UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATIONS

General Certificate of Education

Advanced Subsidiary Level and Advanced Level
*1978982822*

BIOLOGY 9700/34
Paper 32 Advanced Practical Skills May/June 2010
2 hours
Candidates answer on the Question Paper.
Additional Materials: As listed in the Confidential Instructions

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

Write your Centre number, candidate number and name on all the work you hand in.

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Write in dark blue or black pen.
You may use a pencil for any diagrams, graphs or rough working.
Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid.
DO NOT WRITE IN ANY BARCODES.

Answer all questions.

At the end of the examination, fasten all your work securely together.
The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question.
You are advised to spend one hour on each question.

For Examiner’s Use

Total

This document consists of 11 printed pages and 1 blank page.

DC (KN/CGW) 15996/4
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You are reminded that you have only one hour for each question in the practical examination. For
You should read carefully through the whole of each question and then plan your use of Examiner’s
the time to make sure that you finish all the work that you would like to do. Use

You will gain marks for recording your results according to the instructions.

1 Plant cells contain an enzyme, catalase, which catalyses the breakdown of hydrogen
peroxide into oxygen and water.

You are required

• to immobilise the catalase in sodium alginate beads
• to investigate the independent variable, hydrogen peroxide concentration.

When a bead is dropped into hydrogen peroxide it will sink and then the release of oxygen
causes the bead to rise.

You are provided with

• 50 cm3 of 10 % hydrogen peroxide solution, labelled H

• 100 cm3 of distilled water, labelled W
• 10 cm3 of a plant extract containing catalase, labelled P
• 15 cm3 of 2 % sodium alginate solution, labelled S
• 30 cm3 of 1.5 % calcium chloride solution, labelled C.

Proceed as follows:

1. Put 10 cm3 of C into a large test-tube.

2. Put 5 cm3 of S into a small beaker.

3. Put 3 cm3 of P into the same beaker and mix well.

4. Use a 5 cm3 syringe to collect 2 cm3 of the mixture, S and P.

5. Suspend the 5 cm3 syringe over the large test-tube containing C as shown in Fig. 1.1.

gently press down

with thumb

5 cm3 syringe barrel resting on top of large test-tube

mixture S and P

calcium
chloride test-tube
solution, C

Fig. 1.1
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6. Gently press down on the plunger of the 5 cm3 syringe with your thumb to release a For
drop into solution C. The drop should form a bead. Examiner’s
Use
7. Repeat step 6 to make the number of beads that you think you will need.

8. Tip the contents of the large test-tube into a Petri dish or shallow container.

(a) (i) Decide on the concentrations of hydrogen peroxide you will use in your
investigation.

You will need to make up 10 cm3 of each hydrogen peroxide concentration.

Prepare the space below to show

• the concentrations of hydrogen peroxide

• the volumes of hydrogen peroxide
• the volumes of distilled water.

[4]

9. Put 10 cm3 of H into a small test-tube in a test-tube rack.

10. Pick up a bead using blunt forceps.

11. Drop the bead into H and immediately start the stop clock, stop watch or note the
time on a clock.

12. Record the time taken for the bead to reach the surface.

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13. Repeat steps 9 to 12 with each concentration of H that you have chosen to use. For
Examiner’s
(A bead may sink to the bottom of the tube. If it does not rise to the surface after Use

three minutes, stop the experiment and record >3 minutes.)

(ii) Prepare the space below to record your results.

[5]

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(iii) Identify three significant errors in your investigation. For

Examiner’s
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(iv) Suggest how you would make three improvements to this investigation.

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A student investigated the evolution of oxygen during the breakdown of hydrogen For
peroxide. Immediately the catalase and the hydrogen peroxide were mixed, a stop clock Examiner’s
was started and the volume of oxygen released in each minute for five minutes was Use

recorded.

The student’s results are shown in Table 1.1.

Table 1.1

time volume of oxygen collected in each minute / cm3

/ min trial 1 trial 2 trial 3 trial 4 trial 5 mean

1 3.0 2.8 3.0 2.9 2.8 2.9

2 0.6 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.9 0.8

3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.6

4 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.4

5 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.2

(b) (i) Plot a graph of the data shown in Table 1.1.

[4]

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(ii) Describe and explain the results of the student’s investigation. For
Examiner’s
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[Total: 22]

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2 N1 is a slide of a stained transverse section through a plant organ. For

Examiner’s
(a) (i) Draw a large plan diagram of a sector to include only three vascular bundles. Use

Draw a circle around one of the vascular bundles on your plan diagram.

Label the xylem.

[5]

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(ii) Draw three complete cells from the epidermis which are touching. For
Examiner’s
Use

Draw three complete touching cells between the inner edge of a vascular bundle
and the centre of the specimen. This drawing should show any difference in size
observed between these cells and the two epidermal cells.

[4]

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Fig. 2.1 is a photomicrograph of a transverse section of part of an organ from a different For
plant species. Examiner’s
Use

magnification ×110
Fig. 2.1

(b) (i) Calculate the actual length, in μm, of the structure shown by line X.
Show all the steps in your calculation.

Answer .............................................μm [2]

(ii) Using Fig. 2.1, find the mean actual length of these structures.
Prepare the space below and record your results.

[3]

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(iii) Draw a large plan diagram of the specimen as shown in Fig. 2.1. For
Examiner’s
Use

[1]

(iv) Annotate your plan diagram (make notes with label lines) to show three differences
between your diagram and the specimen on slide N1. [3]

[Total: 18]

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© UCLES 2010 9700/34/M/J/10