AQA

GCSE
BIOLOGY
4.1 | Cell Biology
QUESTION PAPER 1
Difficulty
EASY
Time allowed
43 minutes

Score Percentage

/43 %
4.1 | CELL BIOLOGY | QUESTION PAPER 1 1
 Stem cells can be collected from human embryos and from adult bone marrow.
Stem cells can develop into different types of cell.
The table gives information about using these two types of stem cell to treat patients.

Stem cells from human embryos Stem cells from adult bone marrow

It costs £5000 to collect a few cells. It costs £1000 to collect many cells.

There are ethical issues in using embryo Adults give permission for their own
stem cells. bone marrow to be collected.

The stem cells can develop into most The stem cells can develop into only a
other types of cell. few types of cell.

Each stem cell divides every 30 Each stem cell divides every four hours.
minutes.

There is a low chance of a patient’s There is a high chance of a patient’s

immune system rejecting the cells. immune system rejecting the cells.

More research is needed into the use of Use of these stem cells is considered to
these stem cells. be a safe procedure.

Scientists are planning a new way of treating a disease, using stem cells.

Use only the information above to answer these questions.

(a) Give three advantages of using stem cells from embryos instead of from adult bone
marrow.

1 .....................................................................................................................

2 .....................................................................................................................

3 .....................................................................................................................
(3)

(b) Give three advantages of using stem cells from adult bone marrow instead of from
embryos.

1 .....................................................................................................................

2 .....................................................................................................................

3 .....................................................................................................................
(3)
(Total 6 marks)
Human cells and yeast cells have some parts that are the same.

(a) The diagram shows a yeast cell.

Parts A and B are found in human cells and in yeast cells. On the diagram, label
parts A and B.
(2)

(b) Many types of cell can divide to form new cells.

Some cells in human skin can divide to make new skin cells.

Why do human skin cells need to divide?

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

........................................................................................................................
(1)

(c) Human stem cells can develop into many different types of human cell.

(i) Use the correct answer from the box to complete the sentence.

embryos hair nerve cells

Human stem cells may come from

...............................................................................................................
(1)

(ii) Use the correct answer from the box to complete the sentence.
 cystic fibrosis paralysis polydactyly

Human stem cells can be used to treat

...............................................................................................................
(1)
(Total 5 marks)
Figure 1 shows a human cheek cell viewed under a light microscope.

Figure 1

© Ed Reschke/Photolibrary/Getty Images

(a) Label the nucleus and cell membrane on Figure 1.

(2)

(b) Cheek cells are a type of body cell.

Body cells grow through cell division.

What is the name of this type of cell division?

Tick one box.

Differentiation

Mitosis

Specialisation

(1)

(c) Ribosomes and mitochondria are not shown in Figure 1.

What type of microscope is needed to see ribosomes and mitochondria?

.............................................................................................................................
(1)

(d) What is the advantage of using the type of microscope you named in part (c)?
 Tick one box.

Cheaper

Higher magnification

Lower resolution

(1)

(e) The cheek cell in Figure 2 is magnified 250 times.

The width of the cell is shown by the line D to E.

Figure 2

Calculate the width of the cheek cell in micrometres (µm).

Complete the following steps.

Measure the width of the cell using a ruler .......................................... mm

Use the equation to work out the real width of the cell in mm:

real size = ............................................ mm

Convert mm to µm ............................................. µm
(3)

(f) A red blood cell is 8 µin diameter.

A bacterial cell is 40 times smaller.

Calculate the diameter of the bacterial cell.

Tick one box.

0.02 µm

0.2 µm

2.0 µm

20.0 µm

(1)
(Total 9 marks)
Diagram 1 shows the nucleus of a body cell as it begins to divide by mitosis.

Diagram 1

(a) Use a word from the box to label Diagram 1.

alleles chromosomes gametes

(1)

(b) Complete Diagram 2 to show what the nucleus of one of the cells produced by this
mitosis would look like.

Diagram 2

(1)

(c) Stem cells from a recently dead embryo can be grown in special solutions.

