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CIE A-Level Biology 9700 Paper 1 Practice Paper (Multiple Choice) – 40 questions, 40 marks, 1 h 15 min, with answers and explanations
TutorZone original practice paper – CIE A-Level Biology 9700 Paper 1 (Multiple Choice)
40 multiple-choice questions – 40 marks – 1 hour 15 minutes – calculator allowed
Paper comparison
| Paper | Time | Marks | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (multiple choice) | 1 h 15 min | 40 | this paper |
| Paper 2 (AS structured) | 1 h 15 min | 60 | AS paper |
| Paper 3 (AS practical skills) | 2 hours | 40 | AS paper |
| Paper 4 (A Level structured) | 2 hours | 100 | other A Level paper |
| Paper 5 (planning, analysis and evaluation) | 1 h 15 min | 30 | other A Level paper |
Data and formulae
| Quantity | Value |
|---|---|
| Magnification | image size / actual size |
| Surface area : volume | 6l2 : l3 |
| Q10 | (rate2 / rate1)^(10 / dT) |
| Hardy-Weinberg | p2 + 2pq + q2 = 1 |
| Lincoln index | (marked x recaptured) / marked in recapture |
| Energy transfer efficiency | about 10% |
| Net primary production | NPP = GPP – respiration |
| Cardiac output | heart rate x stroke volume |
Questions
Total: 40 marks · 1 h 15 min · calculator allowed · choose one option per question
1. A cell structure measures 45 mm on an electron micrograph and its actual length is 0.50 µm. What is the magnification? [1]
(A) x90,000
(B) x900,000
(C) x900
(D) x9,000
2. The field of view is 1.4 mm across and contains 20 cells side by side. What is the mean cell diameter? [1]
(A) 7 µm
(B) 28 µm
(C) 70 µm
(D) 700 µm
3. A cubic cell has sides of 2.0 µm. What is its surface area to volume ratio? [1]
(A) 12 µm⁻¹
(B) 1.5 µm⁻¹
(C) 3.0 µm⁻¹
(D) 6.0 µm⁻¹
4. Which structure is found only in plant cells? [1]
(A) Ribosome
(B) Golgi apparatus
(C) Chloroplast
(D) Mitochondrion
5. A light microscope resolves about 200 nm and an electron microscope about 0.5 nm. How many times finer is the detail the electron microscope can resolve? [1]
(A) 4,000 times
(B) More than 400 times but not calculable
(C) 400 times
(D) 40 times
6. In differential centrifugation of a cell homogenate, which structure pellets first? [1]
(A) Ribosome
(B) Enzymes in the cytosol
(C) Mitochondrion
(D) Nucleus
7. Which observation supports the fluid mosaic model of the cell membrane? [1]
(A) Labelled human and mouse cells fused, and their membrane proteins spread evenly over the hybrid membrane
(B) The membrane shows a three-layered structure in the electron microscope
(C) The membrane breaks up at low temperature
(D) Water passes freely through the membrane
8. Which change is most typical of prophase of mitosis? [1]
(A) The nuclear envelope reforms
(B) Chromatin condenses into chromosomes visible under the light microscope
(C) Chromosomes move to the poles of the cell
(D) Centromeres split and sister chromatids separate
9. Compared with starch, glycogen is: [1]
(A) Its monomers are joined by peptide bonds
(B) Made of beta-glucose
(C) Completely unbranched
(D) More highly branched, with branch points closer together
10. Haemoglobin has a quaternary structure. What does this mean? [1]
(A) The sequence of amino acids
(B) Four polypeptide chains, each bound to a haem group
(C) One polypeptide chain coiled into a helix
(D) A polypeptide folded into a three-dimensional shape
11. How do enzymes increase the rate of reaction? [1]
(A) They lower the activation energy of the reaction
(B) They increase the overall energy change
(C) They make the reaction exothermic
(D) They raise the activation energy
