DEPARTMENT FOR CURRICULUM,

LIFELONG LEARNING AND EMPLOYABILITY

Directorate for Learning and Assessment Programmes
Educational Assessment Unit
Annual Examinations for Secondary Schools 2023

YEAR 10 BIOLOGY TIME: 2 hours

Name: _____________________________________ Class: _______________

Students need foolscaps and graph paper to answer questions in Section B.

Section A Section B
Question
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5

Max.
10 10 9 11 7 8 15 15 15 15 15
mark

TOTAL
Actual MARK
mark

85% Theory Paper 15% Practical Final Score

Biology – Year 10 – 2023 Page 1 of 12

Section A: Answer all questions in this section. This section carries 55 marks.

1. A student investigated the effect of protease on egg white suspension. This

enzyme is normally found in the stomach to digest protein.

The student set up four boiling tubes as shown in Table 1 and put them in
a water bath at 37˚C.

Tube A Tube B Tube C Tube D

Egg white Egg white Egg white Egg white

Boiled protease Protease Water Protease

HCl* HCl* HCl* Water

Table 1

*HCl is hydrochloric acid

At the start of the investigation the contents of the tubes looked cloudy due
to the egg white suspension.

The student observed the tubes at regular time intervals. The suspension
went clear when the protein had been digested. The contents of only one
boiling tube turned clear by the end of the experiment.

a. List two variables that the student had to control during the investigation.
(2)

____________________________________________________________

b. Explain why the tube contents became clear when the protein had been
digested. (1)

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

c. i. Identify the boiling tube in which protein had been completely

digested. (1)

________________________________________________________

ii. Write down the observation recorded for boiling Tube D. (1)

________________________________________________________

Explain this result. (1)

________________________________________________________

iii. Account for the effect of boiling in Tube A. (2)

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Page 2 of 12 Biology – Year 10 – 2023

d. A tube identical to the one identified in c.i. was set up and kept at 10˚C.

i. In what way will the temperature affect the result obtained? (1)

________________________________________________________

ii. Explain. (1)

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

10 marks

2. Figure 1 below shows a cross section through a leaf. The adaptations of

the specialised cells are not shown.

A
B E

C
F

Figure 1

a. Write a word equation for photosynthesis. (2)

____________________________________________________________

b. Write the letter of the cell / structure that is:

i. waterproof and protects the leaf. ___________________________ (1)

ii. responsible for the transport of water and nutrients in the plant. (1)

________________________________________________________

c. Name cells labelled:

i. C ________________________________________________________ (1)

ii. D ________________________________________________________ (1)

Biology – Year 10 – 2023 Page 3 of 12

d. Describe the adaptations that enable the following cells to efficiently carry
out their functions. Include the importance of these adaptations: (2, 2)

i. B __________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

ii. E __________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________
10 marks

3. Figure 2 shows a section through the stem of a dicot plant.

Figure 2
a. Use the letters in the brackets to label the following structures on Figure 2:

i. Xylem (X) (1)

ii. Phloem (P) (1)

b. List three adaptations of xylem vessels that make them well adapted to
their function. (3)

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

c. Define translocation. (2)

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

d. Aphids are very tiny parasites. They are found in huge numbers, feeding
from the phloem of tender buds and leaves of plants.

i. Underline one substance, from the list below,

that the aphids will obtain from the plant. (1)

Water Mineral salts

Sucrose Amino acids

Page 4 of 12 Biology – Year 10 – 2023

 ii. Give a reason for your answer to d.i. (1)

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________
9 marks

4. During a P.E. lesson, Alec and Tom investigate the effect of exercise on
their heart rate. Alec who trains regularly started a training session. The
graph below (Figure 3) shows how his heart rate varied with time before,
during and after exercise.

Figure 3: Graph of Alec's changing heart rate with time

a. Use the graph to:

i. state Alec’s resting heart rate (include units); (1)

________________________________________________________

ii. predict the time when the exercise started. (1)

________________________________________________________

b. Explain why Alec’s heart rate increased during exercise. (3)

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

c. Explain why the heart rate does not return to its resting value as soon as
the training session stops. (3)

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Biology – Year 10 – 2023 Page 5 of 12

d. Tom prefers to spend his free time reading books or watching the T.V. List
three ways how Tom’s graph will differ from that of Alec when his results
are plotted. (3)

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________
11 marks

5. A group of friends went for a holiday on the Alps. They were to spend 10
days walking at an altitude of around 4000 m. At first their breathing rate
seemed faster than usual, and they felt quite breathless because of the
lower levels of oxygen in the atmosphere at that altitude. However, they
felt better after a few days and were able to keep walking at their usual
pace.

