Cambridge Past Paper Questions
Browse 23,045questions from 25 years of O-Level & A-Level exams. Click any question to practice.
What is an effect of an increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood?
Two of the requirements of an efficient gas exchange system are a large surface area and a short diffusion distance. Which row correctly describes ...
What defines infectious diseases?
A hurricane destroys a large town on an island. People move away from the town and set up tents, where sanitation is poor. Which disease is most li...
Which statement correctly explains why viruses are unaffected by penicillin?
Which processes characterise the mode of action of phagocytes? 1 antibody production 2 receptor binding 3 endocytosis 4 exocytosis 5 hydrolysis
Table 1.1 lists cell structures that can be found in eukaryotic cells or prokaryotic cells. Some of these cell structures can be found in both type...
Cysteine is an amino acid containing sulfur. Fig. 2.1 shows the structure of the molecule formed by joining two cysteine molecules together. SH H-O...
Fig. 3.1 is a diagram of an area of phloem tissue from a transverse section through the stem of a squash plant, Cucurbita pepo. X Y companion cell ...
Tuberculosis (TB), influenza and polio are examples of infectious diseases.
Pneumonia is a severe lung disease that can interfere with gas exchange. A person with pneumonia can be connected to an ECMO machine. This machine ...
Collagen is the most common structural protein in vertebrates. Collagen provides the skin with flexibility and strength.
(a) You will investigate the effect of different temperatures on the permeability of the cell surface membrane of beetroot cells. Beetroot is a ve...
P1 is a slide of a stained transverse section through a plant root.
Fig. 1.1 is a drawing of a longitudinal section (LS) of a human kidney. [Figure 1.1]
Interferon-alpha (IFN-α) can be produced as a recombinant human protein to treat some types of cancer. The gene IFNA2 codes for IFN-α. One method o...
Salmon can be genetically modified (GM) to produce increased quantities of growth hormone, which is a protein. GM salmon modified in this way have ...
Array comparative genome hybridisation (aCGH) is a technique involving the use of a microarray to analyse a genome or sections of a genome.
Meiosis is described as a reduction division because the number of chromosomes in the daughter cells is reduced by half.
(a) Fig. 6.1 is a diagram of a section through a mitochondrion. [Figure 6.1]
(a) Fig. 7.1 is a diagram representing a synapse between a chemoreceptor cell from a human taste bud and a dendrite of a sensory neurone. [Figure 7.1]
(a) Fig. 9.1 is a diagram of a relaxed sarcomere in striated muscle. [Figure 9.1]
Potatoes are underground organs made by the potato plant, Solanum tuberosum. Fig. 1.1 shows a potato plant. [Figure 1.1] Potatoes contain high quan...
Rice, Oryza sativa, is an important food crop. Rice plants are wind pollinated. Pollen containing the male gamete is transferred by the wind to fem...
A student used a light microscope to observe a blood smear on a microscope slide. An eyepiece graticule was used to measure the diameter of a white...
Which statement explains why it is necessary to use an electron microscope to see the cristae of a mitochondrion?
Some stains can be used to identify cell structures in living cells. A dilute solution of one stain causes the whole cell to appear blue. The blue ...
When mucus is secreted from a goblet cell, these events take place. 1 addition of carbohydrate to protein 2 fusion of a vesicle with the cell surfa...
The diagram shows four biological features. 4 RNA, 1 DNA, 3 70S ribosomes, 2 capsid. Which biological features are present in typical prokaryotes? ...
Which row shows features that occur in dicotyledonous plant cells and also in typical bacterial cells? key ✓ = found in dicotyledonous plant cells ...
Which flow chart outlining the test for non-reducing sugars is correct? [Figure 7.1]
Which diagrams show the release of a water molecule during the formation of a glycosidic bond? [Figure 8.1]
Which molecules have a structural formula that contains C=O bonds? 1 amino acids 2 fatty acids 3 glycerol 4 protein
Which statement about triglycerides is correct?
Many flowers produce a sweet solution called nectar. Bees provided with nectar use enzyme Q to change the nectar into honey. After testing a sample...
The diagram shows the structure of part of a peptidoglycan molecule. [Figure 12.1]
A scientist investigated the progress of two enzyme-catalysed reactions in separate test-tubes, X and Y. Both reactions result in colour changes th...
A student investigated the hydrolysis of lipid in high-fat milk, using the enzyme lipase. • 1 cm³ of enzyme solution was added to 10 cm³ of high-fa...
Where in the cell surface membrane are the carbohydrate chains of glycoproteins and glycolipids mainly located?
Sodium ions can enter cells across the cell surface membrane. Which methods could be used by sodium ions to cross a cell surface membrane and enter...
The diagram shows how an artificial partially permeable membrane was used to separate a 5% sodium chloride solution and a 10% sodium chloride solut...
Agar cubes can be used to demonstrate the effect on diffusion of changing the surface area to volume ratio. Three different agar cubes made using a...
During sperm formation in mammals, part of the structure of each chromosome is replaced with proteins called protamines. This replacement allows th...
The diagram shows the mitotic cell cycle. During which phase do chromosomes condense and become visible? [Figure 21.1]
Which statements correctly describe features of stem cells that are essential for their role in cell replacement and tissue repair? 1 After mitosis...
Which statements are correct for all nucleotides? 1 The nitrogen-containing base is always attached to carbon atom 1 of the pentose. 2 The phosphat...
How many phosphodiester bonds are present in a circular DNA molecule of 2700 base pairs?
Which statements about complementary base pairing are correct? 1 Purines and pyrimidines are different sizes. 2 Complementary base pairing occurs d...