Questions

These questions are in order of difficulty – the first questions are easier and would be found at the start of
an exam paper, as you get to the end of the document the questions become more difficult.

I have included a key below of where each question might be found in a typical paper.

Q1: Question 1 from a previous paper

Q2: Question 2 from a previous paper

Q3: Question 3 from a previous paper

Q4 - 5: Question 4 from a previous paper

Q6: Question 6 from a previous paper

Q7 - 10: Question 7 from a previous paper

Q11: Question 8 from a previous paper

Q12: Question 9 from a previous paper

Q1.

Bread contains starch.

(a) Describe how you would test a piece of bread to show it contains starch.
(2)
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(b) The diagram shows the mycelium of an organism growing on a piece of bread.

(i) Which type of organism is shown growing on the bread?

(1)
A bacterium
B fungus
C protoctist
D virus

(ii) Which enzyme is released by the organism to digest starch?

(1)
A amylase
B ligase
C lipase
D protease

(Total for question = 4 marks)

Q2.

Answer the questions with a cross in the boxes you think are correct . If you change your mind
about an answer, put a line through the box and then mark your new answer with a cross .
The diagram shows part of the human alimentary canal with some structures labelled.
(a) (i) Which structure is part of the large intestine?
(1)
A O
B P
C Q
D S

(ii) Which structure stores faeces?

(1)
A P
B Q
C R
D T

(b) Describe the processes that take place in the small intestine.
(4)
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(c) A student investigates the composition of four foods, W, X, Y and Z.
He uses four tests to compare the substances present in each food.
The table shows the student's results.

Use the information in the table to deduce the composition of each food.
(5)
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(Total for question = 11 marks)

Q3.

Squirrels are animals that live in woodland. They feed on nuts produced by the trees.
The diagram shows a squirrel eating a nut.

(a) Describe a method you could use to show that the nut contains fat.
(3)
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(b) The table lists substances found in two types of nut, A and B.
The mass of each substance is given in milligram per gram of nut.

(i) Explain the role of fibre in the squirrel's diet.

(2)
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(ii) Explain which nut is better at helping the squirrel make red blood cells.
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(iii) Nut A has a mass of 28.0 grams.
Calculate the total mass of carbohydrate in this nut.
(2)

total mass of carbohydrate = ........................................................... grams

(c) The graphs show the number of squirrels, foxes and trees in a woodland in 2010 and in 2018.

Discuss possible reasons why there is a decrease in the number of squirrels from 2010 to 2018.
Use information from the graphs and your own knowledge in your answer.
(5)
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(Total for question = 14 marks)

Q4.

Cow's milk contains a mixture of nutrients, including protein, fat, sugar, vitamins, and minerals.
(a) (i) The main sugar in milk is a carbohydrate called lactose.
Which chemical elements are present in carbohydrates?
(1)
A carbon and hydrogen only
B carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen only
C carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen only
D carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen

(ii) Describe how to test a sample of milk for protein.

(2)
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(b) Some people drink a milk alternative produced from plants, such as soy and rice, instead of milk
produced by animals.
The table shows nutritional information for different milk products.

(i) The recommended daily amount of calcium for a child is 1400 mg.
Calculate the mass of cow's milk that would contain 1400 mg of calcium.
(2)

mass = ........................................................... g
(ii) Discuss whether soy milk or rice milk is a suitable replacement for cow's milk in the diet of children.
(5)
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(Total for question = 10 marks)

Q5.

A student uses this method to investigate the effect of temperature on the digestion of starch by the
enzyme amylase.

place 5 cm3 of starch solution into a test tube

place 1 cm3 of amylase solution into a second test tube
place both the test tubes into a water bath at 10 ºC for 10 minutes
then pour the amylase solution into the starch solution and mix
test a sample of the mixture for the presence of starch every five minutes until no more starch is
present
repeat at temperatures of 20 ºC, 30 ºC, 40 ºC and 50 ºC.
The investigation is repeated two more times at each temperature.
(a) (i) What is produced when starch is digested by amylase?
(1)
A amino acids
B glycerol
C maltose
D sucrose

(ii) Which of these parts of the human alimentary canal produce amylase?
(1)
1 colon
2 pancreas
3 salivary gland
A 1 and 2 only
B 1, 2 and 3
C 2 and 3 only
D 3 only

(b) (i) State why the test tubes are placed in a water bath for 10 minutes before mixing the contents.
(1)
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(ii) Describe how the student could test a sample of the mixture for starch.
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(c) The table shows the results of the student's investigation.

 (i) Calculate the mean time taken for all starch to be digested at 30 ºC.
Give your answer to two significant figures.

(2)
mean time = ........................................................... minutes
(ii) Explain the effect of increasing the temperature from 10 ºC to 40 ºC on the time taken for all the
starch to be digested.
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(iii) Explain why the starch was not digested when the temperature was 50 ºC.
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(iv) Explain how the student could modify the investigation to give a more accurate measure of the
temperature at which the amylase activity is fastest.
(2)
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(Total for question = 13 marks)

Q6.

Answer the question with a cross in the box you think is correct . If you change your mind
about an answer, put a line through the box and then mark your new answer with a cross .
Many farmers keep their chickens in sheds.
They claim that their chickens grow larger when kept in sheds rather than outside in fields.
(a) Design an investigation to test this claim.
Your answer should include experimental details and be written in full sentences.
(6)
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(b) Which of these is used to test for protein in chicken meat?

