Section B: Short Answer Questions

Question 1
a.
ATCase, an enzyme, catalyses the conversion of A and B to D
A and B, the substrates, bind to the ACTase active site, and the reaction is catalysed.
D, the product, dissociates from ATCase
b.
i)
As CTP concentration increases, the rate at which D is produced decreases
ii)
The specific three dimensional structure of ATCase is altered when CTP binds
An ATCase molecule to which CTP is bound cannot catalyse conversion of A and B to
D (which is an intermediate in the synthesis of CTP) due to the active site shape
change that occurs when CTP binds
The proportion of ATCase molecules with CTP bound increases as cellular CTP
concentration increases. Fewer ATCase molecules are available to catalyse
conversion of A and B to D; therefore, the rate of this reaction decreases
Since CTP production requires D, the rate of CTP production also decreases
Question 2
Question 3
a.
A hydrophilic hormone (eg. glucagon) binds to a specific receptor embedded in the
cell membrane of a target cell. Due to its poor lipid solubility, the hormone cannot
pass directly through the phospholipid bilayer
This triggers a cascade of chemical reactions that result in a specific cellular response
(ie. signal transduction)
b.
There is a passive net movement of glucose molecules from a region of higher
glucose concentration (inside the cell) to a region of lower glucose concentration
(outside the cell) until dynamic equilibrium is established
This occurs via a carrier protein embedded in the cell membrane
c.
Mitochondria, which are the site of some stages of aerobic respiration (which
produces ATP)
Rate of aerobic respiration in a cell increases when a greater number of
mitochondria are present, which results in more rapid ATP production

Question 4
a.
A pathogen is a disease-causing agent
b.
Draw an antibody with antigen-binding sites complementary to the shape of the
antigen
Label the antigen-binding sites (and heavy and light chains and/or constant and
variable region)
c.
Draw four antibodies, each bound to one or two antigens
d.
Two of the following
- Antibodies agglutinate the pathogen (by binding to antigens on different
cells/particles), restricting movement
- Antibodies mark the pathogen for destruction by phagocytes
- Antibodies neutralise the pathogen, limiting its ability to cause further harm
Question 5
a.
The Rhesus negative mother has genotype dd
If the fetus is Rhesus positive it must have genotype Dd, since it must inherit a d
allele from its mother, and must also have a D allele to be Rhesus positive, which is
the dominant phenotype
The genotype of the father could be Dd (50% chance the fetus will be Rhesus
positive) or DD (100% chance the fetus will be Rhesus positive). The father must be
Rhesus positive
b.
After the mother is exposed to the RhD antigen (during the first birth), plasma cells
in her body synthesise and secrete RhD-specific antibodies
However, by the time this occurs, the child will likely have already been born.
Therefore, these antibodies cannot attack its red blood cells
These antibodies may remain in circulation at the time of the second pregnancy. If
these antibodies can cross the placenta, they will attack the red blood cells of the
fetus and could cause HDN or death
OR

After the mothers first exposure to the RhD antigen (during the first pregnancy),
plasma cells in her body synthesise and secrete RhD-specific antibodies
After second exposure to the RhD antigen (during the second pregnancy), the
concentration of RhD-specific antibodies rises far higher than after the first exposure

Since the fetus in the second pregnancy is exposed to a much higher concentration
of RhD-specific antibodies, the likelihood of HDN occurrence or death is greater

c.
Passive
There is no production of memory cells or antibodies specific to the RhD antigen
within the mothers body when immunoprophylaxis is used
Once the treatment is stopped, the mother is no longer protected against the RhD
antigen if exposure occurs
Question 6
a.

b.

