Answer ALL questions.

1 In a class practical, a student had studied cell division (mitosis) in onion roots.
(a) The student was shown the diagram below of a longitudinal section of a root tip.
Place a cross in the box next to the letter showing the zone where mitosis takes
place.
(1)



 A



 B




 C


ar


 D



(b) Her teacher gave her the photograph below and asked her to identify cells
undergoing mitosis.
pTl
mF
xReA
De

(i) Draw lines to all the cells that are undergoing mitosis and label them M.
(2)
(ii) Draw a line to a cell which is in anaphase and label it A.
(1)

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 Give one reason why you chose this cell.
(iii)
(1)

................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................................................................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................................................................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................................................................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(c) She decided to investigate how many cells were undergoing cell division in
different areas of a root.
She grew some onion roots in a conical flask containing water, as shown in the
diagram below.

Onion

Roots
r
la
FpT

Water
em
A

(i) In class, she had prepared a root tip squash.

To see the chromosomes in the cells, she had to stain them and observe them
using a microscope.
exR

Name a suitable stain for observing chromosomes.

(1)

................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................................................................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
D

D
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 (ii) She counted the number of cells undergoing mitosis and the total number of
cells in the field of view and calculated the mitotic index.
The formula is shown below.

Number of cell undergoing mitosis

Mitotic index = × 100%
Total numbber of cells viewed

Calculate the mitotic index for the root cells shown in the photograph below.
There is a total of 84 cells.
Show your working.
(3)

ar
pTl
mF
xReA
De

Answer = .......................................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . %

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 (d) The student determined the mitotic index of cells at five distances from an onion
root tip. She repeated this procedure on another five root tips.
Her results are shown in the table below.

Distance Mitotic index (%) Standard

from root tip deviation
/ mm Root section number (SD)
Mean
1 2 3 4 5 6
0.1 11.5 11.0 10.7 10.6 11.7 10.9 11.1 0.4
0.3 9.4 8.9 7.8 9.9 9.7 8.9 9.1 0.8
0.5 8.1 8.9 7.6 7.7 8.4 7.5 8.0 0.5
0.9 4.0 3.9 3.6 4.2 4.4 3.7 4.0 0.3
1.1 3.0 2.9 3.2 3.3 2.7 2.9 3.0 0.2

r
la
FpT
em
A
exR
D

D
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 (i) Plot the distance from the root tip, mean mitotic index and standard
deviations (SD) in a suitable graphical form.
Draw a straight line of best fit through the points.
(5)

ar
pTl
mF
xReA
De

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 (ii) Use your line of best fit to predict the distance from the tip at which there will
be no mitosis. Write your prediction below.
(1)

Answer = ....................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . mm
(iii) State the relationship between mean mitotic index and distance from the root
tip.
(1)

................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................................................................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................................................................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(iv) The student was confident that there is a difference between the mean mitotic
index at 0.5 mm and the one at 0.9 mm. She was not confident that there is a
difference between the mean mitotic index at 0.3 mm and the one at 0.5 mm.
Using the information in the table, suggest why she thought this.
(4)

................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................................................................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
r
................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................................................................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
la
................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................................................................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FpT

................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................................................................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................................................................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................................................................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
em
A

................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................................................................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................................................................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................................................................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
exR

................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................................................................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(Total for Question 1 = 20 marks)

D

D
8
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