(1)
A Benedict's reagent
B biuret reagent
C ethanol
D iodine

(c) Suggest why the respiration rate of a small chicken is higher than the respiration rate of a large
chicken.
(4)
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(Total for question = 11 marks)

Q7.

Bread contains starch.

A student investigates how temperature affects the digestion of bread.
This is the apparatus he uses in his method.

This is the student's method.

add amylase to a sample of bread

put this bread in the filter funnel
pour water onto the bread
do a Benedict's test on the solution from the digested bread that collects in the beaker
repeat the method at different temperatures
(a) Explain the results of Benedict's test if the amylase digests the starch.
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(b) The student's method lacks detail.
Rewrite the method so that the student could make a valid conclusion about the effect of temperature
on amylase.
(4)
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(c) The student predicted that the rate of digestion of starch would keep increasing as temperature
increased.
Comment on this prediction.
(4)
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(Total for question = 10 marks)

Q8.

(a) A student investigates the sugar content of four different fruit juices.
This is the student's method.

add 5 cm3 of fruit juice to a boiling tube

add 5 cm3 of Benedict's solution to the boiling tube
place the boiling tube in a water bath at 70 °C for three minutes
remove the boiling tube and record the colour of the solution
The student uses this method for each of the four fruit juices.
The table shows the student's results.

(i) Give two variables that the student controls in his investigation.
(2)
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2 ..........................................................................................................................................
(ii) Give the juices A, B, C and D in order of sugar content, from highest to lowest.
(2)

(iii) The student is now given sugar solutions with concentrations of 1%, 5%, 10% and 20%.
Explain how the student could use these solutions to estimate the concentration of sugar in the four
fruit juices.
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(b) Some fruit juices contain high concentrations of sugar.
These fruit juices increase the number of bacteria in the mouth.
This may lead to an increase in tooth decay.
(i) Suggest why high concentrations of sugar may increase tooth decay.
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(ii) Explain another health risk to children who drink fruit juices with high concentrations of sugars.
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(Total for question = 11 marks)

Q9.

The table gives the masses of protein and lipid (fat) in the same volume of milk from a cow and from a
human.

(a) Describe how you would test a sample of cow's milk and a sample of human milk to show they
contain different masses of protein.
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(b) Some of the proteins in milk are antibodies.
Explain why antibodies in milk are useful for babies.
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(c) Give two ways that lipid in milk is used by babies.
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(d) Milk is used to make yoghurt.
(i) Name the carbohydrate in milk used to make yoghurt.
(1)
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(ii) Name the bacteria added to milk to make yoghurt.
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(iii) Explain why milk needs to be heated to a high temperature at the start of the process for making
yoghurt.
(2)
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(Total for question = 10 marks)

Q10.

Faeces contain undigested food.

(a) The table shows the percentage of different substances in a dry sample of faeces.

(i) Name a carbohydrate that could be found in faeces.

(1)
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(ii) Describe how you would test the sample of faeces for fat.
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(iii) State the five chemical elements that could be present in protein.
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(b) Grass is eaten by many animals.

Diagram 1 shows a grass cell.
 Diagram 2 shows this grass cell in the faeces of an animal.

Explain the difference in the appearance of these grass cells.

(3)
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(c) The diagram shows a section through a building that has been designed to grow grass indoors.
 This is the method used to grow grass in the building.

wash and sterilise empty trays

fill these trays with soil containing grass seeds
put these trays in the building
spray mineral ion solution on to the soil in the trays
provide light and keep the temperature at 20 °C
collect the grass after a week and feed to animals
1000 kg of grass can be grown every day using this method.
A farmer would need to use several fields to grow this mass of grass every day outdoors.
The farmer decides to grow grass in the building to feed his animals, rather than letting them eat grass
from his fields.
Discuss this decision.
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(Total for question = 13 marks)

Q11.

The table gives the percentage composition by mass of human breast milk, and of cow's milk.

(a) Discuss whether cow's milk is a suitable alternative to breast milk for young babies.
Use data from the table and your own knowledge to support your answer.
(6)
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(b) Human breast milk may contain insufficient vitamin D for a growing child.
Give two ways that additional vitamin D could be provided for the child.
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(c) Describe how a sample of cow's milk could be tested for protein.
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(Total for question = 10 marks)

Q12.

(a) The diagram shows a pea flower with structures labelled X and Y.

(i) Give the names of structures X and Y.

(2)
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(ii) Explain how two structures, present in the diagram, show how the flower is pollinated.
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(b) A scientist uses this method to compare the carbohydrates present in ungerminated and germinating
pea seeds.

carry out an iodine test and a Benedict's test on ungerminated seeds

soak another set of seeds in water and allow them to germinate in unsealed jars
after three days, carry out an iodine test and a Benedict's test on the germinating seeds
The table shows the scientist's results.

(i) State which carbohydrates the scientist identified in the ungerminated seeds and the germinating
seeds.
(2)
ungerminated seeds
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 germinating seeds
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(ii) Explain the difference in the carbohydrate composition of the ungerminated seeds and the
germinating seeds.
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(iii) Explain why the jars used in the investigation are not sealed.
(2)
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(Total for question = 12 marks)