ReproductionCambridge IGCSE Biology: Topic test

20 questions, 54 marks

Cambridge IGCSE Biology

Reproduction topic test

Total 54 marks

Name

Class

Date

1
A gardener notices that new potato plants grown from tubers taken from a single parent potato plant, planted the following season, are all genetically identical to that original parent plant and to each other.
(a)
What term describes this method of reproduction, in which a potato tuber grows into a new, genetically identical plant without gametes being involved?
[1 mark]
AAsexual reproduction
BSexual reproduction
CFertilisation
DPollination
(b)
Which of the following best explains why the new potato plants are genetically identical to the parent plant?
[1 mark]
ATwo gametes fused to form each new plant
BThe new plants developed from wind-pollinated seeds
COnly one parent is involved, and no fusion of gametes takes place
DMeiosis produced genetically varied offspring
(c)
Define asexual reproduction, and identify one advantage to a farmer of using this method to produce a large number of potato plants for a crop.
[2 marks]
Total for question 1: 4 marks
2
A dog breeder notices that the puppies within a single litter, born from the same two parents, all look slightly different from one another and from both of their parents.
(a)
What term describes the type of reproduction that has produced this variation among the puppies?
[1 mark]
AAsexual reproduction
BBinary fission
CVegetative propagation
DSexual reproduction
(b)
Which process, occurring during sexual reproduction, directly produces genetically different offspring by fusing genetic material from two parents?
[1 mark]
AFertilisation
BMitosis
CDeamination
DTranspiration
(c)
Explain why the puppies show variation from each other and from their parents, whereas offspring produced asexually do not.
[2 marks]
Total for question 2: 4 marks
3
A botanist observes a flower shortly after pollination, watching as a pollen grain on the stigma begins to grow a tube down towards the ovary.
(a)
Describe what happens to the pollen grain after it lands on the stigma, up to the point where fertilisation occurs.
[3 marks]
(b)
Explain what happens to the ovule and ovary of the flower after fertilisation has taken place.
[4 marks]
Total for question 3: 7 marks
4
After a disease spreads rapidly through an orchard of apple trees, all of which were originally produced asexually by grafting cuttings from a single high-yielding parent tree, the orchard's owner considers instead growing some new trees from seed produced by sexual reproduction.
(a)
Explain why an orchard made up entirely of trees produced asexually by grafting might be especially vulnerable to a disease spreading rapidly through the whole orchard, and explain how growing new trees from seed, produced by sexual reproduction, could reduce this risk in the future.
[6 marks]
(b)
Explain what disadvantages the orchard owner might now face by using sexual reproduction (growing trees from seed) instead of continuing to use asexual reproduction (grafting) to produce new trees.
[6 marks]
Total for question 4: 12 marks
5
A surgeon explains to a patient considering a vasectomy which part of the male reproductive system the operation involves, and what that structure normally does.
(a)
Which structure does a vasectomy operation cut and seal, to prevent sperm reaching the penis during ejaculation?
[1 mark]
AUrethra
BSperm duct
CProstate gland
DTestes
(b)
Which organ produces the sperm that would normally travel along this structure?
[1 mark]
AProstate gland
BScrotum
CUrethra
DTestes
(c)
State the function of the scrotum, and explain why a vasectomy does not stop the testes from producing sperm.
[2 marks]
Total for question 5: 4 marks
6
A sports scientist explains to trainee coaches why some athletes have illegally used the hormone testosterone to try to increase their muscle mass, and outlines what this hormone normally does in the body.
(a)
Which structures in the body normally produce testosterone?
[1 mark]
AOvaries
BAdrenal glands
CTestes
DPancreas
(b)
Which of the following is a secondary sexual characteristic that develops under the influence of testosterone during puberty?
[1 mark]
AGrowth of the uterus lining each month
BGrowth of facial hair
CProduction of egg cells
DDevelopment of the placenta
(c)
Explain why using extra testosterone illegally might help an athlete increase their muscle mass, based on the normal role of this hormone in the body.
[2 marks]
Total for question 6: 4 marks
7
A pregnant woman is offered a routine blood test at her first antenatal appointment, which checks for infections including HIV, so that treatment can begin early if needed to reduce the risk of the infection being passed to her baby.
(a)
State what HIV is, and explain why detecting it early in pregnancy, as in this scenario, is important.
[3 marks]
(b)
Besides transmission from a mother to her baby, describe two other ways in which HIV can be transmitted between people, and explain one action that can help control the spread of STIs such as HIV within the wider population.
[4 marks]
Total for question 7: 7 marks
8
A couple undergoing fertility treatment are prescribed a hormone injection to stimulate the release of multiple egg cells from the ovaries, before the eggs are collected and fertilised outside the body as part of IVF (in vitro fertilisation) treatment.
(a)
Explain the normal hormonal control of the release of an egg cell from the ovary, and explain how the fertility treatment described might make use of this hormonal control to cause multiple egg cells to be released instead of the usual one.
[6 marks]
(b)
Explain what must happen to one of the collected egg cells, and to a sperm cell, for fertilisation to occur, and describe what happens immediately afterwards if a fertilised egg is placed back into the woman's uterus as part of the treatment.
[6 marks]
Total for question 8: 12 marks

End of questions