Student Name: ____________________________________________________________

BIOLOGY 2017
Unit 3
Key Topic Test 5 – Photosynthesis

Recommended writing time*: 45 minutes

Total number of marks available: 45 marks

QUESTION BOOK

* The recommended writing time is a guide to the time students should take to complete this
test. Teachers may wish to alter this time and can do so at their own discretion.
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Conditions and restrictions

 Students are permitted to bring into the room for this test: pens, pencils, highlighters,
erasers, sharpeners and rulers.
 Students are NOT permitted to bring into the room for this test: blank sheets of paper
and/or white out

Materials supplied
 Question book of 12 pages.

Instructions
 Print your name in the space provided on the top of the front page.
 All written responses must be in English.

Students are NOT permitted to bring mobile phones and/or any other unauthorised
electronic communication devices into the room for this test.
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SECTION A – Multiple-choice questions

Instructions for Section A

Answer all questions.
Choose the response that is correct for the question.
A correct answer scores 1, an incorrect answer scores 0.
Marks will not be deducted for incorrect answers.
No marks will be given if more than one answer is completed for any question.

Question 1
Photosynthesis is the process
A. by which plants capture light energy and use it to produce their own organic compounds.
B. by which bacteria capture glucose and use it to produce energy.
C. by which animals produce energy.
D. that only occurs in prokaryotic organisms.

Question 2
Photosynthesis occurs in
A. mitochondria.
B. ribosomes.
C. The golgi apparatus.
D. chloroplasts.

Question 3
The light-dependent stage of photosynthesis occurs in the
A. cristae.
B. thylakoid membrane.
C. stroma.
D. chlorophyll.

Question 4
The light-independent stage occurs in the
A. cristae.
B. thylakoid membranes.
C. stroma.
D. chlorophyll.

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Question 5
In periods of high light intensity the rate of photosynthesis will
A. increase indefinitely.
B. increase until another factor such as carbon dioxide becomes limiting.
C. decrease indefinitely.
D. decrease until another factor such as carbon dioxide becomes limiting..

Question 6
Chloroplasts are thought to have arisen from
A. animal cells.
B. plant cells.
C. fungal cells.
D. cyanobacteria.

Question 7
Green plants have an abundance of chlorophyll and absorb light energy mainly from the
wavelengths of
A. green light.
B. violet light.
C. red light.
D. yellow light.

Question 8
ATP is produced during the light-dependent stage. What is this ATP used for?
A. it is a waste product and is not used for anything.
B. to split water.
C. to provide the energy required for the light-independent stage.
D. to absorb the light energy required for photosynthesis.

Question 9
A major product of photosynthesis is
A. carbon dioxide.
B. ATP.
C. NADPH.
D. glucose.

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Question 10
At what stage of photosynthesis is oxygen released as a by-product?
A. The light-independent stage.
B. The light-dependent stage.
C. During the Calvin cycle.
D. During the Krebs cycle.

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SECTION B - Short-answer questions

Instructions for Section B

Answer all questions in the spaces provided. Write using black or blue pen.

Question 1
An investigation was set up to find out if the concentration of carbon dioxide affected the rate of
photosynthesis. A water plant was placed in each of six test tubes containing water and different
concentrations of hydrogen carbonate. The hydrogen carbonate releases carbon dioxide into the
water. An indicator was added to each test tube. The indicator changes from yellow to green
when oxygen is released. Each test tube was illuminated by a lamp placed behind as shown in the
diagram below.

The time for the indicator to change from yellow to green was recorded and plotted on the chart
below.
25
time for indicator to change colour

20

15
(minutes)

10

0
0.2 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2
concentration of hydrogen carbonate (%)

a. Describe what is occurring at the cellular level in the plant that causes the indicator to change
from yellow to green.

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2 marks

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b. What was the effect of increasing the hydrogen carbonate concentration from 0.2 to 0.4%?

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1 mark

c. At what concentrations of hydrogen carbonate was the rate of photosynthesis highest?

Explain your response.

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3 marks

d. When the concentration of hydrogen carbonate was increased from 1.6 to 2.0% the time
taken for the indicator to change was the same. Explain why this is so.

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2 marks

e. Another student investigated the effect of temperature on the rate of photosynthesis in a

water plant. The results are shown in the following table.

Temperature (°C) Volume of oxygen released

(cm3 per 5 minutes)
5 2
15 4
25 7
35 10
45 12

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Plot these results on the graph below.

3 marks
f. Describe the effect of temperature on the volume of oxygen produced.

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1 mark

g. Name one other factor which influences the rate of photosynthesis.

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1 mark
Total 13 marks

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Question 2
The following diagram shows a green sulfur bacterium. Green sulfur bacteria are anaerobic
photoautotrophic bacteria. Although they have no chloroplasts they are able to photosynthesise
by using infoldings of the cell membrane called ‘chlorosomes’.

a. Write the word equation for the formation of glucose by the green sulfur bacteria.

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1 mark

b. Chloroplasts are specialised photosynthetic organelles found in some eukaryotic cells.

i. Describe the process that is thought to have resulted in the presence of chloroplasts in
photosynthetic eukaryotic cells.

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ii. Name the pigment responsible for capturing light energy during photosynthesis.

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iii. The following diagram represents a chloroplast.

Complete the following table.

Name of structure Stage of Inputs Outputs

photosynthesis
B:

E:

iv. Provide a reason as to why chloroplast might have ribosomes and what advantages this
might confer to the overall functioning of the cell.

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2 + 1 + 8 + 2 = 13 marks
Total 14 marks

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Question 3
Florists often sell cut flowers. A cut flower consists of a stem cutting with some leaves and
flowers. A biologist conducted an experiment to investigate the effects of light intensity on leaf
condition and vase life in cut flowers. The results are shown in the following table.

Light intensity Photosynthetic rate Respiration rate Vase life (days)

(Foot candles) (µL O2 evolved per (µL O2 consumed
hour per cm2 of leaf) per hour per cm2 of
leaf)
400 46 10 11+
200 31 10 11+
100 14 10 11
50 10 10 11
25 3 10 9
13 2 10 8
7 No data No data 8
0 No data No data 7

a. Graph the relationship between light intensity and the rate of photosynthesis in the cut
flowers.

3 marks

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b. In the experiment the rate of photosynthesis increased with light intensity. Explain why this is
so.

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2 marks

c. The rate of respiration was also measured in the cut flowers at varying light intensities.

i. Plot the rate of respiration versus light intensity on the same graph you produced in a.

ii. At a light intensity of 50 foot candles the O2 evolved is the same as the O2 consumed.
What does this mean in terms of the rate of photosynthesis and respiration? Label this
point on the graph above in a.

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1 + 2 = 3 marks
Total 8 marks

END OF KEY TOPIC TEST

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