Biology Paper 2, WASSCE (SC), 2016

Question 1

      

    (a)  (i)  List three forms in which living cells exist.                                                   [3 marks]

    (ii) Give one example each of the forms listed in 1(a)(i).                                   [3 marks]

    (b)  Make a drawing, 6cm-10cm long, of a typical plant cell and label fully.           [8 marks]

    (c) (i)   In a tabular form, state three differences between a plant cell and an

    animal cell.                                                                                                       [3 marks]

         (ii) State three similarities between a plant cell and an animal cell.                    [3 marks]

Observation

Many candidates attempted this question and performed well.

Candidates were able to state the forms in which cells exist with their examples but lost

majority of the marks to spelling. Although some candidates wrote that cells exist in the soil, water, river instead of stating the forms in which cells exist.

Majority of the candidates could draw the shape of a typical plant cell but lost a lot of marks to inaccurate measurement, title, and other specifications. Some of the candidates drew an animal cell. Many candidates drew guidelines with free-hand and labelled vertically. The guidelines for labels used by some of the candidates were not touching the labels and were crossed.

Some candidates failed to tabulate the answer to 1(c)(i), hence lost one mark. Many candidates answered 1(c)(ii) satisfactorily.

 

            The expected answers are:

 

(a)        (i) Forms in which living cells exist

  • Single/free-living;
  • Colony/colonial;
  • Filamentous/filament;
  • Part of a living organism.                                                 

 

(ii) Example

  • Single/free-living – Amoeba/Chlamydomonas/Paramecium/Euglena;
  • Colony/colonial -  Eudorina/Pandorina/Volvox/sponges;
  • Filamentous/filament – Spirogyra/Chladophora/Ulothrix/Zygnema/Oedogonium;
  • Part of a living organism – cheek cell/onion cell/epidermal cell/parenchyma cell.

Any correctly named example

NB- Spellings must be correct to score

(b)        Diagram of a typical plant cell

 

Title (TL)                               

           

            Quality (Q)

            Size (Sz) (6cm-10cm)            

Neatness of labels (NL) (Ruled guide lines x ½; Horizontal labels x ½)      

Clarity of lines (CL) (Lines not broken x ½; lines not woolly x ½ )             

 

Details (D)

Definite shape (DS)               

Central large vacuole (CV)

 

Labels (L)

                          (Cellulose) cell wall, chloroplast, vacuole, middle lamella, cytoplasm, nucleus,

                        mitochondrion, (smooth/rough) endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi body, ribosome, cell  

                        membrane.

NB- Spellings must be correct to score         

 

                       

 

(c) (i)   Differences between a plant cell and an animal cell

                       

Plant cell

Animal cell

  • Has cellulose cell wall/rigid

lacks cellulose cell wall;

-     has one large central vacuole

has numerous/small vacuoles;

-     has chloroplasts

lacks chloroplast;

-     contains starch granules in its cytoplasm

contains glycogen granules in its cytoplasm;

-     usually larger in size

usually smaller in size;

-     does not have lysosome

has lysosome;

-     does not have centrioles/ centrosome

has centrioles/ centrosome

-      has a regular/ definite cell shape

has an irregular/ indefinite cell shape.

-      cytoplasm less dense

cytoplasm more dense

  • stores lipid as oil

stores lipid as fat

            NB:  Points must correspond to score                                               

            No tabulation minus 1 mark                                                                           NT – 1 mark