is triploid nutritive tissue. In albuminous seed the endosperm
persists even at maturity as developing embryo does not consume it as in maize
In non-albuminous seed the endosperm is completely consumed by the developing embryo.
So, endosperm is not present at maturity as in Groundnut- 2
31 OR
a) Endothecium- ½
b) Tapetum- ½
c) Sporogenous tissue – ½
Diagrammatic representation of microsporogenesis- Key words- MMC, Meiosis,
microspore dyad, microspore tetrad, pollen grain, nucleus undergoing division in pollen ½ X7= 3½
grain, germinated pollen grain 3 celled stage-

a) AaBb X aabb ½
Gametes: AB,Ab,aB,ab X ab ½
Offspring: 1

Male/female AB Ab aB ab
ab AaBb Aabb aaBb aabb
Genotype and Big ears and Big ears and Small ears Small ears and
phenotype bulgy eyes normal eyes and bulgy normal eyes
eyes
32
Ratio
1:1:1:1 Genotype 1
1
Phenotype

b) As the parental combination is more compared to the recombinants, we can conclude 1

that A and B genes are linked and distance between them is less so the recombinant
percentage is relatively very less.

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 OR

P generation - genotype , phenotype – ½

32 Gametes – ½
Punnet square- 2
%Genotype of offspring- 1
%Phenotype of offspring- 1

AIDS ½
HIV ½
Diagrammatic representation 4
OR
33
a. Any 3 health damages caused by drugs with meaningful explanation 3
b. Cannabinoids- 1
c. Inhalation and ingestion 1

F1 generation: RrUu, rrUU, rrUu, RrUU

25% : 25%: 25%: 25%
Ratios
 genotype: 1: 1: 1: 1 ...(from punnet square)
 phenotype: 1:1

Explanation:

Punnett squares are a diagrammatic way of deciding the characteristics of hybrid offspring
created by crosses in genetic breeding. Parental genotypes and phenotypes are widely
recognized, and all usually obey normal Mendelian ratios and inheritance.

Mendelian genetics focuses on the origin or heritability of characteristics. Such traits are packed
into one's own gamete, acquired by themselves, and sometimes display superiority, where one's
impact can mask those of another trait.
These are called the Law of Segregation, Independent assortment and Dominance respectively.

For this cross... Assuming:

Unattached lobes= dominant
 Rolling tongue= dominant
 Parent generation or P generation:

Gametes:
R → rolling dominant (R), non-rolling recessive (r)
6 | P a g(u)e
U → unattached dominant (U), attached recessive
P generation: RUrU× rUru
rolling, unattached × non-rolling, unattached
F1 generation: RrUu, rrUU, rrUu, RrUU