IB DP Biology 1.

1 Introduction to cells Question

1. The bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes infections related to the human reproductive
system. The graph shows the percentage of samples in which this bacterium showed resistance
to six antibiotics over a period of ten years.

What is a possible explanation for the total percentage resistance being larger than 100% in
2010?
A. People do not take the antibiotics as prescribed.
B. More people have been sampled in that year.
C. There was an epidemic of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in that year.
D. Some bacteria are resistant to more than one antibiotic.

2. The giant alga Acetabularia has a feature that suggests it is an exception to the cell theory.
What feature is this?
A. It lacks a nucleus.
B. It lacks a cell wall.
C. It has only one mitochondrion.
D. It lacks subdivision into separate cells.

3. Cladograms can be created by comparing DNA or protein sequences. The cladogram on the
left is based on DNA sequences and the cladogram on the right is based on comparing protein
sequences.

What is the reason that cladograms based on DNA sequences are more reliable predictors of the
phylogenetic relationship of species than cladograms based on protein sequences?
A. Amino acids are not as chemically stable as DNA nucleotides.
B. DNA mutates but amino acids do not.
C. Several different triplets of bases can code for the same amino acid.
D. There are 20 different amino acids but only 4 nucleotides.

4. What provides evidence for the endosymbiotic theory?

A. Mitochondrial DNA in eukaryotic cells
B. 70S ribosomes in prokaryotic cells
C. Gene transfer from prokaryotic cells to eukaryotic cells using plasmids
D. Prokaryotic cells (Escherichia coli) in the large intestine digest proteins
5. Which characteristic of stem cells makes them useful for treating Stargardt’s disease?
A They can differentiate into retinal cells.
B. They are readily available from especially created embryos.
C. They transport white blood cells to the eyes.
D. They divide by binary fission so provide sufficient cells.

6. Which feature of striated muscle cells allows them to be considered as a possible exception to
the cell theory?
A. They are found in multicellular organisms.
B. They contain more than one nucleus.
C. They are specialized for movement.
D. They do not carry out mitosis.

7. A botanist measures a leaf and finds it is 24 cm long and 8 cm wide. His drawing of the leaf is 4
cm wide. Which was the magnification and length of his drawing, assuming that the proportions
of the drawing were correct?

8. Which functions of life are carried out by all unicellular organisms?

A. Response, homeostasis, growth and photosynthesis
B. Metabolism, ventilation, reproduction and nutrition
C. Response, homeostasis, metabolism and growth
D. Reproduction, ventilation, response and nutrition
9. Which sequence shows increasing relative size?

10. Why do multicellular organisms have emergent properties?

A. They have more genes than unicellular organisms.
B. Properties of unicellular organisms are enhanced by having many cells.
C. All of their genes are expressed whereas unicellular organisms express only some.
D. They show properties that can only result from the interaction of many cells.

11. Which property makes stem cells suitable for therapeutic use?
A. They can divide by meiosis to form gametes.
B. They contain chemicals that can kill bacteria.
C. Their chromosomes are suitable for gene transfer and cloning.
D. They can differentiate into specialized cells.

12. Which functions of life are found in unicellular organisms?

A. growth, response and nutrition
B. differentiation, response and nutrition
C. metabolism, meiosis and homeostasis
D. growth, metabolism and differentiation

13. Which statement is part of the cell theory?

A. Cells are composed of organic molecules.
B. Cells have DNA as their genetic material.
C. Cells have cytoplasm surrounded by a membrane.
D. Cells come from pre-existing cells

14. In a cell, what is the effect of a large surface area to volume ratio?
A. Slower rate of exchange of waste materials
B. Faster heat loss
C. Faster rate of mitosis
D. Slower intake of food

15. How can cells in a multicellular organism differentiate?

A. They express some of their genes but not others.
B. They all have a different genetic composition.
C. Different cells contain a different set of chromosomes.
D. Different cells do not have some of the genes.

16. If a Sequoia sempervirens tree is 100 m tall and a drawing of it is 100 mm tall, what is the
magnification of the drawing?
A. ×0.001
B. ×0.1
C. ×1.0
D. ×1000
1. a. Outline the use of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) to treat Stargardt’s disease.
b. The most common form of Stargardt’s disease is known to be autosomal recessive. Using a
Punnett grid, deduce the probability of a child inheriting Stargardt’s disease, if both of the
parents are carriers of the disease but do not have the disease themselves.

