1. Which of the following are connected by hydrogen bonds?

A. Hydrogen to oxygen within a molecule of water

B. Phosphate to sugar in a DNA molecule

C. Base to sugar in a DNA molecule

D. Hydrogen to oxygen between two different molecules of water

(Total 1 mark)

2. The graph below shows the effect of substrate concentration on enzyme activity. What
conclusion can be drawn about section X of the graph?

A. The enzyme has started to denature and the reaction slows down.

B. The reaction has finished and the substrate has been used up.

C. The enzyme is saturated and is working at its maximum reaction rate.

D. Some of the enzyme has been consumed and the reaction has reached a plateau.
(Total 1 mark)
3. Which type of molecule is shown in the diagram below?

A. Peptide

B. Carbohydrate

C. Lipid

D. Nucleic acid
(Total 1 mark)

4. The percentage of thymine in the DNA of an organism is approximately 30%. What is the
percentage of guanine?

A. 70%

B. 30%

C. 40%

D. 20%
(Total 1 mark)
5. What is denaturation?

A. A structural change of a protein that results in the loss of its biological properties

B. A change in the genetic code of an organism

C. A change in the amino acid sequence of a protein causing a disruption of its 3D shape

D. The process by which amino acids are broken down and ammonia is released
(Total 1 mark)

6. How do cells capture the energy released by cell respiration?

A. They store it in molecules of carbon dioxide.

B. They produce glucose.

C. The energy is released as pyruvate.

D. They produce ATP.

(Total 1 mark)

7. What is the source of the oxygen released into the air as a product of photosynthesis?

A. Chlorophyll

B. Carbon dioxide only

C. Water only

D. Both water and carbon dioxide

(Total 1 mark)
8. What property of water makes it a good evaporative coolant?

A. High latent heat of evaporation

B. Relatively low boiling point

C. Volatility

D. Transparency
(Total 1 mark)

9. A number of different proteins are involved in nerve function. Which of the following does
not require a membrane protein?

A. Active transport of sodium

+
B. Diffusion of K into the cell

C. Diffusion of the neurotransmitter across the synapse

D. Binding of the neurotransmitter to the post-synaptic membrane

(Total 1 mark)

10. What is the difference between galactose and lactose?

A. Lactose is a disaccharide and galactose is a monosaccharide.

B. Lactose is the product of anaerobic respiration in humans and galactose is the product
of anaerobic respiration in yeast.

C. Lactose is an enzyme and galactose is a hormone.

D. Galactose is a sugar found in milk but lactose is not found in milk.

(Total 1 mark)
11. Which process produces the most ATP per molecule of glucose?

A. Anaerobic respiration in a yeast cell

B. Aerobic respiration in a bacterial cell

C. Glycolysis in a human liver cell

D. The formation of lactic acid in a human muscle cell

(Total 1 mark)

12. Which type of light is least useful for photosynthesis in terrestrial plants?

A. Blue

B. Green

C. White

D. Red
(Total 1 mark)

13. How many molecules of water are required to completely hydrolyse a polypeptide made up
of 23 amino acids?

A. 11

B. 22

C. 23

D. 44
(Total 1 mark)
14. Which of the following is part of the process of cellular respiration?

A. Changes in the volume of the thoracic cavity

B. Exchange of gases across the surface of the alveoli

C. Exchange of gases across the surface of capillaries

D. Glycolysis
(Total 1 mark)

15. Which variable has the least effect on enzyme activity?

A. Temperature

B. Light intensity

C. pH

D. Substrate concentration
(Total 1 mark)

16. Which statement about water is correct?

A. The atoms within a molecule of water are held together by hydrogen bonds.

B. Water has a low heat capacity allowing enzymatic reactions to happen at a wide range
of temperatures.

C. Water molecules are polar, therefore fatty acids do not dissolve.

D. Ice has a higher density than liquid water, therefore some organisms can live under the
ice.
(Total 1 mark)
17. What does a nucleosome consist of ?

A. DNA and histones

B. DNA and chromatin

C. Chromatin and nucleotides

D. Mature RNA and histones

(Total 1 mark)

18. What are Okazaki fragments?

A. Short lengths of RNA primase attached to the DNA during replication

B. Short sections of DNA formed during DNA replication

C. Nucleotides added by DNA polymerase I in the same direction as the replication fork

D. Sections of RNA removed by DNA polymerase III and replaced with DNA
(Total 1 mark)

19. The sequence of nucleotides in a section of RNA is:

GCCAUACGAUCG

What is the base sequence of the DNA sense strand?

