CIE A Level Biology

Topic Questions

Syllabus Edition

First teaching 2020

Last exams 2024

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4.2 Movement into & out of Cells

11 mark

The diagram represents three possible pathways through a cell surface membrane.

screenshot-2023-05-08-151327

Which process is represented by each arrow?

  1 2 3

A

facilitated diffusion diffusion active transport
B active transport diffusion facilitated diffusion
C facilitated diffusion active transport diffusion
D active transport facilitated diffusion diffusion

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21 mark

Which mode of transport is energy independent?

  • diffusion

  • active transport

  • exocytosis

  • endocytosis

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31 mark

Complete the sentence:

“Plasmolysis occurs when a(n)  ____X____     cell is immersed in a   _____Y_____       solution.”

  X Y
A animal cell pure water
B animal cell strong saline
C plant cell pure water
D plant cell strong saline

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41 mark

Cells require the following molecules for normal functioning:

1

glucose

2

water

3

amino acids

4

oxygen


Which molecules require a protein for transport across the cell surface membrane?

  • 1 only

  • 1 and 3

  • 1, 2 and 4

  • 1, 2, 3 and 4

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51 mark

screenshot-2023-05-08-153900

What form of cellular transport is shown in the diagram above?

  • exocytosis

  • facilitated diffusion

  • protein pump

  • endocytosis

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61 mark

The following are all examples of cellular transport:

1

bacterium engulfed by phagocytes

2

digestive enzymes being secreted from the pancreas

3

an egg cell taking up liquid nutrients from follicle cells

4

the release of neurotransmitters from the presynaptic neuron


Which examples require bulk transport?

  • 1 and 2

  • 1 and 3

  • 1, 2 and 4

  • 1, 2, 3 and 4

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71 mark

Which of the following statements regarding membrane transport is false?

  • a protein channel is specific to one type of solute

  • proteins are not transported across cell membranes

  • polar and charged solutes will not cross the cell membrane

  • glucose is always actively transported by protein carriers

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81 mark

“Diffusion is a result of…”

Which option correctly completes the sentence?

  • cellular energy forcing molecules to collide with each other.

  • cellular energy moving molecules across a partially permeable membrane.

  • molecules constantly moving and colliding with each other.

  • molecules being attracted to each other.

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91 mark

Substance X moves through a protein channel into a cell. 

Which statement best describes substance X and it’s movement?

  • oxygen moving via osmosis down its concentration gradient

  • glucose moving via diffusion down its concentration gradient

  • sodium ion moving via active transport against its concentration gradient

  • chloride ion moving via facillitated diffusion down its concentration gradient

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101 mark

The movement of water is dependent on the water potential either side of a partially permeable membrane. 

What is the correct equation for calculating the total water potential (Ψ) from solute potential (Ψs)and pressure potential (Ψp)?

  • Ψs × Ψp = Ψ

  • Ψs ÷ Ψp = Ψ

  • Ψs + Ψp = Ψ

  • Ψs – Ψp = Ψ

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11 mark

The fluidity of the cell surface membrane can be altered by a variety of factors.

Which process would be least changed if the fluidity of cell surface membranes is decreased?

  • endocytosis

  • osmosis

  • diffusion

  • active transport

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21 mark

The diagram shows an experiment constructed by a student to measure the water potential of beetroot cells. The results are shown in the table below. 

screenshot-2023-05-09-131008

Concentration of sucrose solution (mol dm-3) Water potential of sucrose solution (kPa) Direction and Speed of Droplet Movement
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
-251





-1876
down, very quickly
down, quickly
down, slowly
laterally
up, slowly
up, quickly
up, very quickly

What is the water potential of the beetroot cells?

  • -251

  • -793

  • -1083

  • -1876

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31 mark

An aerobic cell stops responding to growth regulation signals, causing the volume of the cytoplasm to increase and the cell to grow. Eventually the cell dies. 

Which of the following cell transport methods affects cell growth?

1

diffusion 

2

active transport

3

exocytosis

4

osmosis

  • 1 only

  • 1 and 4 only

  • 2 and 3 only

  • 1, 2 and 3 only

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41 mark

An experiment to calculate the water potential of potato was performed using the following protocol:

  1. Dice potato into 1cm3 cubes.
  2. Add potato cubes to 6 test tubes, each containing solution with a different sucrose concentration.
  3. Wait 12 hours.
  4. Weigh the cubes from each test tube and plot a graph. 

The mean weight of the potato cubes was 2.5g before being added to solution and the graph shows the weights of potato cubes after the experiment. 

screenshot-2023-05-09-173529

What concentration of sucrose has the same water potential as the potato? 

  • 0 M

  • 0.12 M

  •  0.31 M

  • 0.66 M

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51 mark

Two agar blocks of different sizes are produced and universal indicator is added, making the agar turn purple. 

screenshot-2023-05-09-132949

The cubes are then placed in hydrochloric acid solution. Universal indicator turns red in acid. After 10 minutes, the amount of agar that has turned red is measured.   

In which agar block will the rate of diffusion be fastest and why?

  • 1 because the surface area to volume ratio is smaller

  • 1 because the surface area to volume ratio is bigger

  • 2 because the surface area to volume ratio is bigger

  • both will be the same as the surface area to volume ratio is equal

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61 mark

Radish discs were placed in a solution containing Na+ ions. 

The concentration of O2 in the air bubbled through the solution was changed and the rate of Na+ uptake measured. The results are shown.

Concentration of oxygen / % Rate of Na+ uptake / arbitrary units
3.10 31
12.6 64
19.8 83

Which process is responsible for the uptake of Na+ in this experiment?