12. An enzyme works at 2.0 at 20 °C and 5.0 at 30 °C (same units). What is its Q10? [1]
(A) 5.0
(B) 2.5
(C) 1.25
(D) 2.0
13. When substrate concentration is already saturating, doubling the enzyme concentration will: [1]
(A) Halve
(B) Become four times greater
(C) Change little, because the substrate already occupies every site
(D) Double, because more active sites are available for the substrate
14. How can the effect of a competitive inhibitor be reversed? [1]
(A) By increasing the substrate concentration
(B) By adding heavy metal ions
(C) By cooling to 0 °C
(D) By increasing the inhibitor concentration
15. Phospholipids form a bilayer in water because: [1]
(A) Both heads and tails are hydrophilic
(B) The hydrophilic phosphate heads face the water while the hydrophobic fatty acid tails turn inwards away from water
(C) Both heads and tails are hydrophobic
(D) Phospholipid molecules are positively charged and repel each other
16. Testing for protein with Biuret reagent gives which positive result? [1]
(A) Colourless
(B) Purple
(C) Orange-yellow
(D) A brick-red precipitate
17. A person has a resting heart rate of 72 beats per minute and a stroke volume of 68 cm3. What is the cardiac output? [1]
(A) 4,896 dm³ min⁻¹
(B) 68 cm³ min⁻¹
(C) 489.6 cm³ min⁻¹
(D) 4,896 cm³ min⁻¹
18. Tidal volume is 500 cm3, dead space 150 cm3 and breathing rate 14 per minute. What is the alveolar ventilation rate? [1]
(A) 4,900 cm³ s⁻¹
(B) 3,500 cm³ min⁻¹
(C) 7,000 cm³ min⁻¹
(D) 4,900 cm³ min⁻¹
19. What is the main force that pulls water up the xylem from root to leaf? [1]
(A) Root pressure pushing water up
(B) Transpiration pull (negative pressure) created by the leaves
(C) Capillarity in the xylem vessels
(D) Active transport in the phloem
20. Which hormone mainly causes stomatal closure in drought? [1]
(A) Ethene
(B) Gibberellin
(C) Abscisic acid (ABA)
(D) Auxin (IAA)
21. During vigorous exercise, tissues produce much carbon dioxide. How does the oxygen dissociation curve of haemoglobin change? [1]
(A) It becomes a straight line
(B) It does not change
(C) It shifts to the left, raising oxygen affinity
(D) It shifts to the right, so more oxygen is unloaded at the same oxygen partial pressure
22. A plant loses 12 g of water in 5 minutes. What is the mean transpiration rate? [1]
(A) 2.4 g h⁻¹
(B) 0.42 g min⁻¹
(C) 60 g min⁻¹
(D) 2.4 g min⁻¹
23. Compared with veins, arteries: [1]
(A) Have thicker walls with more elastic fibres and smooth muscle, and a narrower lumen
(B) Have only a single layer of endothelium and no muscle
(C) Have walls made entirely of cartilage
(D) Have thinner walls, wider lumens and valves
24. What mainly drives the formation of tissue fluid at the arteriole end of a capillary? [1]
(A) Suction by lymph vessels
(B) Blood hydrostatic pressure is higher than that of the tissue fluid
(C) Active transport by cells
(D) The osmotic pull of plasma proteins
25. In a dihybrid cross AaBb x AaBb with independent assortment, how many of 1,600 offspring are expected to show both dominant phenotypes (A_B_)? [1]
(A) 900 plants
(B) 300 plants
(C) 1,200 plants
(D) 100 plants
26. Two heterozygotes (Aa x Aa) are crossed. What is the phenotypic ratio of the offspring? [1]
(A) 1 : 1
(B) 9 : 3 : 3 : 1
(C) 3 : 1
(D) 1 : 2 : 1
27. In a double-stranded DNA molecule adenine is 32% of all bases. What percentage is guanine? [1]
(A) 9%
(B) 18%
(C) 36%
(D) 32%
28. A gene has a coding region of 900 bases. How many amino acids are finally translated? [1]
(A) 100
(B) 300
(C) 150
(D) 299 amino acids