A. CGGUAUGCUAGC

B. GCCATACGATCG

C. CGGTATGCTAGC

D. GCCAUACGAUCG
(Total 1 mark)
20. The electron micrograph below shows an organelle in a eukaryotic cell. What is the area
labelled X and what is the type of reaction occurring there?

[Source: http://scienceblogs.com/clock/2006/11/cell_structure.php]

X Reaction
A. matrix photolysis
B. stroma Krebs cycle
C. stroma photolysis
D. matrix Krebs cycle
(Total 1 mark)

21. Where is chlorophyll found in a plant cell?

A. Thylakoid membranes

B. Stroma

C. Matrix

D. Cristae
(Total 1 mark)
22. What is produced by the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis and used in the Calvin
cycle?

A. Hydrogen and oxygen

B. ATP and NADPH

C. NADPH and oxygen

D. ATP and CO2

(Total 1 mark)

23. Which base is connected to its complementary base in a base pair by three hydrogen bonds?

A. Uracil

B. Thymine

C. Guanine

D. Adenine
(Total 1 mark)
24. This question refers to the following micrograph of a liver cell.

In which organelle does the production of ATP, due to chemiosmosis, occur?

A. A

B. B

C. C

D. D
(Total 1 mark)
25. Which molecule is found in both DNA and RNA?

A. Ribose

B. Uracil

C. Phosphate

D. Amino acid
(Total 1 mark)

26. The photosynthetic activity of desert plants is often reduced in the middle of the day. What is
the most reasonable explanation for this fact?

A. Enzymes are denatured by the high temperatures.

B. There is not sufficient water for photosystem I.

C. Most of the light is reflected by the thick cuticle.

D. The stomata close to preserve water and gas exchange decreases.

(Total 1 mark)

27. Which of the following is true of the link reaction of aerobic respiration?
+
A. The reduction of FAD occurs.

B. The decarboxylation of pyruvate occurs.

C. It occurs in the cytoplasm.

+
D. The regeneration of NAD occurs.
(Total 1 mark)
28. Where does the RNA polymerase bind during the process of transcription?

A. The polysome

B. The operator

C. The promoter

D. The initiator
(Total 1 mark)

29. What is a difference between cohesion and adhesion?

A. Only adhesion is involved in transpiration pull.

B. Only cohesion is involved in the movement of water in soil.

C. Only cohesion involves the interaction of water with soil mineral particles.

D. Only adhesion involves the interaction of water with xylem.

(Total 1 mark)

30. Which substance in prokaryotes contains sulfur?

A. DNA

B. Phospholipids

C. Proteins

D. Antibiotics
(Total 1 mark)
31. Which describes these molecules correctly?

I II
A. ribose amino acid
B. glucose amino acid
C. ribose fatty acid
D. glucose fatty acid
(Total 1 mark)
32. What sequence of processes is carried out by the structure labelled X during translation?

A. Combining with an amino acid and then binding to an anticodon

B. Binding to an anticodon and then combining with an amino acid

C. Binding to a codon and then combining with an amino acid

D. Combining with an amino acid and then binding to a codon

(Total 1 mark)
33. The diagram below shows a biochemical pathway in a yeast cell. Which of the following
correctly identifies a compound in the diagram?

A. I is fat.

B. II is pyruvate.

C. III is lactate.

D. IV is carbon dioxide.
(Total 1 mark)
34. The following diagram shows a short stretch of DNA. What bases are indicated by labels Y
and Z?

Y Z
A. thymine adenine
B. thymine guanine
C. uracil guanine
D. uracil adenine
(Total 1 mark)
35. A plant is exposed to increasing light intensity from very dim to bright light, while the
carbon dioxide concentration and temperature are kept at an optimum level. What will
happen to the rate of oxygen production?

A. It will increase exponentially.

B. It will remain constant.

C. It will decrease to a minimum level.

D. It will increase to a maximum level.

(Total 1 mark)

36. In some people, hemoglobin always contains the amino acid valine in place of a glutamic
acid at one position in the protein. What is the cause of this?

