Cambridge International Examinations

Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education

BIOLOGY (US) 0438/11

Paper 1 Multiple Choice (Core) October/November 2017
45 minutes
Additional Materials: Multiple Choice Answer Sheet
Soft clean eraser
*3127983366*

Soft pencil (type B or HB is recommended)

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

Write in soft pencil.

Do not use staples, paper clips, glue or correction fluid.
Write your name, Center number and candidate number on the Answer Sheet in the spaces provided
unless this has been done for you.
DO NOT WRITE IN ANY BARCODES.

There are forty questions on this paper. Answer all questions. For each question there are four possible
answers A, B, C and D.
Choose the one you consider correct and record your choice in soft pencil on the separate Answer Sheet.

Read the instructions on the Answer Sheet very carefully.

Each correct answer will score one mark. A mark will not be deducted for a wrong answer.
Any rough working should be done in this booklet.
Electronic calculators may be used.

This document consists of 15 printed pages and 1 blank page.

IB17 11_0438_11/FP
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1 Which process in plant cells uses chlorophyll?

A growth
B nutrition
C movement
D respiration

2 The table shows the scientific names of four members of the cat family.

common name scientific name

leopard Panthera pardus

lion Panthera leo
ocelot Leopardus pardalis
tiger Panthera tigris

Which statement is correct?

A All four cats are members of the same species.

B The leopard and the ocelot are members of the same genus.
C The leopard, lion and tiger are members of the same genus.
D The leopard, lion and tiger are members of the same species.

3 The diagram shows a type of tooth.

crown

root

Use the key to identify the tooth.

1 the root is divided into two parts ............................................................... go to 2

the root is not divided into two parts ......................................................... go to 3
2 the height of the crown is greater than the length of the root ................... A
the height of the crown is less than the length of the root ........................ B
3 flattened crown ......................................................................................... C
ridged crown ............................................................................................. D

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4 The diagram shows a student’s drawing of guard cells.

Which label is not correct?

A cell membrane

B cytoplasm

C vacuole

D cell wall

5 The diagrams show a leaf and its internal structure.

What are the levels of organization of the labeled structures?

1 2 3

A cell tissue organ system

B organ cell tissue
C organ system tissue cell
D tissue cell organ

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6 The diagram shows an insect as seen using the low power lens of a microscope.

The actual diameter of the circle is 0.3 cm.

What is the approximate size of this insect in millimeters?

A 0.1 mm B 1.0 mm C 2.0 mm D 3.0 mm

7 The diagram shows part of a section through a leaf.

Which arrow represents the diffusion of oxygen during photosynthesis?

B A
leaf cells
xylem

8 What helps to support plants?

A pressure inwards on the cell vacuoles

B pressure inwards on the chloroplasts
C pressure outwards on the cell walls
D pressure outwards on the nuclei

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9 Which of these is digested by protease?

A key
B amino acid
glucose
C
chemical bond
D

10 Which enzyme is used to produce clear apple juice?

A amylase
B lipase
C pectinase
D protease

11 What is the optimum pH for stomach enzymes?

A pH 2 B pH 7 C pH 9 D pH 12

12 What are the raw materials necessary for photosynthesis?

A carbon dioxide and water

B light and a suitable temperature
C oxygen and carbon dioxide
D water and a suitable temperature

13 In plants, which substance contains magnesium ions?

A cellulose
B chlorophyll
C hemoglobin
D starch

14 What must be increased in the diet of a person suffering from constipation?

A fats
B fiber
C iron
D protein

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15 Which chemical reaction takes place in the mouth?

A Fats are digested into fatty acids and glycerol.

B Fats are digested into simpler sugars.
C Starch is digested into simpler sugars.
D Starch is digested into amino acids.

16 The diagram shows the human alimentary canal, with a string marked in meters beside it.

esophagus
0

3
string marked
in meters
4

9 anus

How long is the small intestine?

A 2m B 6m C 8m D 9m

17 What is a description of transpiration?

A exchange of gases between the leaf and the atmosphere

B loss of water vapor from the leaves and stems of a plant
C movement of water from the roots to the leaves
D movement of water through the cells of the leaf

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18 Which tissue transports water from the roots to the leaves in a plant?

A cortex
B epidermis
C mesophyll
D xylem

19 On which organ is an ECG performed?

A brain
B colon
C ear
D heart

20 The diagram shows a cross-section through a human blood vessel.

elastic and fibrous

connective tissue

muscle layer

Which type of blood vessel does the diagram show?