2. Pictured below are Louis Pasteur’s original drawings of swan-necked flasks.

a. Describe how Pasteur’s experiments provided convincing evidence to falsify the concept of spontaneous
generation.

b. i. State the function of life in Paramecium that is carried out by: cilia.

b.ii. State the function of life in Paramecium that is carried out by: the contractile vacuole.

c. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the use of adult stem cells.

d. Explain the role of decomposers in an ecosystem.

3. Native oyster populations are decreasing where rivers meet the ocean along the northwest coast of North
America. These oyster populations are being attacked by a gastropod.

It is known that oysters and gastropods have hard parts composed of calcium carbonate and that ocean
acidification is increasing. Studies were carried out using juvenile oysters and gastropods to investigate the
effects of acidification on the decrease in the population of oysters.

The first step was to raise oysters in two different mesocosms. One had seawater at a normal concentration of
CO2 and the other had sea water with a high concentration of CO2. Gastropods were raised in two further
mesocosms with normal and high CO2 concentrations respectively.

A juvenile gastropod will attack a juvenile oyster by using its tongue-like structure (radula) to drill a hole
through the oyster shell. Once the hole has been drilled, the gastropod sucks out the soft flesh. Researchers
investigated the shell thickness at the site of the drill hole in relation to the size of the oyster. The results are
seen in this graph.
Equal numbers of oysters raised in seawater with a normal CO2 concentration and in seawater with a high
CO2 concentration were then presented together to the gastropod predators in seawater with a normal
CO2 concentration. The same numbers of oysters from the two groups were also presented together to the
gastropods in seawater with a high CO2 concentration. The bar charts show how many of the oysters were
drilled by the gastropods and the mean size of drilled oysters.

a. Outline how acidified sea water could affect the shells of the oyster.

b. Outline the trends shown in the data in the graph.

c. Estimate how much smaller drilled oysters raised in seawater at a high CO2 concentration were than drilled
oysters raised in seawater at a normal CO2 concentration.

d.i. Deduce from the data in the bar charts which factors were and were not correlated significantly with the
number of oysters drilled by the gastropods.

d.ii. Suggest reasons for the differences in the numbers of oysters drilled, as shown in the bar charts.diii

d.iii. The radula in a gastropod is hard but not made of calcium carbonate. Outline how this statement is
supported by the drilling success of the gastropods in seawater with normal or high CO2 concentrations.

e. Using all the data, evaluate how CO2 concentrations affect the development of oysters and their predation
by gastropods.
4.a. Outline the cell theory

b.i..Annotate the electron micrograph of the Escherichia coli cell with the function of the structures labelled I
and II.

b. ii. Calculate the magnification of the electron micrograph.

5. The electron micrograph is of a spore of a fungus (Tilletia controversa) which affects wheat.

a. Determine the magnification of the spore in the electron micrograph. The scale bar represents 1 µm. Show
your working.
b. Explain the importance of surface area to volume ratio as a limit to cell size.

6.a. Describe the characteristics of stem cells that make them potentially useful in medicine.

b. Outline the inheritance of a named sex-linked condition in humans.

c. Explain the use of karyotyping in human genetics.

7. a. Draw a labelled diagram to show the structure of membranes.

b. Explain the importance of surface area to volume ratio as a factor limiting cell size.

8. a. State the property of stem cells that makes them useful in medical treatment.

b. Explain how multicellular organisms develop specialized tissues.

c. Outline some of the outcomes of the sequencing of the human genome.

9. Discuss the endosymbiotic theory for the origin of eukaryotes.

10. The diagram shows some of the later stages in the origin of eukaryotic cells according to the endosymbiotic
theory.

Discuss the endosymbiotic theory including the evidence for the process shown in the diagram.
11. Discuss the evidence supporting the endosymbiotic theory for the origin of eukaryotes.

12. The hypothesis that aging involves loss of brain cells was investigated in mice. The olfactory bulb (OB) of
the brain was studied because its layered arrangement of neurons resembles large regions of the human
brain. Sensory input about smell is sent to the OB by axons of receptor cells that line the upper nasal cavity.
These axons synapse with relay neurons in the OB where interpretation of smell perception begins. The bar
charts show the total volume of neurons in the OB and the density of synapses (number of synapses per unit
area) in two regions of a mouse’s OB.

a. State when the total volume of OB neurons is the greatest.

b. Compare the total synapse density of neurons in the outer and inner OB layers.

c. Evaluate, using the data in the bar charts, the hypothesis that aging involves loss of brain cells.

d. Suggest the implications of the data for humans.

13. Discuss the endosymbiotic theory for the origin of eukaryotes.