Bio Mock Paper 02

PAPER 2
SECTION A Human Physiology: Regulation and Control
Answer ALL parts of the question.
1 (a) In an experiment, a healthy man was asked to breathe in warm air of 45 °C for 20 times. The
following graphs show the changes in his internal body temperature and the diameter of
arterioles near the skin surface:

(i) Suggest one way to measure the internal body temperature during the experiment.
(1 mark)
(ii) Explain the mechanism by which the increase in the diameter of arterioles near the skin
surface was brought about during period A. (3 marks)
(iii) What is the significance of the increase in the diameter of arterioles near the skin surface
during the experiment? (3 marks)
(iv) Having a very hot water bath for a long time on a very cold day may cause fainting. What
is the physiological basis for this? (4 marks)

1 (b) The kidney is the organ responsible for urine production. Formation of urine involves two
main processes: ultrafiltration and reabsorption.
(i) Briefly describe the process of ultrafiltration in the glomerulus. (3 marks)
(ii) Explain the mechanism by which water is reabsorbed from the glomerular filtrate to the
blood. (3 marks)
(iii) Explain why the concentration of urea in the urine formed is much higher than that in the
glomerular filtrate, despite the reabsorption of urea along the kidney tubules.(1 mark)
(iv) People having a defective hypothalamus may have low levels of ADH in their blood. They
always produce a large volume of urine. Explain this phenomenon in terms of the action of
ADH. (2 marks)
SECTION B Applied Ecology Answer ALL parts of the question.
2 (a) In Hong Kong, the amount of municipal solid waste generated each year is enormous.
Municipal solid waste includes waste from households, industry and commercial operations.
Recyclable materials are recovered and the rest of the waste is dumped at landfills. Figure 2A
below shows the quantities of recyclable materials recovered from solid waste and waste
disposed of each year from 2005 to 2014. Figure 2B shows the amounts of different types of
materials recovered from waste in 2014.
Figure 2A

Figure 2B

(Data source: Environmental Protection Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region)
(i) With reference to the above figures, state two benefits of recycling. (2 marks)
(ii) In landfills, the action of microorganisms on organic waste would produce a gas. Describe
one use of this gas and one hazard of its emission to the environment. (2 marks)
(iii) To reduce waste disposal, waste reduction at source is very important. Suggest two
measures that the government can take to encourage reduction of waste in the first place.
(2 marks)
(iv) The three landfill sites currently working in Hong Kong will reach their maximum
capacity by 2020. Some people propose that new landfill sites should be set up for
dumping waste. Some suggest that an incinerator should be built for burning waste.
Judging with your biological knowledge, give one reason for and one reason against each
proposal. (4 marks)

2 (b) Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow it.
Horseshoe crabs in Hong Kong
Horseshoe crabs are ancient marine animals that are often referred to as living fossils. There are
four species of horseshoe crabs and three of them are recorded in Hong Kong. Fishermen
occasionally found them in waters off Sai Kung, Lamma Island, Lantau Island and Tolo Harbour.
Juvenile horseshoe crabs usually stay in intertidal habitats, such as sandy beaches and mudflats.
When they become mature, they will move offshore and live in the sea bottom. During breeding
seasons, mature horseshoe crabs move to sandy shores for mating and spawning. The eggs of
horseshoe crabs are easily eaten by shorebirds. Humans also catch horseshoe crabs for food.
Since the late 1980s, horseshoe crabs have disappeared extensively from their habitats such as the
Tolo Harbour.

(i) Explain what is meant by the term 'living fossil'. (1 mark)

(ii) Based on the information given, explain three possible causes for the decline in horseshoe
crab populations in Hong Kong. (3 marks)
(iii) Horseshoe crab populations have been declining globally. Scientists suggest to put
horseshoe crabs in the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora) list.
(1) Explain how placing horseshoe crabs on the CITES list may help prevent their
extinction. (2 marks)
(2) Give two reasons for protecting horseshoe crabs from extinction. (2 marks)
(iv) Describe how captive breeding may be used to increase the populations of horseshoe crab
in Hong Kong. (2 marks)

SECTION C Microorganisms and humans

Answer ALL parts of the question.
3 (a) The following diagram shows the life cycle of a bacteriophage:

(i) Describe the events happening at stages 1 and 2, and state the significance of these events
to the bacteriophage. (5 marks)
(ii) Whether viruses are organisms or not is a controversial issue. Give one reason to support
the view that viruses are living organisms. (1 mark)
(iii) The diagram below shows a nutrient agar plate inoculated with a mixture of E. coli and
bacteriophage after incubation. Explain how the clear zones form. (3 marks)

