AQA GCSE Synergy Paper 1: Life and environmental sciences Higher June 2022 question paper 8465/1H

Ultraviolet, infrared and visible light are part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Neon atoms can absorb electromagnetic radiation.

Figure 1 shows three of the energy levels around the nucleus of a neon atom.

The atom in Figure 1 has absorbed electromagnetic radiation.

What happens as an electron moves from energy level B to energy level A ?

Tick (✓) one box.

Light is absorbed

Light is emitted

Light is reflected

An electromagnetic wave has a speed of 300 000 000 m/s.

What is the speed of the wave in standard form?

Tick (✓) one box.

3.0 × 10⁷ m/s

3.0 × 10⁸ m/s

3.0 × 10⁹ m/s

Use the Physics Equations Sheet to answer questions 01.4 and 01.5.

Write down the equation that links frequency (f), wavelength (λ) and wave speed (v).

The electromagnetic wave has a frequency of 750 000 Hz.

Calculate the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave.

Give the unit.

Students investigated the effect of different concentrations of salt solution on the mass of pieces of potato.

This is the method used.

1. Cut three pieces of potato, each with a mass of 2.00 g.

2. Place the pieces of potato into a salt solution with a concentration of 0.2 mol/dm³

3. After 30 minutes, measure the mass of each piece of potato.

4. Calculate the change in mass.

5. Repeat steps 1 to 4 for five other concentrations of salt solution.

Table 1 shows the results.

Give two control variables the students should have used in the investigation.

Do not refer to mass or time in your answer.

Calculate value X in Table 1.

Figure 2 shows a potato cell.

Explain why the mass of the pieces of potato increased in the 0.2 mol/dm³ salt solution.

You should refer to the cell parts labelled in Figure 2.

The image in Figure 2 was made using an electron microscope and not a light microscope.

Give one piece of evidence to support this.

Starch is digested in the gut.

Why is digestion of starch needed?

Tick (✓) one box.

Starch is a carbohydrate.

Starch molecules are insoluble.

Starch molecules are small.

Describe the process of starch digestion.

Keys are usually made from metal.

Figure 3 shows a metal key.

Describe a method to determine the density of the metal the key is made from.

You should include the measuring instruments you would use.

Use the Physics Equations Sheet.

Figure 4 shows the evolution of some plants.

A, B, C, D and E show when one species evolved into two species.

Use Figure 4 to answer Questions 04.1 to 04.3.

Give the genus name of salt cress.

Cabbage, cauliflower and kale are all varieties of one species, Brassica oleracea.

How many years ago did rapeseed evolve to become a different species from cabbage, cauliflower and kale?

________________________ million years ago

Give the binomial names of two species that evolved 5 million years ago.

It has taken thousands of years for farmers to produce the different varieties of Brassica oleracea.

Describe how farmers have been able to produce the different varieties of Brassica oleracea.

Describe how scientists can prove that cabbage and cauliflower plants are the same species.

Do not refer to DNA analysis in your answer.

Scientists investigated the genomes of three varieties of Brassica oleracea.

What is meant by ‘genome’?

Figure 5 shows the number of genes in Brassica oleracea that are:

found only in each variety

found in two of the varieties

found in all three of the varieties.

How does Figure 5 show that cauliflower and kale are more closely related than cauliflower and cabbage?

Calculate the percentage of the total number of genes in cauliflower that are in kale, but not in cabbage.

The atomic model has changed over time.

Alpha particles have been used to investigate the atomic model.

Describe the structure of an alpha particle.

An atom has a radius of 0.182 nm.

1 m = 1 000 000 000 nm

What is the radius of the atom in metres?

Tick (✓) one box.

1.82 × 10⁹ m

1.82 × 10¹⁰ m

1.82 × 10⁻⁹ m

1.82 × 10⁻¹⁰ m

Alpha particles from a source were directed at thin gold foil.

Figure 6 shows some of the paths the alpha particles followed.

During one experiment the number of alpha particles following different paths was recorded.

Table 2 shows the number of alpha particles that followed paths A, B and C.

Determine the simplest ratio of alpha particles following paths A, B and C.

Simplest ratio of A: B: C = __________________: __________________: 1

Explain how the results provide evidence for the nuclear model of the atom.

Use Figure 6 and Table 2.

An atom of boron can be represented as¹¹₅B

An atom of carbon can be represented as¹²₆C

Compare the number of sub-atomic particles in the atom of boron and in the atom of carbon.

Boron and carbon both have isotopes.

What does ‘isotope’ mean?

Organisms have been genetically modified (GM) for many reasons.

What has been genetically modified to produce a hormone that reduces blood glucose concentration?

Tick (✓) one box.

Algae

Bacteria

Viruses

Scientists are researching the production of GM pigs.

Organs from GM pigs could be transplanted into humans.

What is one advantage of using organs from GM pigs instead of using organs from human donors?

Describe how a human gene could be used to genetically modify a pig embryo.

Farmers produce cotton from cotton plants.

Figure 7 shows a cotton plant.

Insects feed on cotton plants.

Cotton plants have been genetically modified to produce a pesticide that kills insects.

Give one advantage to a farmer of growing cotton plants that are able to kill insects.

Bollworms are insects that eat cotton plants.

Most bollworms are killed if they eat the GM cotton.

Some bollworms have a gene that allows the bollworm to eat GM cotton and survive.

The allele for being killed by eating GM cotton is dominant.

The allele for being able to eat GM cotton and survive is recessive.

Two bollworms mate. Both bollworms would be killed by eating GM cotton.

80 offspring are produced.

Some offspring are able to eat GM cotton and survive.

Predict how many of the 80 offspring are likely to be able to eat GM cotton and survive.

You should:

draw a Punnett square diagram

identify the genotypes of the two parent bollworms

identify the phenotype of each offspring genotype

use the symbols: B = dominant allele b = recessive allele

Predicted number of offspring that will be able to eat GM cotton and survive = __________________

The allele in bollworms for being able to eat GM cotton and survive is recessive.

A bollworm may evolve that has a new dominant allele that allows the bollworm to eat GM cotton and survive.

Explain how a new dominant allele emerging would cause a greater problem than the recessive allele that already exists.

This question is about health.

Some pathogens cause food poisoning.

Explain how the stomach is adapted to prevent food poisoning.

Different types of disease may interact.

Suggest one type of disease that may be triggered by infection with human papillomavirus (HPV).

Chlamydia, HIV and HPV are sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Chlamydia is caused by the same type of microorganism as gonorrhoea.

Suggest how chlamydia infections are treated.

One symptom of chlamydia infection is damage of the uterus lining.

Which two hormones are involved in maintaining the uterus lining?

Students were asked to estimate the percentage risk of a person becoming infected with different STDs.

` The estimate was compared to the actual percentage risk of infection.

Figure 8 shows the results.

Figure 8

Why is the data in Figure 8 plotted as a bar chart and not as a line graph?

The difference between the estimated risk and the actual risk is not the same for each STD.

Suggest two reasons why.

Explain how only some types of contraception reduce the spread of STDs.

Explain why patients with late-stage HIV infection or AIDS are likely to become very ill from other infections.

It is important to keep our feet healthy.

Figure 9 shows a doctor testing a reflex action of a patient.

When the doctor touches the patient’s foot with a blunt rod, the patient’s toes curl.

Describe the pathway of this reflex action.

Sometimes runners tie their shoelaces too tightly.

Tight shoes can cause muscle pain part-way through a long run.

Explain why the muscle pain starts part-way through the run.