29. A recessive disease affects 9% of a population (q2 = 0.09). What percentage are carriers (heterozygotes)? [1]
(A) 21%
(B) 42%
(C) 9%
(D) 49%
30. Where do completely new alleles in a population ultimately come from? [1]
(A) Natural selection
(B) Random assortment in sexual reproduction
(C) Gene mutation
(D) Gene flow
31. Why are X-linked recessive disorders more common in males? [1]
(A) Males have only one X chromosome, so a single recessive allele is expressed
(B) Males have a higher mutation rate
(C) The male X chromosome is larger
(D) Males lack a Y chromosome
32. The proportion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a hospital rises year after year. What is the best explanation? [1]
(A) Antibiotics increase the mutation rate tenfold
(B) Bacteria actively become resistant in order to survive
(C) Antibiotics kill non-resistant bacteria, and resistant bacteria survive and reproduce
(D) Patients pass resistance to each other
33. An ecosystem has a gross primary production of 3,600 and respiration of 1,200 (kJ m-2 yr-1). What is the net primary production? [1]
(A) 1,200 kJ m⁻² yr⁻¹
(B) 240 kJ m⁻² yr⁻¹
(C) 2,400 kJ m⁻² yr⁻¹
(D) 4,800 kJ m⁻² yr⁻¹
34. If energy transfer from producers to primary consumers is 10%, how much of an NPP of 2,400 reaches the primary consumers? [1]
(A) 24 kJ m⁻² yr⁻¹
(B) 240 kJ m⁻² yr⁻¹
(C) 2,400 kJ m⁻² yr⁻¹
(D) 1,200 kJ m⁻² yr⁻¹
35. What is the main route by which carbon returns from organisms to the atmosphere? [1]
(A) Photosynthesis
(B) Nitrogen fixation
(C) Transpiration
(D) Respiration by decomposers and other organisms releases carbon dioxide
36. Lincoln index: 40 animals are caught, marked and released; later 200 are caught, 8 of them marked. Estimate the population. [1]
(A) 1,000 animals
(B) 200 animals
(C) 160 animals
(D) 8,000 animals
37. Which blood cell secretes antibodies? [1]
(A) Red blood cells
(B) Plasma cells (differentiated from B lymphocytes)
(C) Platelets
(D) Neutrophils
38. Vaccination gives long-term protection mainly because: [1]
(A) The vaccine removes the pathogen from the body for ever
(B) It produces memory cells that make a rapid, large antibody response on later exposure
(C) The vaccine kills pathogens directly
(D) The vaccine supplies antibodies that never mutate
39. Why is a pyramid of energy always upright while a pyramid of numbers can be inverted? [1]
(A) Energy is lost as heat at every transfer, so energy always decreases; but one large tree can support thousands of insects
(B) Energy is recycled by organisms
(C) Numbers and energy are always proportional
(D) Higher trophic levels have more energy because they are larger
40. What kind of defence is phagocytosis? [1]
(A) Releasing histamine to cause inflammation
(B) A phagocyte engulfs the pathogen with pseudopodia and digests it in a vesicle with lysosomal enzymes
(C) Secreting antibodies that bind the pathogen
(D) Rupturing the cell surface to block entry
Answers and explanations
| Q | Answer | Reasoning | marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 45 mm = 45,000 µm; magnification = image / actual = 45,000 / 0.50 = 90,000. | 1 |
| 2 | C | 1.4 mm = 1,400 µm; 1,400 / 20 = 70 µm. | 1 |
| 3 | C | Surface area = 6 x 2.0^2 = 24 µm2; volume = 2.0^3 = 8 µm3; ratio = 24 / 8 = 3.0 µm-1 (a 4.0 µm cube gives only 1.5 µm-1). | 1 |
| 4 | C | Chloroplasts carry out photosynthesis and occur only in plant cells; mitochondria, ribosomes and Golgi apparatus occur in both. | 1 |
| 5 | C | 200 nm / 0.5 nm = 400 times; the smaller the resolution limit, the finer the detail visible. | 1 |