a. i. Name the gas exchange surface in the lungs. (1)

________________________________________________________

ii. List two adaptations of this gas exchange surface. (2)

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

b. Explain why they no longer felt breathless after a few days. (1)

____________________________________________________________

c. Name the type of blood vessels that allow exchange of gases, nutrients and
wastes across their walls. (1)

____________________________________________________________

d. One member of the group fell and bruised her knees. At first, she lost a lot
of blood, but the wound eventually healed.

i. Name the type of blood cells responsible for healing the wound. (1)

________________________________________________________

ii. List one other role of the scab besides preventing further loss of
blood. (1)

________________________________________________________
7 marks

6a. i. Name the two parts of the digestive system where carbohydrate
digestion takes place. (1)

________________________________________________________

ii. Name the building blocks of carbohydrates. (1)

________________________________________________________
Page 6 of 12 Biology – Year 10 – 2023
 iii. Name the carbohydrate that gives a positive test with iodine. (1)

________________________________________________________

iv. Benedict’s reagent is used to test for the presence of other

carbohydrates. Describe a positive result. (1)

________________________________________________________

b. Different types of teeth are found in the mouth to help in the formation of a
soft bolus that is easy to swallow.

i. Describe the function of molars and premolars. (1)

________________________________________________________

ii. List two adaptations of a herbivore’s dentition to its diet. (1)

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

c. i. Give the name of the liquid stored in the gall bladder. (1)

________________________________________________________

ii. Describe the function of the liquid named in c.i. (1)

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________
8 marks

Section B: Answer any three questions on the A4 paper provided. Each

question carries 15 marks. This section carries 45 marks.

1. Read the text below and then answer the questions.

Plant-based Meat: Making the grade?

It was never my mission to exalt vegetables. I was a nose-to-tail carnivore until

a high cholesterol diagnosis led me to embrace a plant-dominant diet.

Incredible. Awesome … These and other superlatives describe these products.

And yet, my singular question about each new product is always the same: Well,
what does that taste like? Does it .. taste like meat?

Quite often it does. These new foods are engineered to mimic meat, designed to
match its distinct chewiness, bloodiness and umami flavour. …

Meat is something special … we now eat more meat than ever before .. (even if
a) .. single hamburger is by all measures an unsustainable product, requiring
660 gallons of water to produce, including lettuce, tomato and a bun.

(On the other hand) .. consider that when we talk of pea protein inside any
popular plant burger, it’s not made from garden fresh green peas but from an
ingredient many Americans ignore in the grocery’s ethnic foods aisle.

Biology – Year 10 – 2023 Page 7 of 12

Repackaging these staple proteins as “meat” is more than a hot business trend.
… Standing in my backyard with a bottle of beer in my hand and a (plant based)
burger on the grill, I feel a certain satisfaction. I am reaching my own manifest
destiny as a suburban American man, all while dodging the guilt of greenhouse
gases, animal cruelty, and the damage I’m doing to my own heart.
Adapted from the article by Mark Wilson in National Geographic Vol 11 (2022)

a. Define the term balanced diet. (1)

b. Proteins are an essential component of a balanced diet.

i. List two uses of protein in the body. (2)

ii. Compare the chemical nature of proteins and fats. Describe the main
similarity and differences between them. (1, 2)
iii. Draw a neat diagram to show the shape of a fat molecule and name its
building blocks. (1, 2)

c. Give a biological explanation why the author:

i. decided to embrace a ‘plant dominant diet’ to lower his high blood

cholesterol levels; (2)
ii. no longer feels guilty of damaging his heart. (2)

d. Besides the type of diet, list one other habit that could cause blood
cholesterol levels to increase. (1)

e. This passage may lead one to conclude that plant-based meat products are
‘healthy’ alternatives to meat in a balanced diet. By referring to the
nutrition facts provided in Table 2 below or otherwise, list one reason why
this is incorrect. (1)

Nutritional content per serving (113 g of product)

Type Saturated
of Energy Cholesterol Carbohydrates Protein Sodium
fats
burger

Beef 220 cal 5g 60 mg 0g 23 g 70 mg

Plant
250 cal 8g 0 mg 9g 19 g 370 mg
based

Table 2

15 marks

Page 8 of 12 Biology – Year 10 – 2023

2. A student set up the apparatus shown in Figure 4 to measure the rate of
anaerobic respiration in yeast.

Figure 4

The flask containing yeast and sugar solution with a layer of oil on top was left in
the water bath at 35˚C for 15 minutes. Then, the syringe was connected to the
flask and the volume of gas collected was recorded every 50 seconds for 7.5
minutes.

a. Give one reason why the flask was left in the water bath for 15 minutes
before the syringe was connected to the flask. (1)

b. Name the gas collected in the syringe. (1)

Table 3 shows the results obtained.