A. An error in transcription of the hemoglobin gene

B. An error in translation of the mRNA

C. Lack of glutamic acid in the diet

D. A base substitution in the hemoglobin gene

(Total 1 mark)

37. What is a role of sulfur in living organisms?

A. Formation of proteins

B. Formation of carbohydrates

C. Formation of teeth

D. Transmission of nerve impulses

(Total 1 mark)
38. Which molecules form the nucleotide marked in the diagram?

A. phosphate, deoxyribose and nitrogenous base

B. phosphorus, ribose and nitrogenous base

C. phosphorus, deoxyribose and guanosine

D. phosphate, ribose and guanine

(Total 1 mark)
39. Which enzyme catalyzes the elongation of the leading strand?

[Source: image from W K Purves, et al., (2003) Life: The Science of Biology, 4, Sinauer Associates
(www.sinauer.com) and W H Freeman (www.whfreeman.com)]

A. RNA polymerase

B. Helicase

C. DNA polymerase

D. Ligase
(Total 1 mark)

40. Which of the following is a function of cellulose in plants?

A. Storage of fat

B. Formation of mitochondria

C. Storage of energy

D. Formation of cell walls

(Total 1 mark)

41. Which of the following is the best definition of cell respiration?

A. A process needed to use energy, in the form of ATP, to produce organic compounds

B. A process used to provide oxygen to the atmosphere

C. A controlled release of energy, in the form of ATP, from organic compounds in

cells

D. A controlled release of energy in the production of food from organic compounds

 (Total 1 mark)

42. The graph below shows the effect of temperature on the separation of the strands in DNA to
form single strands. The temperature at which 50% of the DNA is single-stranded is called
the melting temperature (TM).

What do the results show?

A. When the temperature reaches 85C there are no more double-stranded DNA
molecules.

B. When the temperature reaches 85C the DNA strands start separating rapidly.

C. A TM of 85C means that DNA is not stable at room temperature (25C).

D. The separation of the DNA strands is directly proportional to the increase in

temperature.
(Total 1 mark)

43. Which substance in prokaryotes contains sulfur?

A. DNA

B. Phospholipids
C. Proteins

D. Antibiotics
(Total 1 mark)
44. What is the reason for Okazaki fragments being formed during DNA replication?

A. To enable replication of the 3 5 (lagging) strand

B. To form the template for the RNA primers

C. To initiate replication on the 5 3 (leading) strand

D. To help the DNA helicase unwinding the DNA helix

(Total 1 mark)

45. Which is correct for the non-competitive inhibition of enzymes?

Inhibitor resembles Inhibitor binds to

substrate active site
A. yes yes
B. yes no
C. no yes
D. no no
(Total 1 mark)

46. What is removed during the formation of mature RNA in eukaryotes?

A. Exons

B. Introns

C. Codons

D. Nucleosomes
(Total 1 mark)
47. During glycolysis a hexose sugar is broken down to two pyruvate molecules. What is the
correct sequence of stages?

A. Phosphorylation oxidation lysis

B. Oxidation phosphorylation lysis

C. Phosphorylation lysis oxidation

D. Lysis oxidation phosphorylation

(Total 1 mark)

48. Where are the light-dependent and light-independent reactions taking place in the diagram
below?

Light-dependent Light-independent
A. I IV
B. II III
C. III II
D. IV I
(Total 1 mark)
49. The table below shows the codons that determine different amino acids in protein translation.

First base Second base in codon Third base

in codon U C A G in codon

U Phe Ser Tyr Cys U

Phe Ser Tyr Cys C
Leu Ser A
Leu Ser Trp G
C Leu Pro His Arg U
Leu Pro His Arg C
Leu Pro Gln Arg A
Leu Pro Gln Arg G
A Ile Thr Asn Ser U
Ile Thr Asn Ser C
Ile Thr Lys Arg A
Met Thr Lys Arg G
G Val Ala Asp Gly U
Val Ala Asp Gly C
Val Ala Glu Gly A
Val Ala Glu Gly G

What is the sequence of the amino acids that is being translated from the following mRNA
sequence?