| 6 | D | Centrifugation separates by size and density: the largest, densest nuclei pellet at the lowest speed, ribosomes need the highest. | 1 |
| 7 | A | Membrane proteins move laterally and mix in the fused membrane, showing that lipids and proteins are mobile: the fluid mosaic model. | 1 |
| 8 | B | Prophase: chromatin coils into short thick chromosomes, the nucleolus disappears and the spindle starts to form; pole movement is anaphase and envelope re-forming is telophase. | 1 |
| 9 | D | Both are polymers of alpha-glucose, but glycogen is far more branched than starch, so it can be hydrolysed rapidly. | 1 |
| 10 | B | Primary = amino acid sequence; secondary = helix or sheet; tertiary = 3D fold of one chain; quaternary = more than one chain (haemoglobin has 4, each with a haem group holding Fe2+). | 1 |
| 11 | A | Enzymes provide an alternative route with a lower activation energy, so more molecules have enough energy to react; the overall energy change is unchanged. | 1 |
| 12 | B | Q10 = (rate2 / rate1)^(10 / ΔT) = (5.0 / 2.0)^(10 / 10) = 2.5. | 1 |
| 13 | D | When substrate is saturating every active site is occupied, so the rate is limited by enzyme concentration; doubling the enzyme doubles the number of active sites and roughly doubles the rate. | 1 |
| 14 | A | A competitive inhibitor competes with the substrate for the same active site; raising substrate concentration lets the substrate out-compete it, restoring the maximum rate. | 1 |
| 15 | B | Phospholipids are amphipathic: a hydrophilic phosphate head and two hydrophobic tails. The most stable arrangement in water is a tail-to-tail bilayer, the basis of the cell membrane. | 1 |
| 16 | B | Biuret turns from blue to purple in the presence of peptide bonds; a brick-red precipitate is the Benedict test for reducing sugar. | 1 |
| 17 | D | Cardiac output = heart rate x stroke volume = 72 x 68 = 4,896 cm3 min-1 = 4.90 dm3 min-1. | 1 |
| 18 | D | Alveolar ventilation = (tidal volume – dead space) x breathing rate = (500 – 150) x 14 = 4,900 cm3 min-1; 7,000 without the dead space is pulmonary ventilation. | 1 |
| 19 | B | Evaporation from stomata creates a water potential gradient and cohesion between water molecules transmits the pull up the xylem; root pressure contributes only a little. | 1 |
| 20 | C | Drought triggers ABA synthesis; it reaches the leaves, guard cells lose potassium and water, turgor falls and the stomata close to cut water loss. | 1 |
| 21 | D | CO2 forms carbonic acid and lowers pH, and temperature rises; both reduce haemoglobin affinity, shifting the curve right (Bohr effect) so active tissues gain more oxygen. | 1 |
| 22 | D | Transpiration rate = 12 g / 5 min = 2.4 g min-1 (144 g per hour). | 1 |
| 23 | A | Arteries withstand the high pressure from the heart, so thick elastic walls stretch and recoil to maintain diastolic pressure; valves and wide lumens characterise veins. | 1 |
| 24 | B | At the arteriole end hydrostatic pressure exceeds that of tissue fluid and forces water and small solutes out; at the venule end the osmotic effect of plasma proteins draws water back in. | 1 |
| 25 | A | The F2 ratio is 9 : 3 : 3 : 1, so A_B_ is 9/16; 9/16 x 1,600 = 900. | 1 |
| 26 | C | Aa x Aa gives 1 AA : 2 Aa : 1 aa; AA and Aa both show the dominant phenotype, so the phenotypic ratio is 3 : 1 (1 : 2 : 1 is the genotypic ratio). | 1 |
| 27 | B | A = T = 32%, together 64%; G + C = 100 – 64 = 36%, so G = C = 18%. | 1 |
| 28 | D | 900 / 3 = 300 codons; one is a stop codon that codes for no amino acid, giving 299 amino acids. | 1 |
