blueprint of life exam

– 1 –

2015 HIGHER SCHOOL CERTIFICATE

EXAMINATION

Blueprint of Life

Student Name

General Instructions

Reading time – 5 minutes

Working time – 1 hour 35 minutes

Write using black or blue pen

Draw diagrams using pencil

Board-approved calculators may be

Write your Student Name where

required

Total marks – 65

55 marks

This section has two parts, Part A and Part B

Part A – 15 marks

Attempt Questions 1 – 15

Allow about 15 minutes for this part

Part B – 40 marks

Allow about 1 hour for this part

10 marks

Attempt ONE question from Questions 31 – 33

Section I Pages 2 - 13

Section II Pages 14 - 17

Class Time

– 2 –

Section I 60 marks

Part A – 60 marks

Use the multiple choice answer sheet for Question 1 – 15.

1 Nucleotides are composed of which three components?

(A) Sugar, phosphate, nitrogen

(B) Sugar, base, acid

(C) Base, phosphate, sugar

(D) Phosphate, carbon, nitrogen

2 Organisms such as the lungfish and platypus that have existed virtually unchanged for

millions of years are sometimes called ‘living fossils’. Which of the following models

of evolution best explains ‘living fossils’?

(A) Punctuated equilibrium

(B) Gradualism

(C) Adaptive radiation

(D) Mutation

3 In peas, the allele for round seeds (R) is dominant to the allele for wrinkled seeds (r).

If a pea plant that is homozygous for round seeds is crossed with a plant that is

homozygous for wrinkled seeds, what would be the phenotype(s) of the resulting

plants?

(A) All wrinkled

(B) All round

(C) All RR

(D) All rr

4 How many sex chromosomes does a normal human female inherit from her mother?

(C) 23

(D) 46

– 3 –

5 Which of the following is the correct base pairing in DNA?

(A) G – C, A – T

(B) T – U, A – G

(C) G – T, A – C

(D) G – C, A – U

6 Reproductive technologies focus on the transfer of genetic information.

Which process only involves the transfer of the nucleus?

(A) Cloning

(B) Transgenesis

(C) Artificial pollination

(D) Artificial insemination

7 ‘Generally, gametes produced by an organism will not be identical.’

Which of the following does NOT influence this genetic variability of gamete

formation?

(A) Mutation

(B) Sex linkage

(C) Independent assortment of alleles

(D) Crossing over in homologous chromosomes

– 4 –

8 A geneticist was studying coat colour in a herd of Shorthorn cattle. She peformed the

following cross:

The results of the cross are shown in the table below:

Phenotype Offspring number

White coat 0

Red coat 0

Red and white coat (roan) 157

Total 157

The roan coat colour was the result of which type of inheritance?

(A) Co-dominance

(B) Dominant/recessive

(C) Heterozygous parents

(D) Hybridisation

9 A researcher prepared a pedigree (family tree) to trace a genetic disorder in a family.

How could the gene that causes the condition best be described?

(A) Co-dominant

(B) Dominant

(C) Recessive

(D) Sex-linked

– 5 –

10 Evolutionary relationship between vertebrates can be determined by comparing the

amino acid sequence of human haemoglobin with the haemoglobin of other

vertebrates.

Which area of study collects this type of evidence to support the theory of evolution?

(A) Biochemistry

(B) Biogeography

(C) Comparative anatomy

(D) Comparative embryology

11 Identical twins often have small physical differences. What best explains the cause of

these differences?

(A) The effect of environment on phenotype

(B) Genetic variability through sexual reproduction

(C) Crossing over during meiosis

(D) Co-dominant inheritance

12 How have Walter Sutton and Theodor Boveri contributed to the understanding of

inheritance?

(A) By determining the structure of DNA

(B) By improving knowledge of sex linkage

(C) By demonstrating the effort of environment on phenotype

(D) By identifying the importance of chromosomes in inheritance

– 6 –

13 The effectiveness of a new insecticide was tested on a large population of mosquitoes

over a number of breeding cycles. At first, the populations of mosquitoes was reduced

dramatically by the use of the insecticide. After a number of breeding cycles the

population then began to increase until the insecticide appeared to have little effect.

How would the Darwin/Wallace theory of evolution by natural selection explain these

observations?

(A) Some of the original population were isolated from the insecticide as a control

group.

(B) Some of the original population had already reproduced before the insecticide

was used.

(C) Some of the original population were resistant to the insecticide and passed this

on to their offspring.

(D) Some of the original population adapted to the insecticide and survived to

produce offspring.

14 Goltz Syndrome is a condition in humans that adversely affects the skin. It is

inherited as a dominant gene carried on the X chromosome.

A man with Goltz Syndrome and a woman who does NOT have the trait have two

children, a boy and a girl.

Which of the following is correct about the inheritance of Goltz Syndrome in these

children?

(A) Both children have the syndrome

(B) The girl has the syndrome and the boy does not

(C) The girl has the syndrome and the boy is a carrier

(D) The girl has a 50% chance of having the syndrome and the boy has a 0%

chance.

15 What is the best explanation for the successful development of transgenic species?

(A) Artificial pollination works across the plant kingdom.

(B) Nuclear transplantation from cell to cell is easily achieved

(C) DNA in the biosphere is composed of the same chemical components.

(D) Genes from different animals within the one species are easily combined.