5 AUGGGUGCUUAUUGGUAA 3

A. Met-Pro-Arg-Ile-Thr

B. Met-Cys-Ser-Tyr-Trp

C. Met-Gly-Ala-Tyr-Trp

D. Met-Gly-Tyr-Ala-Thr
(Total 1 mark)
50. What does the universal nature of the genetic code allow?

A. Change of genetic code in the same species

B. Transfer of genes between species

C. Formation of clones

D. Infection by bacteria
(Total 1 mark)

51. Which of the following forms the nucleosome?

A. DNA and histone molecules

B. DNA only

C. RNA and histone molecules

D. Histone molecules only

(Total 1 mark)

52. What happens during the formation of Okazaki fragments?

A. DNA polymerase III adds nucleotides in the 3 5 direction.

B. DNA polymerase III adds nucleotides in the 5 3 direction.

C. DNA polymerase I adds nucleotides in the 5 3 direction.

D. RNA polymerase adds nucleotides in the 3 5 direction.

(Total 1 mark)
53. Why is oxaloacetate a competitive inhibitor?

[Source: image from W K Purves, et al., (2003), Life: The Science of Biology, 4, Sinauer Associates
(www.sinauer.com) and W H Freeman (www.whfreeman.com)]

A. It causes a conformational change to the active site.

B. It binds to the enzyme away from the active site.

C. It is structurally similar to succinate.

D. It is structurally similar to succinate dehydrogenase.

(Total 1 mark)

54. What is the link reaction in aerobic respiration?

+
A. Pyruvate is carboxylated, acetyl reacts with coenzyme A, reducing NADH + H
+
B. Pyruvate is decarboxylated, acetyl reacts with coenzyme A, forming NADH + H
+
C. Pyruvate reacts with coenzyme A, forming NADH + H
+
D. Pyruvate is decarboxylated, reacting with coenzyme A, reducing NADH + H
(Total 1 mark)
55. What is chemiosmosis?

A. Coupling of ATP synthesis to the electron transport and proton movement

B. Phosphorylation of glucose in the mitochondrial matrix

+
C. H ions moving down a concentration gradient into the mitochondrial matrix

D. Activation of ATPase in order to synthesize ATP

(Total 1 mark)

56. The diagram below shows the structure of a chloroplast.

What is the structure labelled X?

A. Ribosome

B. Stroma

C. Inner membrane

D. Thylakoid
(Total 1 mark)
57. Which diagram best illustrates the interactions between water molecules? (B)

(Total 1 mark)

58. What chemical reaction is taking place when a dipeptide becomes two amino acids?

A. Condensation

B. Hydrolysis

C. Denaturation

D. Polymerization
(Total 1 mark)
59. The base ratios in the DNA and RNA for an onion (Allium cepa) are given below.

Bases A/% G/% C/% T/%

DNA 31.8 18.4 18.2 31.3

Bases A/% G/% C/% U/%

RNA 24.9 29.8 24.7 20.6

What is the reason for the difference between these figures?

A. DNA is only found in the nucleus but RNA is found throughout the cell.

B. DNA is made entirely of double helix but RNA is not.

C. In DNA, bases A and T are complementary but in RNA, bases A and C are
complementary.

D. RNA comes in three forms but DNA only comes in one form.
(Total 1 mark)

60. Which of the following will cause an enzyme to permanently lose its properties?

I. Hydrolysis
II. Freezing to 20C
III. Dissolving it in water

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II only

D. I and III only

(Total 1 mark)
61. What is lactase used for?

A. It is used to make sugar-free milk.

B. It hydrolyses lactose to glucose and fructose.

C. It improves the digestion of milk by some people.

D. It decreases the acidity of the milk.

(Total 1 mark)

62. How can the rate of photosynthesis of a plant be directly measured?

A. By measuring the rate of oxygen produced

B. By measuring the rate of carbon dioxide produced

C. By measuring the rate of plant growth

D. By measuring the rate of light absorbed

(Total 1 mark)

63. What is true of the source, products and optimum pH of the lipase found in the human
digestive system?

Source Products Optimum pH

A. salivary glands fatty acids 8
B. stomach starch 2
C. pancreas fatty acids 8
D. liver amino acids 2
(Total 1 mark)
64. What will be produced during aerobic respiration?