(iv) Suggest one potential use of bacteriophage in food industry. (1 mark)

3(b) The diagram below shows a 1 000 L industrial fermenter used to grow the fungus
 Penicillium chrysogenum for producing the antibiotic penicillin:

(i) P. chrysogenum needs a supply of carbon and nitrogen. In what forms do these elements
exist in the culture medium respectively? (2 marks)
(ii) Why is it necessary to pump water into the water jacket surrounding the culture?(2 marks)
(iii) Before use, the fermenter must be sterilized. Suggest how the fermenter can be sterilized and
explain the significance of sterilization. (3 marks)
(iv) Describe how the contents harvested from the fermenter are processed before the penicillin
can be used. (2 marks)
(v) Give one advantage of using microorganisms in the production of pharmaceutical products.
(1 mark)
SECTION D Biotechnology
Answer ALL parts of the question.
4 (a) Chronic pancreatitis is the persistent inflammation of the pancreas in which the pancreas
becomes unable to secrete digestive enzymes. Patients suffering form pancreatitis will have
malnutrition if not treated and may have a high risk of pancreatic cancer.
(i) Explain why patients suffering from chronic pancreatitis may produce fatty faeces.
(1 mark)
(ii) To prevent malnutrition, patients with pancreatitis may receive pancreatic enzyme
replacement therapy. They have to take digestive enzyme supplements with each meal.
Traditionally, the enzymes are extracted from pigs' pancreas. Nowadays, scientists can use
recombinant DNA technology to produce human pancreatic enzymes from genetically
modified (GM) bacteria.
(1) Outline how human pancreatic enzymes can be produced by recombinant DNA
technology. (5 marks)
(2) The production cost of producing human pancreatic enzymes by GM bacteria is usually
lower than that of extracting enzymes from pigs' pancreas. Suggest why. (3 marks)
(iii) Gene therapy is a potential treatment for hereditary pancreatitis. Give one advantage and
one potential risk of gene therapy, compared with the enzyme replacement therapy
mentioned in (ii). (2 marks)

4 (b) Two types of viruses (X and Y) were found in a sample of contaminated chicken meat.
DNA samples were obtained from the viruses X, Y and chicken meat, and treated with a
restriction enzyme. This was then followed by gel electrophoresis. The DNA fingerprints
obtained are shown below:

* The DNA marker consists of DNA fragments of known molecular sizes in basepair (bp).
(i) Explain how DNA fragments of different sizes are produced by the action of the restriction
enzyme. (2 marks)
(ii) Based on the above DNA fingerprint, deduce whether the DNA of virus X or the DNA of
virus Y has a larger molecular size. (2 marks)
(iii) Explain the appearance of the DNA fingerprint of the chicken. (3 marks)
(iv) Give two applications of DNA fingerprinting. (2 marks)
END OF PAPER
Paper 2 Section A
Marks
** 1. (a)
(i) Measuring the ear drum temperature / rectal temperature / oral (under the tongue) temperature
/ arm pit temperature (1)
(ii) Thermoreceptors in the hypothalamus detect an increase in the blood temperature (1)
and send nerve impulses to the heat loss centre in the hypothalamus. (1)
The heat loss centre sends nerve impulses to the arterioles near the skin surface, causing
them to dilate (vasodilation). (1)
As a result, the diameter of skin arterioles increases.
(iii) By increasing the diameter of skin arterioles, more blood flows through the capillaries near
the skin surface, (1) so that more heat can be lost to the surroundings by conduction,
convection and radiation. (1)
Over-heating can be prevented. (1)
(iv) On a very cold day, skin arterioles constrict (vasoconstriction) so as to minimize heat loss.
(1)
Having a very hot water bath stimulates the skin arterioles to dilate. (1)
The blood flow to the skin surface increases drastically. (1) Fainting may occur when the
blood supply to the brain becomes insufficient. (1)
*1. (b) (i) The blood inside the glomerulus is under high hydrostatic pressure. (1)
The walls of the glomerulus and the Bowman's capsule are porous and they serve as a filter.
(1)
Under a high hydrostatic pressure, water and other small molecules in the blood in the
glomerulus are forced out through the walls of the glomerulus and the Bowman's capsule to
form the glomerular filtrate. (1)
(ii) As solutes (or examples of solutes, e.g. glucose, amino acids, salts, etc.) are reabsorbed from
the glomerular filtrate back to the blood by diffusion and active transport, (1) the water
potential of the glomerular filtrate increases / the water potential of the blood decreases. (1)
Water flows from the glomerular filtrate back to the blood by osmosis down water potential
gradient. (1)
(iii) Most of the water is reabsorbed along the kidney tubules but only about 50% of urea is
reabsorbed to the blood / the proportion of water reabsorbed is much greater than the
proportion of urea reabsorbed. (1)
Therefore, a higher concentration of urea is found in urine.

