ANALYSIS OF MAY/JUNE 2012 BIOLOGY PAPER 2
This is a short (hopefully! :)) analysis of this year's paper, and by this we can SORT OF predict what may come out in Nov 2012. Please DO NOT assume that the topics tested in May/June will not come out again, because they probably will in some form or other. All we can do is eliminate the topic and type of question asked.
QUESTION 1
TOPIC: THE EYE
a) i) 2 parts to be labelled: pupil and cornea
ii) Effect of light decreasing on pupil- explain
iii) reflex action question- related to action of circular and radial muscles in iris
b) effect of retina detaching- not in syllabus, but using knowledge of function of retina to explain what could happen if retina is damaged.
c) Effect of cataracts- again, not in syllabus, but using knowledge of function of lens to explain what could happen if the lens becomes cloudy.
QUESTION 2
TOPIC: FOOD/NUTRITION
ai) calculation of GDA (guideline daily amount) based on information (2 pictures of cereal packet) given (very easy!!)
ii ) Hard-working farmer- how does his daily energy requirement differ from GDA given? (average adult= 8400kJ of energy)
b) Why is cereal D better for constipation than cereal C.... look at fibre values :)
ci) Describe symptoms of rickets
ii) which cereal should be eaten to prevent rickets in children and explain.....
QUESTION 3
TOPIC: CELLS
ai) draw cell wall
ii) draw nucleus
iii) draw vacuole
b) how do young cells become xylem.... not really taught, but it is based on your knowledge of xylem vessels
-xylem is dead, hollow, deposited with lignin... SOOOOOO ANSWER IS: the young cells need to DIE, all the cell contents DRY UP.... and LIGNIN needs to be DEPOSITED inside them....
c) Suggest why stem remains firm but leaves become limp, when branch is cut
Clue: stem have xylem.... leaves don't.... and where is water most lost from the plant??
QUESTION 4
TOPIC: REP. IN PLANTS- SEED DISPERSAL + GENETICS
a) how seeds of tomato disperse- explain
b) i) disadvantage of extra chromosomes
ii) triploid condition in plants but not in animals?
ANSWER: plants can reproduce asexually, animals do not
c) Explain how two normal parents can produce a Down's Syndrome child
QUESTION 5
TOPIC: ENZYMES
ai) optimum temp for enzymes...
ii) suggest enzyme, where it is found, function (any enzyme will do!)
b) how would enzyme function beyond optimum temperature
So, that's SECTION A. Looking at it, it is actually a very easy paper! Well, at least now we know what kind of structured questions WON'T come up for Nov :) However, they can come out for essays so be prepared! :) I'll do SECTION B analysis in the next post.
Email me if you want further clarification of the answers- loreneanne@gmail.com
Please note school doesn't provide this paper so if you want this paper, I can photocopy it for you, 13 pages x $0.03= $0.39, let me know!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
TIPS ON HOW TO GET 30 MARKS AND ABOVE FOR BIOLOGY PAPER 1
1. Practice, practice, practice!
- Get papers online at xtremepapers.com (click on PAPERS: CIE : CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL O LEVELS: BIOLOGY (5090) )
2. Get a piece of paper and answer the questions- a good idea would be to start from about 2005, and work you way up to 2011 (7 years worth of papers x 2; JUNE and NOVEMBER)
- You can check your answers online OR pass them to me, I can mark them for you, and explain any doubts.
-Some questions are repeated; the wordings and phrasing may change, but the answer is the same!
3. Learn to ELIMINATE/ LOOK FOR THE ONLY POSSIBLE ANSWER
Example:
JUNE 2005 QUESTION 3
Which process may require energy from respiration?
A movement of carbon dioxide into the alveoli
B movement of oxygen into red blood cells
C uptake of glucose by cells in the villi
D uptake of water by root hair cells
What have we learnt?
ACTIVE TRANSPORT REQUIRES ENERGY...so we're looking for something that uses active transport.
A is OUT because.... CO2 moves by DIFFUSION, and diffusion does NOT require energy
B is OUT because.... O2 also moves by DIFFUSION
C is the ANSWER because we have only learnt TWO examples of active transport: uptake of glucose by villi, and uptake of minerals by root hair cells
D is out because WATER moves by OSMOSIS
Another example:
JUNE 2005 QUESTION 21
Why does emphysema cause severe breathlessness?
A The alveoli become coated with tar.
B The cilia lining the trachea are destroyed.
C The lungs become cancerous.
D The surface area of the lungs is reduced.
What have we learnt?
EMPHYSEMA IS WHEN THE ALVEOLI HAVE WEAKENED AND BURST .
What's the alveoli for? --> EXCHANGE OF GASES BECAUSE THEY ARE THIN WALLED AND HAVE A LARGE SURFACE AREA.
So the answer has to do with surface area.... and the answer is... D! :)
Some questions can be answered by elimination, some questions can be answered based on what you have MEMORIZED and LEARNT. The key here is to REVISE :) The more MCQs you do, the more experienced you become.
So start now guys! 25% of your total is MCQ and if you get 40/40 (which is actually very possible with all that practice!), you're that much closer to your DISTINCTION :)
1. Practice, practice, practice!
- Get papers online at xtremepapers.com (click on PAPERS: CIE : CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL O LEVELS: BIOLOGY (5090) )
2. Get a piece of paper and answer the questions- a good idea would be to start from about 2005, and work you way up to 2011 (7 years worth of papers x 2; JUNE and NOVEMBER)
- You can check your answers online OR pass them to me, I can mark them for you, and explain any doubts.
-Some questions are repeated; the wordings and phrasing may change, but the answer is the same!
3. Learn to ELIMINATE/ LOOK FOR THE ONLY POSSIBLE ANSWER
Example:
JUNE 2005 QUESTION 3
Which process may require energy from respiration?
A movement of carbon dioxide into the alveoli
B movement of oxygen into red blood cells
C uptake of glucose by cells in the villi
D uptake of water by root hair cells
What have we learnt?
ACTIVE TRANSPORT REQUIRES ENERGY...so we're looking for something that uses active transport.
A is OUT because.... CO2 moves by DIFFUSION, and diffusion does NOT require energy
B is OUT because.... O2 also moves by DIFFUSION
C is the ANSWER because we have only learnt TWO examples of active transport: uptake of glucose by villi, and uptake of minerals by root hair cells
D is out because WATER moves by OSMOSIS
Another example:
JUNE 2005 QUESTION 21
Why does emphysema cause severe breathlessness?
A The alveoli become coated with tar.
B The cilia lining the trachea are destroyed.
C The lungs become cancerous.
D The surface area of the lungs is reduced.
What have we learnt?
EMPHYSEMA IS WHEN THE ALVEOLI HAVE WEAKENED AND BURST .
What's the alveoli for? --> EXCHANGE OF GASES BECAUSE THEY ARE THIN WALLED AND HAVE A LARGE SURFACE AREA.
So the answer has to do with surface area.... and the answer is... D! :)
Some questions can be answered by elimination, some questions can be answered based on what you have MEMORIZED and LEARNT. The key here is to REVISE :) The more MCQs you do, the more experienced you become.
So start now guys! 25% of your total is MCQ and if you get 40/40 (which is actually very possible with all that practice!), you're that much closer to your DISTINCTION :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)