  • simple diffusion

  • facilitated diffusion

  • osmosis

  • active transport

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71 mark

The diagram shows a glass cylinder within which a partially permeable membrane separates two compartments, G and H, of the same volume (V). 

Each compartment contains saline solution, the concentration (C) in G is double the concentration in H. 

The membrane is attached to a sliding piston.

qp-7-hard-4-2-movement-into-and-out-of-cells-cie-ial-biology

Which equations correctly describe the concentration and volume of compartments when osmotic equilibrium is reached?

  • CG = 2CH  and  VG = 2VH

  • CG = CH   and  VG = VH

  • CG = 2CH   and  VG = VH

  • CG = CH   and  VG = 2VH

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81 mark

Four solutions are made, each containing 15 g l-1 of a molecule. Which molecule would produce the solution with the lowest water potential?

  • starch

  • DNA

  • glucose

  • insulin

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91 mark

The graph shows how the concentration of a substance affects its rate of absorption into a cell. 

screenshot-2023-05-09-134707

Substance X enters by simple diffusion, substance Y by facilitated diffusion. 

Why does the curve for substance Y plateau above a certain concentration?

  • ATP production rate reaches a maximum level

  • The concentration of Y reaches equilibrium on each side of the membrane

  • Carrier proteins are saturated

  • The membrane because impermeable to Y at a certain concentration

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101 mark

The cell walls of three plant cells, X, Y and Z, are in contact with each other. The water potentials inside each cell are shown in the table

Cell Water potential (kPa)

X

Y

Z

-900

-300

-600

How will water move by osmosis between the cells?

  • Z to X           Y to Z           X to Y

  • Y to X           Z to Y           X to Z

  • X to Z           Y to Z           Z to Z

  • Y to Z           Y to X           Z to X

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11 mark

A student places an animal cell and a plant cell into distilled water and notes down the following observations. 

Animal cell: swells then bursts
Plant cell: swells 

What is the reason for this difference?

  • plant cell surface membranes are partially permeable

  • animal cells have no vacuole

  • animal cells have no cell wall

  • plant cell walls are freely permeable

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21 mark

The water potential of sea water is approximately –2500 kPa. Halophytes are plants that are able to survive in regions where they are regularly exposed to sea water. 

Which adaptation would you expect halophytes to have to enable them to live in this environment?

  • root hair cells with a very high water potential

  • leaves that have a large surface area and a thick cuticle

  • root hair cells which accumulate salts and other solutes

  • a high density of stomata that are open most of the time

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31 mark

A model to demonstrate the mass flow hypothesis of translocation is illustrated in the diagram.

screenshot-2023-05-08-210843

In a plant, what are the structures W, X, Y and Z and what is the direction of flow of solution along X?

  phloem xylem roots leaves direction of flow along X
A W X Y Z from Y to Z
B W X Z Y from Y to Z
C X W Y Z from Z to Y
D X W Z Y from Z to Y

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41 mark

An artificial partially permeable membrane called visking tubing can be used to demonstrate diffusion. The pores in the membrane are approximately 2.4 nm in diameter which allows glucose molecules to pass through. 

Which of the following could pass through the pores?

1 haemoglobin
2 bacteria
3 glycogen
4 ribosomes

  • 1 and 4 only

  • 3 only

  • 2 and 3 only

  • none of these

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51 mark

Some viruses bind to the cell surface membrane before entering the host cell.

Which sequence of events results in a viral invasion of a cell?

  • binding to the hydrophilic part of a phospholipid, followed by exocytosis

  • binding to a glycoprotein receptor, followed by exocytosis

  • binding to a protein receptor, followed by endocytosis

  • binding to a cholesterol molecule, followed by endocytosis

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61 mark

The diagram represents the phloem pathway and adjacent cells from leaf to root in a plant.

screenshot-2023-05-08-212233

 

What process is occurring between 1 to 2 and what is the effect on the water potential at 2?

  process from 1 to 2 water potential at 2
A active transport of sucrose becomes less negative
B active transport of sucrose becomes more negative
C diffusion of sucrose becomes less negative
D diffusion of sucrose becomes more negative

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71 mark

Diagrams 1, 2 and 3 show red blood cells in different states after each being submerged in a different solution.

screenshot-2023-05-08-213023

What is the correct order of the water potential of each solution from lowest to highest? 

  • 1 < 2 < 3

  • 3 < 1 < 2

  • 2 < 3 < 1

  • 2 < 1 < 3

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81 mark

Various factors affect the rate of diffusion of molecules.

Which conditions would result in the fastest rate of diffusion?

 

difference in concentration
(mmol dm–3)

temperature (°C)

surface area :
volume ratio
molecule
A 1 25 4 sodium
B 5 15 2 glucose
C 10 35 0.5 water
D 20 20 3 oxygen

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91 mark

Which of the following membrane proteins does not undergo a conformational change to perform its function? 

  • voltage gated aquaporin

  • sodium-glucose symporter 

  • ATP-ase proton pump

  • non-gated channel protein

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101 mark

Two solutions are separated by a partially permeable membrane. The two solutions have a different concentration of glucose (black dots).

screenshot-2023-05-08-214929

Which of the following best describes what will happen to the amount of glucose, volume of water and concentration of solution? 

  Solution Amount of glucose Volume of Water Concentration
A

1

2

remains constant

remains constant

decreases

increases

increases

decreases

B

1

2

increases

decreases

remains constant

remains constant

increases

decreases

C

1

2

remains constant

remains constant

increases

decreases

decreases

increases

D

1

2

decreases

increases

increases

decreases

remains constant

remains constant

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