– 7 –

2015 HIGHER SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION

Biology

Section I (continued) Part B – 40 marks

Allow about 1 hour for this part

Answer the questions in the spaces provided. These spaces provide guidance for the expected

length of response.

Question 16 (3 marks)

Clarify, using examples, the difference between the terms allele and gene.

……………………………………………………………………………………

(a) Construct a flow chart outlining the process of protein synthesis.

– 8 –

(b) Identify 2 limitations of using your flow chart as a model of protein

synthesis.

…………………………………………………………………………………

(a) On the diagram, clearly identify ONE nucleotide by placing a box around it.

Senior Biology, RJ King and FM Sullivan, Longman Australia/Pearson Education Australia.

(b) Outline the main steps of DNA replication.

…………………………………………………………………………………

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Gregor Mendel and Thomas Morgan both used breeding experiments to deduce

fundamental principles of genetics.

Complete the four blank boxes in the table.

Mendel’s Monohybrid Cross Morgan’s Fruit Fly Experiments

First Cross

Parents

Phenotype

tall x short Red eyed

female x

White eyed

First Cross (F1)

Parents

Genotype

XR XR x Xr Y

First Cross

Punnet Square

T Tt Tt

F1 Phenotype

(a) Use an example to explain why hybridisation within a species is carried out.

…………………………………………………………………………………

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(b) Use an example of a named transgenic species to discuss the social impact of

technology.

…………………………………………………………………………………

Several scientists were involved in determining the structure of DNA.

To what extent did the quality of collaboration and communication between these

scientists impact on their scientific research?

……………………………………………………………………………………

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How could a mutation in DNA affect polypeptide production?

……………………………………………………………………………………

(a) Explain how ONE named process that occurs during meiosis results in genetic

variation.

…………………………………………………………………………………

(b) Why is genetic variation important in the survival of a species?

…………………………………………………………………………………

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As part of an independent research project, a student studied a genetic

condition suffered by members of his family. The student wrote the following

summary:

(a) Construct a pedigree of this family.

(b) Why are diagrams, such as pedigrees, useful in analysing data?

…………………………………………………………………………………

(c) The student made the following conclusion from his study.

‘As only males have the condition, it must be a sex-linked genetic condition.’

Assess the validity of the student’s conclusion, and provide support for your

assessment.

…………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………....

I am male and I have the condition

My mother does not have the condition

My father and his brother have the condition

My father’s sister and my father’s mother do not have the condition

My father’s father has the condition

– 13 –

Most offspring resemble their parents in a number of characteristics, but there are

often some characteristics in the offspring that are unexpected.

Explain, using examples, how genetics and the environment can affect the

phenotype of individuals.

……………………………………………………………………………………

– 14 –

THIS PAGE HAS BEEN INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

– 15 –

2015 HIGHER SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION

Biology

Section II 10 marks

Attempt ONE question from Questions 31 – 33

Answer the question in a writing booklet. Extra writing booklets are available.

Question 31 Evolution and Natural Selection…………………………………............ 15

Question 32 Geneticists…………………………………………………………......... 16

Question 33 Following the Blueprint………………………………………………... 17

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Question 31 – Evolution and Natural Selection (10 marks)

Answer parts (a), (b) and (c) of the question on pages 2–4 of the Section II Writing

Booklet.

(a) Explain the link between Darwin/Wallace’s theory of evolution and the process

of natural selection.

(b) The following image was found in an article discussing evolution:

From what area of study is the image drawing evidence from?

(c) ‘The development of new technologies has allowed the study of evolutionary

biology to accelerate faster than ever before.’

Assess this statement.

– 17 –

Question 32 – Geneticists (10 marks)

Answer parts (a) and (b) of the question on pages 2–4 of the Section II Writing

Booklet.

(a) (i) Outline the experiments carried out by Beadle and Tatum in their

experiment proving the ‘one gene – one protein’ hypothesis.

(ii) Why was the name changed to the ‘one gene – one polypeptide’

hypothesis?

(b) ‘Experimental design is key to achieving accurate and reliable results.’

Assess this statement in reference to Mendel’s genetic experiments with pea

plants.

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Question 33 – Following the Blueprint (10 marks)

Answer parts (a) and (b) of the question on pages 2–4 of the Section II Writing

Booklet.

(a) (i) Outline how a gene is expressed in in a cell. 3

(ii) Why would incorrect expression be potentially harmful for an

organism?

(b) The following image shows the second stage of polypeptide synthesis:

Assess the usefulness of images and models such as this in simplifying the

process of polypeptide synthesis.

– 19 –

Blueprint of Life Answer Booklet – Section I Multiple Choice

Select the alternative A, B, C or D that best answers the question. Fill in the response oval

completely.

If you think you have made a mistake, put a cross through the correct answer and fill in the

new answer.

If you change your mind and have cross out what you consider to be the correct answer, then

indicate the correct answer by writing the word “correct” and drawing an arrow as follows.

– 20 –

Blueprint of Life Answer Booklet – Section II Options

Instructions

You may NOT take any Writing Booklets, used or unused, from the examination

Use this Writing Booklet to answer Questions 31, 32 or 33.

You may ask for an extra Writing Booklet to answer this question if you need more

space.

If you have not attempted this question, you must still hand in the Writing Booklet,

with the words ‘NOT ATTEMPTED’ written clearly on the front cover.

Write using black or blue pen.

Write on the ruled pages only.

– 21 –

Start here:

– 22 –

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