Do not accept 'using a thermometer'.

Note that none of these methods directly measures a person's core body temperature. These
measurements can be used to estimate the core temperature.

When warm air is breathed in, the blood gains heat from the warm air through the respiratory
surface, leading to an increase in the blood temperature.

Do not accept vague answers, such as 'the body cannot adapt to the sudden change in
temperature'. Try to apply your biological knowledge to explain phenomena.

(iv) As the level of ADH is low, the permeability of the walls of the collecting duct to water is
reduced. (1)
The proportion (or percentage) of water reabsorbed from the glomerular filtrate back to the
blood is smaller than normal, (1) thus a larger volume of urine is produced.
Paper 2 Section B
2. (a) (i) Every year, recyclable materials make up 30% to 40% of the total quantity of municipal
solid waste which would otherwise increase the burden on landfills. (1)
Metal and plastics are non-renewable resources. Recycling them can reduce the need to exploit
new supplies of resources. (1)
(ii) Use:
• The gas (methane) can be used as a fuel (in electricity generation / to power other facilities).
(1)
Hazard: (Any one)
• Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas which would intensify global warming. (1)
Methane is highly flammable. Accumulation of methane might cause fire or explosions. (1)
Methane may leak underground and contaminate underground water. (1)
(iii) Any two of the following:
• Promote waste separation and recycling so that the amount of waste requiring disposal can be
reduced. (1)
Introduce waste charging based on waste quantity. (1)
• Recycle construction waste into usable construction materials / use construction waste for
reclamation. (1)
Reduce food waste disposal from domestic, commercial and industrial sources by building waste
treatment plant / by launching educational campaigns to promote food waste reduction / food
donation. (1)
(iv) Support the development of new landfill sites: (Any one)
Landfilling is a cost-efficient way of solid waste management. (1)
It causes less air pollution compared with incineration. (1) Against the development of new
landfill sites: (Any one)
Landfills may release methane and leachate, thus causing pollution. (1)
Building landfills uses a lot of valuable land. (1)
• Poorly managed landfills may become breeding grounds for pests such as rats and flies
which can spread infectious diseases. (1)
Support the building of an incinerator: (Any one)
• The volume of combusted waste can be reduced by 90%. (1)
• The heat generated by incineration can be used to generate electricity. (1)
• The advanced filtering technology in modern incinerators can reduce the emission of air
pollutants. (1)
• Incineration of municipal solid waste avoids the release of methane. (1)
A ainst the buildin• of an incinerator: (Any one)
• Incineration emits toxic gases, heavy metals and respirable suspended particulates. (1)
• It is expensive to build an incinerator. (1)
* 2. (b) (i) An organism that has body structures almost identical to
species known from ancient fossils (1)
(ii) There is loss of breeding habitats or nursery grounds for the juvenile horseshoe crabs as a
result of coastal development / reclamation. (1)
Marine pollution results in lower reproduction and survival rate of the juvenile horseshoe crabs.
(1)
There is over-harvesting of horseshoe crabs for food. / The eggs are harvested and fewer
offspring are produced. (1)
) (1) Any two of the following:
• International trade is prohibited / under restrictions so that the trading of horseshoe crabs will
not threaten their survival. (1)
• CITES increases cooperation between countries to work together to monitor the populations
of horseshoe crabs. (1)
• It raises public awareness on the protection of the horseshoe crabs. (1)
(2) Any two of the following:
To maintain biodiversity. (1)
Avoid disturbance to the food web as the eggs of horseshoe crabs are the food of other sea
animals. (1)
Studying horseshoe crabs can help us understand how ancient organisms looked and lived. (1)
(iv) Collect and keep horseshoe crabs in controlled environments to allow them to breed naturally
/ artificially. (1)
Rear the juvenile horseshoe crabs and release them to their natural habitats when they can survive
on their own. (1)

Candidates should deduce the causes of decline in the horseshoe crab population instead of
simply repeating the information given in the passage.

