Biology – Form 3 Secondary – Track 3 – 2016 Page 1 of 12

DIRECTORATE FOR QUALITY AND STANDARDS IN EDUCATION

Department of Curriculum Management

Educational Assessment Unit

Annual Examinations for Secondary Schools 2016

BIOLOGY – FORM 3

TIME: 2 HOURS

NAME:_____________________________ CLASS: ___________________________

Question

No.

Section A Section B

1

2

3

4

5

6

1

2

3

4

5

Max

mark

9 9 10 9 9 9 15 15 15 15 15

Actual

mark

TOTAL

MARK

85% Theory Paper 15% Practical 100% Final Score

Track 3

Page 2 of 12 Biology – Form 3 Secondary – Track 3 – 2016

Section A

Answer ALL questions in this section.

1a. A lab scientist recorded his observations of an animal cell as seen under a light microscope. His

diagram is being reproduced below.

i. Describe the main function of the structure labelled D.

_________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________ (2)

ii. Name one molecule present in the structure labelled C.

______________________________________________________________________ (1)

iii. Explain why structure A is referred to as semi-permeable.

_________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________ (2)

iv. Give one property of the area labelled B.

______________________________________________________________________ (1)

b. Explain the importance of each step taken by the lab scientist while using the light microscope

in order to obtain a clear image as shown above.

i. changing the objective lens to the lowest power;

______________________________________________________________________ (1)

ii. adjusting the mirror;

______________________________________________________________________ (1)

iii. turning the course focusing knob very slowly.

______________________________________________________________________ (1)

Total: 9 marks

Biology – Form 3 Secondary – Track 3 – 2016 Page 3 of 12

2. The four organisms below labelled A, B, C and D possess an exoskeleton.

A B

C D

a. i. Name the classes that organisms A and B belong to.

Organism A: ___________________________________________________________ (1)

Organism B: ___________________________________________________________ (1)

ii. Mention one visible feature that helped you classify organisms A and B.

______________________________________________________________________ (1)

b. i. Give two functions of the exoskeleton.

_________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________ (2)

ii. Explain how these organisms grow in spite of the exoskeleton.

_________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________ (2)

c. Organism C undergoes complete metamorphosis. Explain.

____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________ (2)

Total: 9 marks

Page 4 of 12 Biology – Form 3 Secondary – Track 3 – 2016

3. Many local evergreen plants show adaptations that limit water loss by transpiration.

a. Explain how transpiration is beneficial to plants.

____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________ (2)

b. Name two environmental factors that can affect the rate of transpiration in plants.

____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________ (2)

c. Describe two adaptations that help plants limit water loss by transpiration.

____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________ (2)

d. The Bear’s Breeches, a plant increasingly found in Maltese valleys, has an extensive root

system that allows high water and mineral absorption from the soil.

i. Name the cells that increase the surface area in plant roots even further.

______________________________________________________________________ (1)

ii. In the space below draw a labelled diagram of the cells you named above.

(3)

Total: 10 marks

Biology – Form 3 Secondary – Track 3 – 2016 Page 5 of 12

4. Athlete's foot is a common infection caused by a microscopic fungus that lives on the dead

epidermal tissue of the skin. It reproduces asexually by fragmentation of the mycelium.

a. i. Name two other asexual methods of reproduction adopted by some fungi.

_________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________ (2)

ii. Name the fungal structures that form a mycelium.

______________________________________________________________________ (1)

iii. Not all fungi are as harmful as athlete’s foot. Name two ways fungi can be beneficial to

humans.

_________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________ (2)

b. i. Explain the importance of having dead tissue as the first layer of the skin.

_________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________ (2)

ii. Underneath the epidermis the skin has a layer with a dense capillary network. Name this

layer.

______________________________________________________________________ (1)

iii. These capillaries supply the necessary substances to the skin cells. Name one other

function of these capillaries.

______________________________________________________________________ (1)

Total: 9 marks

Page 6 of 12 Biology – Form 3 Secondary – Track 3 – 2016

5. An onion was forgotten in a dark kitchen cupboard. It was found 20 days later with a shoot

growing as shown in the image on the right.

a. Describe the growth pattern exhibited by the onion shoot.

____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________ (2)

b. Name the biological process that drove the onion shoot to grow in this way.

__________________________________________________________________________ (1)

c. Explain in detail how this growth pattern is brought about during the biological process named

above.

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________ (3)

d. Had the onion been forgotten in a well-lit environment instead of a dark cupboard it would

have not been possible to answer ‘question b’. State whether you agree with this statement

providing a reason for your answer.

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________ (3)

Total: 9 marks

Biology – Form 3 Secondary – Track 3 – 2016 Page 7 of 12

6. Thousands of olive trees in southern Italy, are being destroyed by Xylella fastidiosa, a bacterium

that uses an insect as a vector. The rod-shaped bacterium does not have a flagellum and lives by

sucking water and minerals from the xylem of the olive trees.

a. Give the biological term that best describes a bacterium that causes disease.

__________________________________________________________________________ (1)

b. Name one other method of bacterial transmission other than by vectors.

__________________________________________________________________________ (1)

c. Explain why this bacterium is not very mobile.

__________________________________________________________________________ (1)

d. Name two ways by which a bacterial cell such as Xylella fastidiosa differs from a eukaryotic

cell.

____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________ (2)

e. Explain why the baterium would not be able to live on a bryophyte.

____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________ (2)

f. Not all bacteria are harmful like Xylella fastidiosa. Give two examples to support this

statement.

