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AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY EXAMINATION BOARD

SECONDARY SCHOOL CERTIFICATE

CLASS X EXAMINATION 2009

Biology Paper I

Time allowed: 35 minutes Marks 25

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Read each question carefully.

2. Answer the questions on the separate answer sheet provided. DO NOT write your answers on the
question paper.

3. There are 100 answer numbers on the answer sheet. Use answer numbers 1 to 25 only.

4. In each question there are four choices A, B, C, D. Choose ONE. On the answer grid black out
the box for your choice with a pencil as shown below.

Correct Way Incorrect Way

1 A B C D 1 A B C D

2 A B C D

3 A B C D

4 A B C D

5. If you want to change your answer, ERASE the first answer completely with a rubber, before
blacking out a new box.

6. DO NOT write anything in the answer grid. The computer only records what is in the boxes

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1. The diagram below shows the microscopic structure of a leaf. Where does an insect feeding on
leaves insert its proboscis to suck the food?

2. The diagram shows the effect of temperature on the rate of transpiration.

Which of the following explains the obtained graph?

A. Increasing temperature decreases the rate of transpiration

B. Transpiration is high on a dry day
C. Temperature is a limiting factor for transpiration
D. Transpiration is a temperature independent process

3. The diagrammatic representation of a mammalian heart is given below.

In which of the blood vessels does the oxygenated blood flow with low pressure?

4. In plants, which of the following is given off as a waste product during day time?

A. Carbon dioxide
B. Oxygen
C. Water
D. Glucose

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5. Which of the following serves as an excretory organ in planaria?

A. Contractile vacuoles
B. Flame cells
C. Malpighian tubules
D. Nephridia

6. Which of the following options correctly relates a type of plant tissue to its function?

Sclerenchyma Parenchyma
A. Rigid support Flexible support
B. Packing material Rigid support
C. Rigid support Packing material
D Packing material Flexible support

7. The bark of a tree is made up of

A. dead epidermis, cortex and heart wood

B. heart wood, xylem and phloem
C. dead epidermis, cortex and cork
D. cortex, cork and xylem

8. The diagram shows the hind limb of a rabbit.

Which option indicates the muscles that straighten the knee joint?

9. A person climbs up stairs which causes an increase in his heart rate. He feels thirsty and takes
a glass of water. Which part of the brain is responsible for controlling such changes in the
body?

A. Medulla oblongata
B. Cerebral hemisphere
C. Hypothalamus
D. Cerebellum

PLEASE TURN OVER THE PAGE

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10. What changes will occur to the size and shape of the lens when a person looks at a near
object?

Size of the lens Shape of the lens

A Short Thick
B Short Thin
C Long Thick
D Long Thin

11. During pregnancy, a smoking mother is most likely to experience

A. decreased ovulation
B. pre-mature birth
C. a sensation of lightness
D. irregular menses

12. Which of the following correctly pairs an organism with its type of reproduction?

Organism Type of Reproduction

A. Rhizopus Binary fission
B. Yeast Budding
C. Spirogyra Spore formation
D. Amoeba Fragmentation

13. The flower of grass is small, colourless with long filaments of stamens. What is the agent of
pollination in such a flower?

A. Wind
B. Water
C. Soil
D. Insects

14. What is the correct sequence of process of development in a frog?

A. Organogenesis growth gastrulation cleavage

B. Gastrulation growth organogenesis cleavage
C. Cleavage gastrulation organogenesis growth
D. Cleavage organogenesis gastrulation growth

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15. The diagram shows a pair of homologous chromosomes with genes.

Which of the following is the allele for gene T?

A. U
B. r
C. R
D. t

16. If a homozygous tall man marries a homozygous dwarf woman what will be the possibility of
tall children in the first generation?

A. 25%
B. 50%
C. 75%
D. 100%

17. A homozygous yellow pea plant was crossed with a green pea plant by Mendel. Two of the
resulting off-spring were then crossed. What is the correct scientific term to apply to the
generation resulting from this cross?

A. F1
B. F2
C. F3
D. F4

18. Which of the following pairs is an example of continuous variation?

A. Height and intelligence

B. Blood group and tongue rolling
C. Height and blood group
D. Intelligence and tongue rolling

19. The farmers in Punjab cross two breeds of buffaloes for improved varieties. Which of the
following terms indicates the farmers’ practice?

A. Natural selection
B. Mutation
C. Artificial selection
D. Evolution

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20. Which of the following is NOT an abiotic factor of the ecosystem?

A. Soil
B. Microbes
C. Water
D. Sunlight

21. The diagram shows a food web of a particular geographical location.

A team of hunters killed most of the rabbits there.

What will be the effect of killing rabbits on the food web?

A. The amount of grass will be decreased

B. The number of foxes will be increased
C. There will be more lions found
D. There will be more grass found

22. The diagram shows the carbon cycle.

At which stage in the carbon cycle is energy being consumed?

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23. The diagram shows mercury poisoning by chemical wastes.

In which of the following will the highest concentration of mercury be found?

A. Water
B. Weeds
C. Fish
D. Villagers

24. A lake in Baluchistan is found with high BOD (biochemical oxygen demand). Which of the
following correctly describes the situation?

A. There are few micro organisms in the lake

B. There is a large amount of dissolved oxygen
C. The lake water is contaminated with sewage
D. The amount of carbon dioxide is quite low

25. The following symptoms have been observed in a patient:

high fever, nausea, fits and stiffness of limbs

Which of the following diseases is the patient most likely to be suffering from?

A. Cholera
B. Measles
C. Influenza
D. Polio

END OF PAPER
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