INTERACTIVE%20MULTIPLE%20%20%20%20CHOICE%20QUESTIONS

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INTERACTIVE MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS Test
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The answers are provided, but so also are
explanations of why the alternatives are
unsatisfactory
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These multiple choice questions are similar to
the ones set by the GCSE and IGCSE Examination
Boards except that, in some cases, there may be
more than one acceptable answer. For this
reason, even if you select a correct answer at
your first attempt, it is worth looking at all
the alternatives (a) to see if there is a
better answer and
(b) to see why some of the alternatives
are unacceptable.
Question 1
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Question 1
A male heterozygous black mouse (Bb) is mated
with a female heterozygous black mouse (Bb) and
the litter consists of 12 pups. B is the allele
for the black colour. The allele for brown colour
is b. The dominant allele is B .
Which of these ratios is closest to the expected
ratio for the distribution of colour among the
offspring?
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Not very close
From the Punnett square you can see that the
expected ratio is 3 black (BB or Bb) to 1 brown
(bb)
These are only the chance combinations. It would
be possible to produce 12 black pups, since
black is the dominant allele but this is not
close to the expected ratio
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Not very close
From the Punnett square you can see that the
expected ratio is 3 black (BB or Bb) to 1 brown
(bb)
These are only the chance combinations. It would
be possible to produce 6 black and 6 brown pups
but this is not very close to the expected ratio
of 93
6
Close but .
From the Punnett square you can see that the
expected ratio is 3 black (BB or Bb) to 1 brown
(bb)
These are only the chance combinations.
A combination of 4 black to 8 brown is
close to the expected ratio of 39 but since
black is the dominant allele it seems to be the
wrong way round
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The closest
From the Punnett square you can see that the
expected ratio is 3 black (BB or Bb) to 1 brown
(bb)
These are only the chance combinations.
A combination of 8 black to 4 brown is
closest to the expected ratio of 93 so this
would be the most likely outcome
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Question 2
Which of the following gases are the cause of
acid rain?
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No
Carbon dioxide does dissolve in rain to form a
weak solution of carbonic acid (H2CO3) but this
is normal and does not contribute to what is
known as acid rain. However it is thought to be
making the ocean more acid and this is a cause
for concern
10
No
Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas but does not
contribute to acid rain
11
Yes
Oxides of nitrogen dissolve in rain water to form
nitric acid which is very harmful to lakes and
land plants
12
Yes
Sulphur dioxide dissolves in water to form,
eventually, sulphuric acid. This damages lakes
and land plants
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Question 3
Asexual reproduction in plants
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No
Self-fertilisation is one type of sexual
reproduction
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Yes
Asexual reproduction does maintain the parental
characteristics in all the offspring. This is
particularly valuable in horticulture for
retaining the desirable characteristics of a
plant.
16
No
Asexual reproduction does not result in variation
among the offspring
17
No
Asexual reproduction does not result in
dispersal. Plants produced by asexual
reproduction usually grow in clumps or colonies
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Question 4
A mothers blood group is A. The fathers blood
group is AB. Which of the following blood groups
could appear in their children?
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Yes
The mothers genotype could be IaIa or IaIo The
fathers genotype can only be IaIb
Their childs genome could therefore include
IaIa, IaIo, IaIb or IbIo
The first two of these would be expressed as
group A because Ia is dominant to Io
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Yes
The mothers genotype could be IaIa or IaIo The
fathers genotype can only be IaIb
Their childs genome could therefore include
IaIa, IaIo, IaIb or IbIo
IbIo would be expressed as group B because Ib is
dominant to Io
21
Yes
The mothers genotype could be IaIa or IaIo The
fathers genotype can only be IaIb
Their childs genome could therefore include
IaIa, IaIo, IaIb or IbIo
In the the combination IaIb the alleles are
codominant and would be expressed as group AB

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No
The mothers genotype could be IaIa or IaIo The
fathers genotype can only be IaIb
Their childs genome could therefore include
IaIa, IaIo, IaIb or IbIo
The combination IoIo could not arise
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Question 5
Ranunculus bulbosus is
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No
The genus is Ranunculus. This is the genus which
includes the buttercups
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Yes
The use of the binomial name indicates that
Ranunculus bulbosus is a species (the bulbous
buttercup).
