Cambridge International Examinations

Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education

* 1 7 5 6 7 1 9 6 5 9 *

BIOLOGY 0610/53
Paper 5 Practical Test October/November 2016
1 hour 15 minutes
Candidates answer on the Question Paper.
Additional Materials: As listed in the Confidential Instructions.

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

Write your Centre number, candidate number and name on all the work you hand in.
Write in dark blue or black pen.
You may use an HB pencil for any diagrams or graphs.
Do not use staples, paper clips, glue or correction fluid.
DO NOT WRITE IN ANY BARCODES.

Answer all questions.

Electronic calculators may be used.

You may lose marks if you do not show your working or if you do not use appropriate units.

At the end of the examination, fasten all your work securely together.
The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question.

For Examiner’s Use

Total

The syllabus is approved for use in England, Wales and Northern Ireland as a Cambridge International Level 1/Level 2 Certificate.

This document consists of 9 printed pages and 3 blank pages.

DC (NH/SG) 126396/5
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Read through all the questions on the paper carefully before starting work.

1 Catalase is an enzyme found in plant and animal cells. It catalyses the breakdown of hydrogen
peroxide to form water and oxygen.

catalase
hydrogen peroxide water + oxygen
2H2O2 2H2O + O2

You are going to investigate the effect of surface area on the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide by
catalase.

You will use potato as a source of catalase. You will vary the surface area of the potato and
measure the volume of oxygen produced by the break down of the hydrogen peroxide.

Read all instructions but DO NOT CARRY THEM OUT until you have drawn a table for your
results in the space provided in 1(a).

You should use the gloves and eye protection provided while you are carrying out the practical
work.

Step 1 Lay the six potato sticks next to each other on the white tile.

Cut each potato stick to exactly 4 cm in length.

Step 2 Take two of the potato sticks and cut each one into eight equal pieces as shown in
Fig. 1.1.

Fig. 1.1

Step 3 Repeat step 2 with two more potato sticks. Leave the last two potato sticks whole.

Step 4 Submerge the 25 cm3 measuring cylinder in the tub of water and allow it to fill with water.
Turn the measuring cylinder upside down keeping the open end under the water in the
tub as shown in Fig. 1.2.

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bung delivery tube

large test-tube

inverted
measuring
cylinder

bubble

potato hydrogen water

peroxide
tub

open end of the

delivery tube

Fig. 1.2

You are going to carry out a practice experiment using two of the potato sticks that have been cut
into 8 (a total of 16 pieces). Record the results of this experiment in the space provided in 1(c).

Step 5 Place the open end of the delivery tube into the inverted measuring cylinder in the tub of
water.

Step 6 Use the syringe to add 20 cm3 of hydrogen peroxide to the large test-tube.

Step 7 Add the 16 pieces of potato that you cut in Step 2 to the large test-tube and immediately
place the bung, attached to the other end of the delivery tube, into the large test-tube.

Step 8 Start the timer and carefully shake the large test-tube briefly every 30 seconds for three
minutes.

Step 9 Record the volume of oxygen gas collected in the measuring cylinder for your practice
experiment in 1(c).

Step 10 Remove the bung and pour the used hydrogen peroxide solution and potato into the
beaker labelled waste.

Step 11 Rinse the large test-tube with the washing water provided.

Use the results of your practice experiment to choose the most appropriate size of measuring
cylinder to use to measure the volume of oxygen gas produced in three minutes. Record your
choice in 1(c).

Step 12 Repeat Steps 4 to 8 using the 16 pieces of potato that you cut in Step 3 and your chosen
measuring cylinder. Record in your table in 1(a), the volume of oxygen gas collected in
the measuring cylinder after three minutes.

Step 13 Repeat Steps 4 to 8 using the remaining two whole potato sticks in Step 7 and your
chosen measuring cylinder. Record the volume of oxygen gas collected in the measuring
cylinder after three minutes in your table in 1(a).

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(a) Prepare a table to record your results.

[4]

(b) (i) Calculate the rate of oxygen gas production for each of the values in your table. Give
your answer in cm3 per minute to one decimal place.

Show your working.

whole potato stick ...................................... cm3 per minute

cut potato stick ...................................... cm3 per minute

[2]

(ii) Describe the effect on the surface area of the potato of cutting the potato stick into eight
pieces.

...........................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................[1]

(iii) Describe and explain, using your results, the effect of surface area on the volume of
oxygen gas produced.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................[3]

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(c) Complete the following:

Practice volume of oxygen produced .......................................................................................

Size of the measuring cylinder used for Steps 12 and 13 ........................................................

Explain why you chose that size.

Explanation ...............................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................................[1]

(d) State two variables that were kept constant in this investigation.

1 ................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................
[2]

(e) Identify two sources of error in this method and suggest an improvement for each error.

error ..........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

improvement .............................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

error ..........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

improvement .............................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[4]

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(f) Hydrogen peroxide breaks down slowly without catalase enzyme being present.

Describe a suitable control for this investigation.

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................................[2]

(g) Another student wanted to investigate the amount of catalase present in different food plants.

Describe a method that the student could use to carry out this investigation.

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................................[5]

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(h) Table 1.1 shows the volume of oxygen produced when the student carried out the experiment
for three different food plants.

Table 1.1

food plant volume of oxygen produced / cm3

A 9.2
B 0.8
C 6.7

Plot a graph of the data from Table 1.1 on the grid.

[4]

(i) Describe how the student could test food prepared from these plants for the presence of
reducing sugars.

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................................[3]

[Total: 31]

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2 Fig. 2.1 shows red onion cells, viewed through a microscope, that have been immersed in a strong
salt solution.

In a red onion cell the dark red pigment is located in the vacuole of the cell.

M N

magnification ×50

Fig. 2.1

(a) (i) Make a large drawing of three of the cells shown in Fig. 2.1.

On one of the cells label the vacuole.

[5]

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Fig. 2.2 shows red onion cells, viewed through a microscope, that have been immersed
in a weak salt solution.

magnification ×50

Fig. 2.2

(ii) Measure the observed maximum length of the vacuole shown by the line MN on Fig. 2.1.

......................................................... mm

Measure the observed maximum length of the vacuole shown by the line PQ on Fig. 2.2.

......................................................... mm

Calculate the percentage increase in the length of the vacuole.

Show your working and give your answer to the nearest whole number.

................................................................
[3]

(b) State one visible similarity between the cells in Fig. 2.1 and the cells in Fig. 2.2.

...................................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................................[1]

[Total: 9]

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