OCR A Level Biology

Topic Questions

A LevelBiologyOCRTopic Questions6. Genetics, Evolution & Ecosystems6.4 Cloning & Biotechnology

6.4 Cloning & Biotechnology

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1
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Which of the following statements describe(s) examples of natural cloning?

1 Spider plants produce runner stems which develop roots once they reach the ground
2 A farmer takes propagation cuttings from their best-performing tomato plants to replant
3 A human embryo splits early in development to form identical twins

  • 1, 2 and 3

  • Only 1 and 2

  • Only 1 and 3

  • Only 1

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2
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Figure 1 shows the standard growth curve of a hypothetical closed culture of microorganisms. Which letter indicates the log phase?ocr-a-6-4e-standard-growth-curve

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3
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Which of the following is not an example of an advantage of animal cloning?

  • Can be used to protect endangered species

  • The long-term effects are unknown

  • Desirable characteristics can be replicated e.g. for meat farming

  • Cloned animals can be used in drug testing

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4
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What is the definition of continuous fermentation in microorganism culturing?

  • Microorganisms are grown in an open fermenter, where nutrients are added at the start and products removed at the end

  • Microorganisms are grown in a closed fermenter, where nutrients and products are continuously added and removed

  • Microorganisms are grown in an open fermenter, where nutrients and products are continuously added and removed

  • Microorganisms are grown in a closed fermenter, where nutrients are added at the start and products removed at the end

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5
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Which of the following are examples of methods to immobilise enzymes?

1 Encapsulation within a membrane
2 Covalent bonding to an inert surface
3 Mixing the enzyme with a substrate

  • 1, 2 and 3

  • Only 1 and 2

  • Only 2 and 3

  • Only 1

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1
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Bacteria can be cultured using batch or continuous fermentation.

Which of the following statements are true of continuous fermentation?

1 Bacterial population never enters decline phase so yield production can occur continuously
2 Contamination of the product can be easily identified and contained
3 The optimal temperature can be maintained for bacterial enzymes
4 Interspecific competition between bacterial species is less likely

  • 1 and 2

  • 3 and 4

  • 2 and 4

  • 1 and 3

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2
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Which row correctly describes the fermentation process used in cheesemaking?

A Eukaryote added Disaccharide hydrolysed anaerobic respiration Produces ethanol and CO2
B Eukaryote added Disaccharide hydrolysed aerobic and anaerobic respiration Produces ethanol and CO2
C Prokaryote added Disaccharide hydrolysed anaerobic respiration Product separated
D Prokaryote added Disaccharide hydrolysed anaerobic respiration Product mixed

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3
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Both micropropagation and cuttings can be used to produce new plants.
Which of the following statements are true of both of these processes?

1 Microbial contamination is a significant risk
2 All the offspring are genetically identical to each other
3 Growth factors are needed to stimulate the production of different plant tissues
4 The process relies on totipotent tissue in the form of explants

  • 2 and 3 only

  • 1 and 2 only

  • 2, 3 and 4 only

  • 1 and 4 only

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4
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A farmer who sells her milk to the local farm shop is interested in producing a small batch of lactose-free milk for lactose intolerant customers.

Which factor will most influence her decision on how to produce lactose-free milk?

  • Immobilised lactase enzymes make uncontaminated product

  • Immobilised lactase enzymes are more stable against changes in Ph and temperature

  • Immobilised lactase enzymes can be reused over a long period of time to produce very large volumes of product

  • Soluble lactase enzymes involve less up-front investment

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5
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In insect species such as ants and bees, males are haploid and females are diploid. There is usually only one reproducing female in the colony. Sterile female workers or new queens are produced through sexual reproduction and are 50% related to the queen. All males are 100% related to the queen.
Which of these statements are correct?

1 The queen uses meiosis to reproduce
2 Males use meiosis to reproduce
3 Sexual reproduction increases genetic variability to maximise chances of adaptation in a changing environment
4 Unfertilised eggs will not hatch

  • 1 and 2

  • 1 and 3

  • 1, 2 and 3

  • 1, 3 and 4

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1
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Corals are a group of animals that live on the sea bed close to the surface of the water. Many corals can reproduce both sexually and asexually.

Which of the following statements about asexually-produced coral offspring is not true?

  • All offspring produced from an individual organism will be genetically identical.

  • If a change in the environment harms one of the offspring produced from an individual organism it will probably harm them all.

  • Meiosis occurred in order to produce the offspring.

  • The offspring will tend to thrive if conditions are similar to those present when the parent organism reproduced.

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21 mark

Bacteria are used in many areas of biotechnology.

In which of the following processes, A to D, do bacteria not play an active role?

  • Bioinformatics

  • Bioremediation

  • Cheese-making

  • Manufacturing human insulin

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31 mark

Mycoprotein is a food produced using the fungus Fusarium venenatum.