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No
The class would be flowering plants
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No
The family would be Ranunculaceae which includes
clematis, anemone, water lily as well as
buttercup.
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Question 6
Sunflower seedlings with straight shoots are
placed on a window sill. After a period of
several hours, the growing parts of the stems
have turned through 30o and are now growing
towards the window. This is an example of
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This is certainly a response (growth movement) to
a stimulus (light from one side) but it is
possible to be more precise
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No
Negative phototropism implies a growth movement
away from the light source
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Yes
This is an example of positive phototropism,
a growth movement (response) towards the light
source (the stimulus)
32
No
Geotropism refers to a response to gravity acting
on one side of the plant.
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Question 7
Which of these processes increase the
concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
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Yes
Aerobic respiration involves the oxidation of
carbohydrates with the production of carbon
dioxide.
For example C6H12O6 6O2 6CO2
6H2O
Anaerobic respiration involves the breakdown of
carbohydrates with the production of carbon
dioxide and products such as alcohol or pyruvic
and lactic acids.
For example C6H12O6 2CO2 2C2H5OH
alcohol
35
No
Photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere.
6CO2 6H2O C6H12O6 6O2
glucose
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Yes
When carbon-containing substances burn, the
carbon combines with oxygen to produce carbon
dioxide
C O2 CO2
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Yes
Organic compounds all contain carbon. When these
decay, they release carbon dioxide. (In the
absence of oxygen, decay may result in the
production of methane).
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Question 8
In the growth of a plant cell, what causes the
cell to increase in size?
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Yes.
The vacuole absorbs water by osmosis and pushes
the cell wall outwards while it is still plastic
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No
Division of the nucleus precedes cell division
but does not increase the size of cells
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No
A new cell wall is formed before cell expansion
takes place, but the cell wall remains plastic
till expansion is complete
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No
In the course of cell division, new cytoplasm is
formed but this precedes any cell enlargement.
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Question 9
Which of these alternatives is the correct
sequence of events when we breathe in?
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No
Air cannot enter the lungs unless they are first
made to expand
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Partly right
The movement of the rib cage does draw air into
the lungs but this is not the main force
responsible
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No.
If the ribs are pulled downwards, this will
reduce the volume of the thorax and counteract
the effect of the diaphragm
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Yes
These two movements increase the volume of the
thorax and cause air to be drawn into the lungs.
The rib movements do not usually come into play
except for deep breathing as in taking exercise.
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Question 10
In the process of active transport, substances
move into a cell
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No
Osmosis refers only to the diffusion of water
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No.
Substances can enter the cell by diffusion but
this is not active transport
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Yes
Active transport enables a cell to take up
substances against a diffusion gradient. This
requires the expenditure of energy.
52
No
Substances could enter a cell by diffusion down a
diffusion gradient but this is not active
transport
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Question 11
Tooth decay is caused principally by
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No
Plaque is a coating which forms round the teeth.
It contains bacteria but the plaque itself is not
responsible for tooth decay
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No
Regular brushing does help to remove plaque and
the bacteria it contains, but failure to brush
regularly is not itself a cause of decay.
The principal value of brushing is the prevention
of gum disease.
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Yes.
The bacteria flourishing in the plaque release
acids which cause the cavities in the teeth
57
No
The bacteria on the tooth surface metabolise
sugar and produce the acids which cause cavities,
but sugar itself is not a cause of decay.
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Question 12
The cell labelled A is best described as
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No
Cell A is certainly a leaf cell but this is not a
precise enough description
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Yes but .
Cell A is a mesophyll cell but so are all the
cells enclosed by the upper and lower epidermis
(except for the vascular tissue). This is not a
precise enough description
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Yes
Cell A is a palisade cell, or better still, a
palisade mesophyll cell. Most of the
photosynthesis in the leaf takes place in these
cells.
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No
The epidermal cells form the outer layers of the
leaf
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Question 13
Acute shortage of oxygen in lakes and rivers is
caused by
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No
Eutrophication refers to a high level of
nutrients in a body of water. It may cause
excessive algal growth but is not a direct cause
of oxygen depletion
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Yes
The oxygen demand of an excess of decomposing
plant material, e.g. algae, is the immediate
cause of the reduction in the oxygen content of
the water in lakes and rivers. The excess of
plant material is the result of eutrophication

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No
Eutrophication results from high levels of
nitrate and phosphate in the water. But although
this encourages excessive algal growth it does
not inevitably lead to oxygen depletion.