A an artery
B a capillary
C a vein
D a ventricle

21 Which are both chemical barriers to the transmission of pathogens?

A mucus and stomach acid

B mucus and white blood cells
C skin and hairs in the nose
D skin and stomach acid

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22 The table shows the approximate composition of inspired and expired air.

percentage of gas percentage of gas

gas
in inspired air in expired air

P 78.10 78.10
Q 20.90 16.00
R variable variable
S 0.04 4.00

What is the name of gas S?

A carbon dioxide
B nitrogen
C oxygen
D water vapor

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23 In an experiment to investigate anaerobic respiration, two bottles are set up in a warm room, as
shown.

P Q
balloon balloon

sugar, yeast yeast

and water and water

What would happen to each balloon after one day?

A B

P Q P Q

C D

P Q P Q

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24 The diagram represents the exchange of gases during breathing and during respiration in the
body.

oxygen
oxygen in blood

X Y

carbon
carbon dioxide
dioxide
in blood

What is represented by X and by Y?

X Y

A lungs air
B lungs body cells
C body cells air
D body cells lungs

25 The table shows information about urea.

Which row is correct?

substance that organ that organ that

urea is made from makes urea excretes urea

A amino acids kidney bladder

B amino acids liver kidney
C fatty acids kidney bladder
D fatty acids liver kidney

26 What is the most important function of sweating?

A to remove excess heat from the body

B to remove excess salts from the body
C to remove excess urea from the body
D to remove excess water from the body

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27 What shows the order in which these structures are involved in a reflex action?

A effector → motor neuron → relay neuron → sensory neuron → receptor

B effector → sensory neuron → motor neuron → relay neuron→ receptor

C receptor → sensory neuron → relay neuron → motor neuron → effector

D receptor → motor neuron → sensory neuron → relay neuron→ effector

28 The diagram shows a person sweating in hot weather.

What part is played by sweat glands during the process of sweating?

A effector
B receptor
C sense organ
D stimulus

29 The diagram shows the gas exchange surface of a person who has just smoked a cigarette.

Substance P can cause cancer.

P
moisture
alveolus wall

What is substance P?

A carbon dioxide
B carbon monoxide
C nicotine
D tar

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30 Which method of birth control works by preventing an egg from being released?

A condom
B contraceptive pill
C monitoring body temperature
D vasectomy

31 Which environmental factor is not always a requirement for seed germination?

A light
B oxygen
C suitable temperature
D water

32 Four processes involved in labor and birth are shown.

1 cutting the umbilical cord

2 contraction of muscles in the uterus wall

3 dilation of the cervix

4 passage of the baby through the vagina

In which sequence do these events normally occur?

A 2→3→1→4

B 2→3→4→1

C 3→2→1→4

D 3→2→4→1

33 In some mammals the allele for brown coat color is dominant to the allele for white coat color.

Which percentage of offspring will be white if a cross is made between two heterozygous
mammals?

A 0% B 25% C 50% D 100%

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34 Which term is defined as a length of DNA that codes for a protein?

A amino acid
B chromosome
C gene
D mutation

35 What makes tongue rolling an example of discontinuous variation?

A A person can roll their tongue only when they are young.
B There are many different types of tongue rollers.
C Tongue rolling has to be learnt.
D Tongue rolling is something that a person either can or cannot do.

36 What is shown by the widest block in a pyramid of numbers for a grassland ecosystem?

A all the consumers in the pyramid

B the carnivores in the pyramid
C the organisms at the top of the pyramid
D the producers in the pyramid

37 A food chain is shown.

potato plant → slug → hedgehog

By which process is energy transferred from the potato plant to the slug?

A egestion
B excretion
C ingestion
D photosynthesis

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38 A farmer put some fertilizer on his field. Some of the fertilizer drained into a nearby lake.

land with fertilizer

lake
plants

What is the effect of the fertilizer on the growth of the crop plants in the field and the plants in the
lake?

crop plant lake plant

growth growth

A decreased decreased
B decreased increased
C increased decreased
D increased increased

39 The diagrams show the depth and rate of breathing in a person at 12.00 pm and 1.00 pm.

12.00 pm 1.00 pm

0.5 dm3
volume
volume

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
time / seconds time / seconds

What happens to the person’s breathing between 12.00 pm and 1.00 pm?

depth rate
of breathing of breathing

A decreases decreases
B decreases increases
C increases decreases
D increases increases

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40 The table shows the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in three different years.

year 1930 1980 1990

carbon dioxide / parts per million 300 330 370

What is the most likely cause of this change?

A destruction of rainforests
B increased use of fertilizers containing nitrogen
C pollution of air by sulfur dioxide
D rise in the sea level

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