Which statement about mycoprotein is correct?

  • Production of protein is slower than in animals and plants.

  • Production is dependent on seasons.

  • Waste products can be used as a substrate.

  • There are no ethical issues associated with production.

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4
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Immobilised enzymes can be produced by which of the following methods?

  • Binding enzymes to a soluble matrix.

  • Intermolecular hydrogen bonding of enzymes.

  • Absorbing enzymes onto the surface of a gel.

  • Enclosing enzymes within a partially permeable membrane.

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5
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The last giant Galapagos tortoise died in 2012. Scientists froze some of the tortoise’s cells.

The following statements describe processes involved in potential cloning of the giant Galapagos tortoise using the cells. They are not in the correct order.

  1. A donor egg is enucleated.
  2. The embryo develops into a mature egg, which is incubated.
  3. A somatic cell from the tortoise is defrosted and the nucleus is removed.
  4. Electrofusion of the host cell and new nucleus.
  5. The somatic cell nucleus is inserted into the enucleated oocyte.
  6. The transformed egg divides in vitro.

Which option states the correct order for producing a clone of the giant Galapagos tortoise?

  • 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 2

  • 3, 5, 1, 4, 2, 6

  • 1, 6, 3, 5, 4, 2

  • 3, 1, 5, 4, 6, 2

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6
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Which row correctly describes the different cloning mechanisms?

A. Monozygotic twins are formed from two eggs and two sperm. Embryo twinning is a form of asexual reproduction. Parthenogenesis is advantageous to lizards looking to colonise a new territory. Poplar trees grow suckers that allow vegetative propagation.
B. Monozygotic twins are formed from an embryo which splits into two. Rhizomes grow underground and allow vegetative propagation. Pluripotent embryonic cells could be used to overcome the problem of immune rejection. Parthenogenesis is advantageous to lizards looking to colonise a new territory.
C. Pluripotent embryonic cells could be used to overcome the problem of immune rejection. Parthenogenesis is advantageous to lizards looking to colonise a new territory. Poplar trees grow suckers that allow vegetative propagation. Dizygotic twins are formed when an embryo splits into two.
D. Embryo twinning is a form of asexual reproduction Poplar trees grow suckers that allow vegetative propagation Rhizomes grow underground and allow vegetative propagation. An enucleated egg cell is required in all artificial cloning processes

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7
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β-glucosidases are a diverse group of enzymes which hydrolyse glycosidic bonds and are present in a wide variety of organisms. One of their uses in the food industry is the hydrolysis of bitter compounds during juice extraction to increase the sweetness of the final product. These enzymes are often immobilised when used in the food industry to increase production and save on costs.

Scientists compared the activity of free β-glucosidase to that of immobilised β-glucosidase over a range of different temperatures. Their results are shown in the graph below.

h-4-1

Which of the following would be the most valid comparison between free and immobilised β-glucosidase?

  • Immobilised β-glucosidase activity increases at a faster rate than free enzyme activity for temperatures below the optimum. However, activity decreases at a slower rate for temperatures above the optimum temperature.

  • The activity of free β-glucosidase decreases at a lower rate for temperatures above the optimum, compared to the immobilised enzyme. The activity of immobilised enzymes is 400 % higher than the activity of free enzymes at 60 °C.

  • The activity of immobilised β-glucosidase decreases at a lower rate for temperatures above the optimum, compared to the free enzyme. The activity of immobilised enzymes is 400 % higher than the activity of free enzymes at 60 °C.

  • The activity of free β-glucosidase increases at a faster rate for temperatures below optimum compared to the immobilised enzyme, however, activity decreases at a slower rate above the optimum temperature

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8
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A bacterial enzyme from the species Caldicoprobacter algeriensis can be immobilised onto polymethacrylate beads for the conversion of glucose into fructose in the food industry, as shown in the diagram below.

glucose-isomerase-mcq

What is the name of the enzyme that is immobilised on the polymethacrylate beads?

  • Glucose isomerase

  • Fructose convertase

  • Fructose isomerase

  • Glucose convertase

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9
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The graph shows a standard population growth curve of a species of bacteria used in the production of food.

population-growth-curve-bacteria-mcq

Which of the following statements gives the best explanation for the trend seen at the point labelled X on the graph.

  • The bacterial population has reached its maximum growth rate.

  • The rate of binary fission = rate of death.

  • Bacteria are no longer dividing by binary fission.

  • Death rate > reproduction rate.

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10
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Which of the following statements can be applied to the process of batch fermentation?

  1. Microorganisms are continually grown and products harvested.
  2. A closed culture is required.
  3. Continual provision of nutrients is required.
  4. A fixed volume of growth medium is provided.

  • Only 1 and 2

  • Only 2

  • Only 2 and 4

  • Only 3 and 4

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