I. Water
II. ATP
III. Ethanol

A. I only

B. I and II only

C. II and III only

D. I, II and III
(Total 1 mark)

65. Which graph best represents the effect of temperature on the rate of photosynthesis of a
plant? (C)

(Total 1 mark)
66. Which of the following correctly shows a peptide bond between two amino acids? (C)

(Total 1 mark)

67. What is a polysome?

A. A ribosome that is synthesizing proteins from several mRNA molecules at the same
time

B. A ribosome that is synthesizing different proteins for secretion

C. Several ribosomes using a mRNA molecule to synthesize protein at the same time

D. Several ribosomes that are synthesizing different proteins for use in the cytoplasm
(Total 1 mark)
68. What does oxidation involve?

A. A loss of electrons

B. A gain of electrons

C. A loss of oxygen

D. A gain of hydrogen
(Total 1 mark)

69. What is required for ATP synthesis in mitochondria?

A. Active pumping of protons into the matrix

B. Diffusion of protons out of the matrix

C. Accumulation of protons in the intermembrane space

D. Accumulation of protons in the matrix

(Total 1 mark)

70. What happens in the light-independent reactions of photosynthesis?

A. Splitting of water molecules

B. ATP synthesis

C. Reduction of NADP

D. Reduction of CO2
(Total 1 mark)
71. Which two tissues of a leaf are photosynthetic?

A. Upper epidermis and palisade mesophyll

B. Palisade mesophyll and spongy mesophyll

C. Spongy mesophyll and xylem

D. Upper epidermis and xylem

(Total 1 mark)

72. Which diagram represents the polarity of a water molecule? (B)

(Total 1 mark)

73. Which of these molecules is a disaccharide?

A. Galactose

B. Sucrose

C. Cellulose

D. Ribose
(Total 1 mark)
74. What is a codon?

A. A sequence of nucleotides on rRNA that corresponds to an amino acid

B. A sequence of nucleotides on mRNA that corresponds to an amino acid

C. A sequence of nucleotides on tRNA that corresponds to an amino acid

D. A sequence of nucleotides on DNA that corresponds to an amino acid

(Total 1 mark)

75. What happens as an enzyme becomes denatured?

A. The enzyme works faster.

B. The enzyme works slower.

C. The enzyme can perform a new role.

D. The enzyme can make the reverse reaction proceed faster.

(Total 1 mark)

76. What happens during the pathway of glycolysis?

A. Glucose is broken down into pyruvate.

B. Carbon dioxide is produced.

C. More ATP is consumed than is produced.

D. Lactic acid is produced.

(Total 1 mark)
77. What is light energy used for during photosynthesis?

A. To produce carbon dioxide

B. To produce water molecules

C. To produce ATP

D. To break down sugar molecules

(Total 1 mark)

78. Which molecule is shown below?

A. Glucose

B. Galactose

C. Ribose

D. Sucrose
(Total 1 mark)

79. Blood is a water-based transport medium. Which property of water makes it a good transport
medium?

A. High specific heat

B. Transparency

C. Versatility as a solvent

D. It has its greatest density at 4C

(Total 1 mark)
80. What is replicated by a semi-conservative process?

A. Messenger RNA (mRNA) only

B. Messenger RNA (mRNA) and transfer RNA (tRNA) only

C. Messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA) and DNA only

D. DNA only
(Total 1 mark)

81. Which of the following processes produces CO2?

I. Glycolysis
II. Alcohol (ethanol) fermentation
III. Lactic acid production

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II only

D. I, II and III
(Total 1 mark)

82. Which of the following colours of light is absorbed the most by chlorophyll?

A. Blue

B. Green

C. Yellow

D. Orange
(Total 1 mark)
83. In the model of the DNA molecule shown below, which arrows point to covalent bonds?

A. I, II and III only

B. II, III and IV only

C. I, III and IV only

D. I, II and IV only
(Total 1 mark)
84. The antisense strand on the DNA molecule coding for three codons of a gene is

TATCGCACG

What are the anticodons of the three tRNA molecules that correspond to this sequence?

A. UAU, CGC and ACG

B. ATA, GCG and TGC

C. AUA, GCG and UGC

D. TAT, CGC and ACG

(Total 1 mark)

85. What is the function of the tRNA activating enzyme?

A. It links tRNA to ribosomes.

B. It links tRNA to mRNA.

C. It links tRNA to a specific amino acid.

D. It links an amino acid on one tRNA to an amino acid on another tRNA.

(Total 1 mark)