| 29 | B | q = 0.3 and p = 0.7, so carriers = 2pq = 2 x 0.3 x 0.7 = 0.42, i.e. 42%. | 1 |
| 30 | C | Only mutation creates new alleles; selection, gene flow and meiotic reassortment merely change the frequencies or combinations of alleles already present. | 1 |
| 31 | A | Males are hemizygous (XY): one copy of the gene, so one recessive allele is enough. Females need the allele on both X chromosomes. | 1 |
| 32 | C | Resistance mutations already arise at random; the antibiotic acts as a selection pressure, so resistant cells survive and multiply and the allele frequency rises. | 1 |
| 33 | C | NPP = GPP – respiration = 3,600 – 1,200 = 2,400 kJ m-2 yr-1, the energy available to the next trophic level. | 1 |
| 34 | B | 10% of 2,400 = 240 kJ m-2 yr-1; the other 90% is lost in respiration, excretion and undigested material. | 1 |
| 35 | D | Photosynthesis fixes CO2, while respiration (including decomposers breaking down organic matter) oxidises organic carbon back to CO2; burning fossil fuels is another major source. | 1 |
| 36 | A | Population = (marked in first sample x size of second sample) / marked in second sample = (40 x 200) / 8 = 1,000. | 1 |
| 37 | B | B lymphocytes stimulated by antigen divide into plasma cells, which synthesise and secrete specific antibodies; neutrophils carry out phagocytosis. | 1 |
| 38 | B | A vaccine presents antigens (killed, weakened or fragments), giving a primary response and memory B and T cells; a later infection triggers a faster, stronger secondary response. | 1 |
| 39 | A | Energy flows one way and is not recycled: about 90% is lost per transfer, so the energy pyramid must be upright. Numbers depend on body size, so they can invert. | 1 |
| 40 | B | Neutrophils and macrophages recognise surface antigens, engulf the pathogen into a vesicle that fuses with a lysosome, and hydrolyse it: a non-specific defence. | 1 |
Topic breakdown
| Topic | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Cells and microscopy | 8 | 8 |
| Biological molecules and enzymes | 8 | 8 |
| Transport and gas exchange | 8 | 8 |
| Genetics and evolution | 8 | 8 |
| Ecology and immunity | 8 | 8 |
Common lost marks
- Using g = 10 instead of 9.81, which pushes projectile and spring answers off the options.
- Putting the diameter rather than the radius into pi r2, so the stress is four times too large.
- Mixing up the parallel and series combinations before finding the current, so every branch current is wrong.
- Using one arm instead of the distance between the two forces when finding the torque of a couple.
Frequently asked
What is Paper 1 like?
Paper 1 is the AS multiple-choice paper: 40 questions, 40 marks, 1 hour 15 minutes, about 1 minute 50 seconds per question. There is one correct answer per question and no penalty for a wrong answer, so never leave a blank.
Should I use a calculator?
Yes. Most questions need a substitution, so write g = 9.81 and e = 1.60 x 10-19 in the margin first and check the unit of your answer before choosing an option; that removes about half of the careless errors.
How should I use the answer booklet?
Sit the paper closed-book in 1 hour 15 minutes, then go through the reasoning for every question. For each wrong answer, redo the calculation rather than just reading it, and note whether the formula, the substitution or the unit was wrong.
This paper is written by TutorZone tutors from the public syllabus; all questions and data are original and not endorsed by CIE.
The answer booklet gives worked reasoning for study use only; please credit the source when reusing.