Time

seconds 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450

(s)

Volume
of gas 0 1 5 10 22 34 45 47 47 47
(cm3)
Table 3

The student was asked to plot a graph with the independent variable on the
x-axis and the dependent variable on the y-axis using the data obtained.
c. Plot a graph using the data in Table 3 to show what the student’s graph
looks like. Use a ruler to join the plotted points. (5)

d. Calculate the rate of respiration in between 150 and 250 seconds in cm3/s.
(Show your working.) (2)

Biology – Year 10 – 2023 Page 9 of 12

e. i. How long did it take for the yeast to use up all the glucose? (1)
ii. Explain your answer to e.i. (1)
f. The experiment was repeated using a similar setup, but the solution
contained sucrose instead of glucose. The results obtained showed that the
rate of anaerobic respiration is faster in glucose solution.

i. Give one reason for this difference. (1)

ii. List one way how a graph showing the results obtained for the sucrose
solution would be different from the one plotted in c. (1)

g. In particular situations anaerobic respiration can also take place in human

muscle cells.

i. Identify one such particular situation. (1)

ii. Write a word equation to summarise anaerobic respiration in human
muscle cells. (1)
15 marks

3. The information below describes part of a woodland food web.

Nettle plants grow beneath oak trees in the woodland. Huge numbers of
caterpillars can be found feeding on a single oak tree and just as many
aphids feed on a single nettle plant. The aphids are the ladybirds’ prey.
Shrews and blue tits feed on caterpillars. The blue tits feed on ladybirds
too. Badgers predate on the shrews, sparrowhawks feed on blue tits while
owls hunt both shrews and blue tits.

a. Use the information provided to construct a food web. (5)

b. Figure 5 shows three typical pyramids of numbers A, B and C.

B C
A
Figure 5

i. Identify the one which represents a food chain that includes

caterpillars. (1)
ii. Give two reasons for your choice in b.i. (2)

c. From the food web drawn in a. name:

i. An autotroph; (1)
ii. A primary consumer. (1)

Page 10 of 12 Biology – Year 10 – 2023

d. During a particular year, the number of sparrowhawks in the area
decreased drastically due to illegal bird hunting activities.
Describe, giving reasons the likely effect, this would have on the
populations of:
i. Bluetits; (2)
ii. Shrews. (2)

e. Explain why food chains and food webs hardly ever have more than four
trophic levels. (1)
15 marks

4. On a typical day, a human loses 2500 cm3 of water. Table 4 shows the
amounts lost from different parts of the body.

Source Volume per day

(cm3)

lungs ____

urine 1500

faeces 150

skin 500
Table 4
a. Calculate the:
i. amount of water lost from the lungs (include units); (1)
ii. percentage water lost as urine. (1)

b. On a cold December day, Gina drinks a lot of water.

i. List two effects this has on the urine expelled from Gina’s body. (2)
ii. Name the hormone responsible for the changes listed in b.i. (1)
iii. Name the part of the nephron that is affected by the hormone
identified in b.ii. (1)
iv. Name the structure where urine is stored before being expelled
from the body. (1)

c. Define the following terms and name the parts of the nephron where
they take place:
i. Ultrafiltration; (2, 1)
ii. Selective reabsorption. (2, 1)
d. One of the waste products eliminated in urine is produced in the liver.

i. Name this waste product. (1)

ii. Name the process that gives rise to the waste product named in d.i.
(1)
15 marks
Biology – Year 10 – 2023 Page 11 of 12
5. Figure 6 is a simple representation of the human circulatory system. Some
of the structures are labelled A to L. The arrows show the direction of blood
flow.

Figure 6

a. Name organ A. (1)

b. i. Name the part of the heart labelled C. (1)

ii. What type of blood is found in part C of the heart? (1)
iii. Explain why the walls of parts J and C are of different thicknesses. (2)
iv. List one other heart adaptation and its function, that helps it pump
blood efficiently, besides the one mentioned in b.iii. (2)

c. Give the letter of the:

i. vein that carries oxygenated blood; (1)
ii. blood vessel with the highest blood pressure. (1)

d. i. Suggest why in a healthy person, the hepatic portal vein carries blood
whose concentration of glucose and amino acids may be higher or
lower than normal. (2)
ii. Name the hormone that helps to lower high blood glucose levels. (1)
iii. Name the organ that produces the hormone named in d.ii. (1)

e. Distinguish by giving two structural differences between arteries and veins.

(2)
15 marks

Page 12 of 12 Biology – Year 10 – 2023