Some facts about stem cells are given below.

• Stem cells from an embryo can grow into any type of tissue.

• Stem cells may grow out of control, to form cancers.

• Large numbers of stem cells can be grown in the laboratory.

• Stem cells may be used in medical research or to treat some human diseases.

• Patients treated with stem cells need to take drugs for the rest of their life to
prevent rejection.

• Collecting and growing stem cells is expensive.

Use only the information above to answer these questions.

(i) Give two advantages of using stem cells.

1 ........................................................................................................................

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

2 ........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................
(2)

(ii) Give two disadvantages of using stem cells.

1 ........................................................................................................................

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

2 ........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................
(2)
(Total 6 marks)
 Some students grew one species of bacterium in a flask.

Diagram 1 shows the flask.

The students wanted to find the number of bacteria in 1 cm3 of the culture medium.

The students:

• diluted 1 cm3 of the culture medium from the flask with 999 cm3 of water

• added 1 cm3 of diluted culture to sterilised nutrient agar in a Petri dish

• placed the Petri dish in an incubator at 25 °C.

Diagram 2 shows the Petri dish after 3 days in the incubator.

(a) Each colony of bacteria is formed where one bacterium landed on the agar jelly.

How is each colony formed?

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

........................................................................................................................
(1)
(b) Complete the following calculation to find how many bacteria there were in 1 cm3 of
the undiluted culture.

Number of colonies of bacteria in the Petri dish = ........................................

These colonies were formed from 1 cm3 of the culture diluted × 1000.

Therefore, number of bacteria in 1 cm3 of undiluted culture = .....................

(2)

(c) It is important to sterilise the culture medium and all the apparatus before use.

Explain why.

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

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

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

........................................................................................................................
(2)

(d) The bacteria would grow faster at 35 °C. In a school laboratory, the Petri dish
should not be incubated at a temperature higher than 25 °C.

Why?

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

........................................................................................................................
(1)

(e) The students decided to repeat their investigation.

Why?

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

........................................................................................................................
(1)
(Total 7 marks)
 The diagram shows a strawberry plant.

The parent plant grows side shoots.

New plants grow on the side shoots.

© D.G.
Mackean

The new plants will all have the same inherited characteristics as the original parent plant.

Complete the sentences to explain why.

Use words from the box.

asexual differentiation embryos fertilisation

gametes genes mitosis sexual

(a) The new plant is produced by .....................................................................

reproduction.
(1)

(b) In this type of reproduction, body cells divide by

.............................................................
(1)

(c) The new plant has the same ............................................................. as the parent
plant.
(1)
(Total 3 marks)
 A woman gives birth to triplets.
Two of the triplets are boys and the third is a girl.
The triplets developed from two egg cells released from the ovary at the same time.

The diagram shows how triplets A, B and C developed.

(a) Which stages on the diagram show gametes?

Draw a ring around your answer.

1 and 2 2 and 3 3 and 7 1 and 7

(1)

(b) Embryo B is male.

Which of the following explains why embryo B is male?

Tick ( ) one box.

Cell P has an X chromosome; cell R has an X chromosome.

 Cell P has a Y chromosome; cell R has an X chromosome.

Cell P has an X chromosome; cell R has a Y chromosome.

(1)

(c) The children that develop from embryos A and C will not be identical.

Explain why.

You may use words from the box in your answer.

egg genes sperm

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

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

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

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

.....................................................................................................................................
(2)

(d) Single cells from an embryo at Stage 7 can be separated and grown in a special
solution.

(i) What term describes cells that are grown in this way?

Draw a ring around your answer.

lleles screened cells stem cells

(1)

(ii) What happens when the cells are placed in the special solution?

Tick ( ) two boxes.

The cells divide

The cells fertilise

 The cells differentiate

The cells separate

(2)

(iii) Give one use of cells grown in this way.

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

...........................................................................................................................
(1)

(iv) Some people might object to using cells from embryos in this way.

Give one reason why.

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

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

...........................................................................................................................
(1)
(Total 9 marks)