Paper 2 Section C
** 3. (a) (i) At stage 1, the bacteriophage attaches to the host cell (bacterium) (1)
and injects its nucleic acid into the host cell. (1) At stage 2, the host chromosome rg (1)
and the viral nucleic acid directs the host cell to synthesize viral nucleic acid and protein coats.
(1)
These allow the bacteriophage to take over the metabolic machinery of the host cell to synthesize
new viruses / multiply. (1)
(ii) It can reproduce by multiplication / It has genetic material which is constantly evolving. (1)
(iii) The bacteriophage infects E. coli and multiples in the host cells. (1)
When newly formed viruses are released, the infected host cells lyse. (1)
The released viruses further infect the surrounding bacterial cells and cause more and more cells
to lyse, (1) gradually forming the clear zones.
(iv) To eliminate bacteria in food (or other reasonable answers) (1) * 3. (b) (i) Carbon: glucose
/ lactose / sugars (1)
Nitrogen: amino acids / nitrates / ammonium ions (1)
(ii) Fermentation / respiration of the fungus releases heat. (1)
Cold water in the water jacket removes heat / prevents overheating of the culture, which may
kill the fungus. (1)
(iii) The fermenter can be sterilized by passing steam into it. (1)
High temperature and pressure created by the steam can kill all microorganisms and their spores
in the fermenter. (1) This prevents the growth of unwanted microorganisms which would
compete with P chrysogenum for nutrients / produce unwanted substances to contaminate the
product. (1)
(iv) The contents are purified to separate out the penicillin, (1) which is then packaged/made into
tablet. (1)
(v) Any one of the following:
• The use of microorganisms helps lower the production cost as they have simple nutritional
requirements / do not need large areas of land to grow. (1)
• Due to the high growth rate of microorganisms, a large number of microorganisms can be
produced in a short time, and the product yield is high. (1)
• Microorganisms are relatively easy to modify
genetically to produce desired products. (1)
Candidates should be aware that high temperature and pressure can kill microbial spores as well.
A common misconception is that the cost for maintaining microbial culture is cheap. In fact, the
growth conditions (e.g. temperature, pH and
(1) nutrient supply) in the fermenter must be carefully monitored and controlled, and the cost is
not cheap. Refer to:
Paper 2 Section D
* 4. (a) (i) Their pancreas cannot secrete lipase to digest the lipids in food. (1)
(ii) (1) Cut the target genes encoding human pancreatic enzymes and cut bacterial plasmids using
the same restriction enzyme. (I)
Join the target genes and the cut plasmids using a DNA ligase to produce recombinant
plasmids. (1)
Introduce the recombinant plasmids into bacterial (host) cells. (1) (5)
Select the successfully transformed bacteria / the bacteria that express the target genes, and
culture the transformed bacteria on a large scale. (1)
Gene products (enzymes) are extracted from the bacteria culture and purified. (1)
(2) Any three of the following:
Bacteria have a high growth rate, while it takes a long time to rear pigs. Thus, the product
yield from GM bacteria is also higher. (1)
Bacteria do not need large areas of land to grow. (1)
• The bacteria culture can produce enzymes continually, while each pig can only provide
limited amounts of pancreatic enzymes. (1)
• The purification of enzymes from bacterial culture is less complicated and less expensive. (1)

(iii) Advantage:
Gene therapy can give a more long-lasting result than enzyme replacement therapy, so that
patients no longer have to take enzyme supplements every meal. (1)
Disadvantage: (Any one)
• Viral vectors used in gene therapy may become pathogenic again in the body, causing
diseases. (1)
• Viral vectors used in gene therapy may trigger adverse (2) immune responses in some
patients. (1)
• The expression of existing genes may be disrupted if the new genes are integrated into wrong
regions of the genome. (1)
• The new genes may be wrongly delivered to non-target cells or be inappropriately expressed.
This may cause other health problems. (1)

** 4. (b) (i) The restriction enzyme recognizes specific base sequences and cut DNA at those
specific points (1)
which may occur at different locations on different DNA strands. (1)
(ii) Molecular size of the DNA of virus X = 6 000 + 1 000= 7 000 bp
Molecular size of the DNA of virus Y = 4 000 + 2 500 = 6 500 bp (1)
The DNA of virus X has a larger size. (1)
(iii) The chicken DNA has a larger molecular size than viral DNA. (1)
There are a lot of restriction sites on chicken DNA, thus a lot of DNA fragments are
produced after being treated with the restriction enzyme. (1)
The DNA fragments that are close in size do not separate completely as discrete bands
during gel electrophoresis. (1)
(iv) Any two of the following: For diagnosing genetic diseases / infectious diseases (1)
For recognizing identity in forensic science, parentage tests, etc. (1) (2)
For studying the evolutionary relationship between different species (1)
(Accept other reasonable answers)