____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________ (2)

Total: 9 marks

Page 8 of 12 Biology – Form 3 Secondary – Track 3 – 2016

Section B

Answer Question 1 and any two other questions.

Answer the questions of Section B on a foolscap.

1.

Maltese bug-like orchid found

It may look like an insect, but the Swollen Chest Bee Orchid is one of the most recently

discovered flowering plants in Malta. It was given the scientific name, Ophrys tumentia. It now

joins some 40 other species of wild orchids in Malta, half of which are very rare.

A single orchid flower can generate over one million seeds but only a very low percentage of

these germinate. Orchid seeds are dispersed by the wind and only a few land on a suitable

substrate.

The swollen chest bee orchid – or ‘dubbiena ta’ sidirha kbir’ in Maltese – is mainly found in

just a couple of locations, with the largest populations appearing in Mellieħa, Wardija and

Nadur.

adapted from http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150724/local/maltese-bug-like-orchid-found.577800

a. For the Swollen Chest Bee Orchid mentioned above, name the:

i. division; (1)

ii. genus, (1)

b. Explain the importance of referring to this plant by its scientific name rather than by its English

or Maltese names. (2)

c. Give one advantage and one disadvantage of these orchids generating millions of seeds. (2)

d. Give one advantage for this orchid using wind to disperse seeds. (1)

e. Orchid seeds have one extremely small cotyledon keeping each seed very light.

i. Explain why orchid seeds should not be buried very low in the soil. (2)

ii. Explain the importance of keeping seed weight to a minimum. (1)

iii. Name the type of root system you would expect orchids to have. (1)

iv. Describe the appearance you would expect orchids leaves to have. (2)

f. A relatively high percentage of land in Mellieha is not built up. Explain how this affects

biodiversity in the area. (2)

Total: 15 marks

Biology – Form 3 Secondary – Track 3 – 2016 Page 9 of 12

2a. The Moorish Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica) has brownish grey dry scales. It is carnivorous and

hunts mainly insects. It lays two near-spherical eggs with leathery shells twice a year. A local

biologist lately discovered that sometimes Moorish Geckos are harmed by a mite found living on

its head.

i. Using information from the text above, name the vertebrate class the Moorish Gecko belongs

to, giving two reasons for your answer. (3)

ii. Using information from the text above, name two feeding relationships explaining how the

Moorish Gecko is involved in these relationships. (4)

b. The graph below shows how the body temperature of the Moorish Gecko and that of its

surrounding environment vary during the day.

i. Describe how the Gecko’s and the environment’s temperatures are varying during the course

of the day. (4)

ii. State whether the Gecko is ectothermic or endothermic. (1)

iii. Describe the appearance of a graph showing the relationship between time and the body

temperature of a human. (1)

c. The Turkish Gecko is the only other species of gecko on the Maltese islands. Its diet is similar to

that of the Moorish Gecko and very often they end up competing for food.

i. Name this type of competition. (1)

ii. Other than for food, name one other thing that organisms compete for. (1)

Total: 15 marks

Gecko’s Body

Temperature

Environment’s Air

Temperature

Page 10 of 12 Biology – Form 3 Secondary – Track 3 – 2016

3. Observations during an experiment used to simulate movement of water in living things, showed

that water moved from a beaker filled with pure water into a tube filled with a sucrose solution.

a. i. Name the process by which water moved from the beaker into the tube. (1)

ii. Give one property of the material the tube must be made up of to allow movement of water

across. (1)

iii. Name the organelle in a cell that would have similar properties to the material of the tube.

(1)

iv. Give one reason why sucrose does not leak out of the tube into the beaker. (1)

v. State whether the sucrose solution is hypotonic, hypertonic or isotonic as compared to pure

water. (1)

b. i. An Amoeba lives in fresh water where it is all the time taking in water involuntarily. With

the aid of appropriate diagrams explain in detail how an Amoeba prevents bursting. (5)

ii. Name the biological process described above. (1)

c. Unlike most multicellular organisms, Amoeba does not have a complex digestive system. With

the aid of diagrams explain how an Amoeba obtains its nutrients. (4)

Total: 15 marks

Biology – Form 3 Secondary – Track 3 – 2016 Page 11 of 12

4a. Soil Quality Monitoring Programs (SQMP’s) very often study earthworm and parasitic nematode

populations to learn more about the fertility of soil.

i. State whether a relatively high population of earthworms is positive or negative to soil

fertility. (1)

ii. Give three reasons to confirm your answer. (3)

iii. State whether a relatively high population of parasitic nematodes is positive or negative to

soil. (1)

iv. Give one reason to confirm your answer. (1)

v. Give one physical feature that enables a soil scientist to distinguish between an earthworm

and a nematode. (1)

b. Typically, soil is composed of various components in the proportions shown in the pie chart

below.

i. Name the sector from the pie chart above that would include dry leaves. (1)

ii. Name the sector from the pie chart above that would include stones. (1)

iii. Explain how the percentage of air in soil would change after heavy rainfall giving reasons

for your answer. (2)

iv. Describe an experiment you would perform to confirm the percentage of water in a given

soil sample. (4)

Total: 15 marks

Page 12 of 12 Biology – Form 3 Secondary – Track 3 – 2016

5. Using relevant biological knowledge explain why each one of statements below is incorrect.

a. A virus is the simplest type of bacteria. (3)

b. All molecules enter a cell by diffusion. (3)

c. Fish perform respiration using gills while mammals use lungs. (3)

d. Gymnosperms produce flowers that give rise to seedless fruit. (3)

e. Flowers do not give us an indication on the mode of pollination a plant is adapted to. (3)

Total: 15 marks