Female worker bee: 32

Male drone bee: 16
These egg cells are produced in a female bee by meiosis
As a result of recombination, independent assortment, etc, these egg cells are
genetically unique
Therefore, the male offspring that develop from these unfertilised eggs are also
genetically unique

c.
The risk of a species becoming extinct following a major calamity is reduced when
there is a high degree of genetic variation
Question 7
a.
This process is translation
The mRNA base sequence is read by a ribosome. Translation is initiated when a
START codon is read
Thereafter, the ribosome matches each mRNA codon with a complementary tRNA
anticodon
The amino acid carried by the tRNA molecule with this particular anticodon
sequence is added to the growing polypeptide (the polymer)
Translation is terminated when the ribosome reads a STOP codon
b.
Each monomer (amino acid) corresponds to 3 nucleotides.
There are 90 amino acids in the polypeptide; therefore, the number of nucleotides in
the mRNA which specify the amino acids in the polymer is 270
However, the three nucleotides which compose the STOP codon must also be
considered. The number of nucleotides in this mRNA molecule involved in coding is
273

Question 8
a.
Draw a pedigree with the following features
- The father is affected (represented with a shaded square) and the mother is
unaffected (represented with an unshaded circle)
- All three daughters will be affected (represented by three shaded circles)
- None of the sons will be affected (represented by three unshaded squares)
b. For the purpose of this question, individuals with the different trait are considered
affected
Autosomal recessive
II5 and II6 (both of whom are unaffected) have produced affected children.
Therefore, the mode of inheritance must be either autosomal recessive or X-linked
recessive
The father of II2/II4 (an affected female) is unaffected. Therefore, the mode of
inheritance must be autosomal recessive. An unaffected father cannot produce
affected daughters when the mode of inheritance is X-linked recessive, as these
females must inherit one allele for the affected condition from their father, who only
has one at this particular gene locus (and therefore he would express the affected
condition)
c.
Although the twins are genetically identical, there will be some phenotypic
differences
Phenotype is under genetic control and, in many cases, influenced by environmental
factors. The twins will interact differently with their environments (eg. differences in
nutrition) during their lifetimes, which is the reason for the observed phenotypic
differences
Question 9
a.

Nucleic acid
Protein
Draw an amino acid and label the amino, carboxyl and R groups
Draw a nucleotide and label the phosphate group, pentose sugar and nitrogenous
base

b.
This karyotype depicts 45 chromosomes (as the result of a monosomy) and is
therefore abnormal
A normal human karyotype will depict 46 chromosomes

Question 10
a.
Male parent: ZR Zr
x
Female parent: Zr W
Offspring:
25% ZR Zr (Red)
25% Zr Zr (Black)
25% ZR W (Red)
25% Zr W (Black)
50% red and 50% black
b.
Male parent: Bb
x
Female parent: b1b
Offspring:
25% Bb (Purple)
25% Bb1 (Purple)
25% b1b (Lilac)
25% bb (White)
50% purple, 25% lilac and 25% white
Question 11
a.
Polymerase chain reaction
Heat the mixture to approximately 90C. DNA molecules in the mixture denature
(the two strands dissociate)
Cool the mixture to approximately 50C. Primers attach to the 3 ends of the
dissociated DNA strands, flanking the region to be amplified
Heat the mixture to approximately 70C. Taq polymerase attaches to the primers
and begins synthesis of the daughter DNA strands.
This process is repeated many times
b.
i.
Sample 3
ii.
Otzi worked for the Italian mafia in their early days. One day, he stabbed at
least three people and got their blood all over his clothes. He was also a
complete klutz, and at some point he accidentally stabbed himself and got his
own blood on his clothes.

c.
Choose a protein common to all species under analysis.
The fewer the number of amino acid sequence differences between two species, the
more recent the divergence of their evolutionary lines from a common ancestor
When the divergence is more recent, there is less time for mutations to accumulate
and therefore the number of amino acid sequence differences is likely to be smaller
than if a greater amount of time had passed
d.
The eyes are higher off the ground. Therefore, predators can be seen from further
away and an appropriate response (eg. fleeing) can occur faster
Reaching into tall trees for food is easier when standing upright. Foods that
previously may have been inaccessible can now be obtained and consumed more
easily
Question 12
a.
A selection pressure is an agent that confers a reproductive advantage to members
of a population with a particular phenotype, and therefore results in differential
reproduction within that population.
Hunting by humans is an example. The fastest Woolly mammoths would be the most
likely to survive, and therefore reproduce later on. These Woolly mammoths are the
most likely to pass their alleles to the next generation
b.
i.
ii.