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No
The excessive growth of algae is not itself a
cause of oxygen depletion.
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Question 14
Which of the following statements are correct?
In moving through each
trophic level in a food chain e.g. producers
1st order consumers 2nd order
consumers etc
(a) the number of organisms increases
(b) energy is lost
(c) the number of organisms is reduced
(d) plants are eaten by animals
Question 15
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No
In many cases the number of organisms at each
level decreases
70
Yes
At each trophic level, the organisms lose energy
as a result of their living processes. This means
that less energy is available to the next trophic
level
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Partly correct
The number of organisms at each trophic level
usually decreases but there are exceptions. For
example a single oak tree may support a
population of hundreds of caterpillars. It is the
total biomass which decreases.
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No
At the first trophic level plants may be eaten by
animals but at succesive levels it is a case of
animals eating animals, e.g. barn owls eating
voles.
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Question 15
A student sets up this experiment to investigate
whether germinating seeds take up oxygen. The
experiment is inadequately designed because
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Yes
This is a serious fault in the design. There
should be an identical experiment with dead
seedlings to establish that any oxygen uptake is
the result of a living process in the seedlings
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No
The student might get quicker results if there
were more seedlings but this is not a fault in
the experimental design
76
Yes
Without a any form of temperature control the
apparatus will behave like an air thermometer.
Any change in the temperature will cause the air
in the flask to expand or contract and affect the
level of the liquid in the delivery tube If the
flask was in a container of water, temperature
fluctuations would be very much reduced
77
No
The volume of carbon dioxide given off will be
the same as the volume of oxygen taken up but the
soda lime absorbs the carbon dioxide.
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Question 16
The composition of blood leaving the kidney will
differ from that entering the kidney by having
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No
Respiration in the kidneys will use oxygen and
produce carbon dioxide but urea and salt are
removed by the kidneys
80
Yes
Respiration in the kidneys uses oxygen and
produces carbon dioxide. The energy released is
used to remove urea and excess salt
81
No
Respiration in the kidneys reduces the oxygen
concentration in the blood and increases the
carbon dioxide concentration
82
No
This is mainly correct but the glucose
concentration will not be increased in blood
leaving the kidney. In fact it is likely to be
reduced as a result of respiration
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Question 17
For photosynthesis to take place, a green plant
needs
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Yes
All these are needed for photosynthesis to take
place
85
No
Sunlight is needed for photosynthesis. Minerals
are not needed for photosynthesis itself but are
used to help convert the glucose into other
products
86
No
Oxygen is not needed for photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis produces oxygen Sunlight, however,
is needed
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No
Sunlight is needed for photosynthesis to take
place
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Question 18
Which of the following compounds would you
classify as an enzyme?
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No
The ose ending tells you that the compound is a
sugar
90
Yes
The ase ending indicates that the compound is an
enzyme. This enzyme. sucrase, acts on sucrose and
converts it to glucose and fructose
91
No
Adenine is an organic base. It occurs in DNA and
RNA and a number of other compounds. It is not an
enzyme
92
No
Calciferol is Vitamin D. It is not an enzyme
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Question 19
Which of the following are good sources of
protein?
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Yes.
Herring are an excellent source of protein having
16g protein per 100 g fish. They are also a
valuable source of unsaturated fats and vitamin E
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No
Bananas have only 1g protein per 100g fruit. They
provide mainly carbohydrate
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Yes
Though not as good as herring, baked beans in
tomato sauce provide 6g protein per 100g beans
97
No
Potatoes provide mainly carbohydrate in the form
of starch. They contain only 1.4g protein per
100g potato
98
Question 20
In the nitrogen cycle, the bacteria which can
convert nitrogen in the air into nitrates are
called
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No
Nitrate bacteria convert nitrites in the soil to
nitrates
100
No
Denitrifying bacteria break down nitrates in the
soil and release atmospheric nitrogen
101
No
Nitrite bacteria convert ammonium compounds to
nitrites
102
Yes
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria can use nitrogen in the
air to produce nitrates. These bacteria are found
mostly in the root nodules of plants of the pea
and bean family (leguminous plants)
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