AQA GCSE Synergy Paper 2: Life and environmental sciences Foundation June 2024 question paper 8465/2F

Nuclear radiation is dangerous to humans.

Nuclear radiation can change atoms into ions.

Which type of particle is lost when an atom changes into an ion?

Tick (✓) one box.

Electron

Neutron

Proton

238 4

Which nuclear equation shows this decay?

Tick (✓) one box.

How does the penetrating power of alpha particles compare with the penetrating power of beta particles?

Tick (✓) one box.

Alpha particles are less penetrating than beta particles.

Alpha particles have the same penetrating power as beta particles.

Alpha particles are more penetrating than beta particles.

Uranium is dug out of the ground in a process called mining.

Uranium mining is hazardous because uranium is radioactive.

The radioactive decay of uranium produces radon gas which is also radioactive.

Table 1 compares the properties of uranium and radon.

People who work in uranium mines are more at risk of harm from radon gas than from uranium.

Give two reasons why.

Use Table 1.

Scientists collected data about lung diseases in the population of one country.

The scientists used the data to predict the number of people with lung diseases who worked in uranium mines.

Table 2 shows the predicted data and the actual data for people who worked in uranium mines.

Give two conclusions that can be made from the data in Table 2.

Suggest one reason why people who work in uranium mines should be told that uranium is a hazard.

Carbon monoxide is an atmospheric pollutant.

How is carbon monoxide formed?

Tick (✓) one box.

Incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons

Photosynthesis by plants

Purification of water

Carbon monoxide changes the amount of oxygen that blood can transport.

Which part of the blood transports oxygen?

Figure 1 shows how the percentage of carbon monoxide in air affects the concentration of oxygen in blood.

When the percentage of carbon monoxide in air is 40% the concentration of oxygen in blood is 64 arbitrary units.

Complete Figure 1 to show the result for 40% carbon monoxide in air.

The percentage of carbon monoxide in air changes from 0% to 80%.

Determine the change in the concentration of oxygen in blood.

Use Figure 1.

_ Change = _________________ arbitrary units

Describe how increasing the percentage of carbon monoxide in air affects the concentration of oxygen in blood.

Use Figure 1.

Breathing in carbon monoxide can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.

Which of the following is a symptom of carbon monoxide poisoning?

Tick (✓) one box.

Burns on the skin

Faster heart rate

High temperature

Carbon monoxide can build up in a room.

The risk of carbon monoxide poisoning can be reduced by opening windows in the room.

Suggest how opening windows reduces the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The electromagnetic spectrum is grouped into different types of wave.

Draw one line from each type of wave to a use of the wave.

Infrared radiation is emitted by heaters.

A student investigated the absorption of infrared radiation by a black surface and by a white surface.

Figure 2 shows some of the equipment used.

This is the method used.

1. Ensure that the initial temperature shown on the thermometers is the same.

2. Switch on the infrared heater.

3. Record the temperature shown on each thermometer every 30 seconds for 5 minutes.

What equipment should the student have used to measure time?

The distance between the infrared heater and each thermometer was kept the same throughout the investigation.

What type of variable was the distance?

Tick (✓) one box.

A control variable

A dependent variable

An independent variable

What was a risk to the student in the investigation?

Tick (✓) one box.

Burns from the infrared heater

Misreading the thermometers

Wearing safety glasses

Figure 3 shows the results.

What was the temperature of the room where the investigation took place?

Use Figure 3.

Temperature = ______________ ° C

What two conclusions can be made from Figure 3?

Tick (✓) two boxes.

The black surface absorbed all the infrared radiation.

The black surface had a greater temperature increase per second.

The black surface reflected all the infrared radiation.

The black surface was a better absorber of infrared radiation.

The black surface was a better reflector of infrared radiation.

Figure 4 shows a thermometer with a grey surface.

The investigation was repeated using this thermometer.

The distance between the thermometer and the heater was the same as in the first investigation.

The room temperature was the same as the first investigation.

Draw a line on Figure 3 to predict the results for the thermometer shown in Figure 4

Figure 5 shows a green pepper growing on a pepper plant.

Figure 6 shows a drawing of a cell from a pepper.

Cell part A contains a green pigment.

Label parts A, B and C on Figure 6.

Choose answers from the box.

Water can move into cells and out of cells.

A student investigated how different concentrations of sugar solution affect the mass of pepper tissue.

This is the method used.

1. Cut three pieces of pepper 1 cm wide and 1 cm long.

2. Dry each piece.

3. Record the mass of each piece.

4. Leave each piece in sugar solution for 1 hour.

5. Remove the pieces from the sugar solution and dry each piece.

6. Record the mass of each piece.

7. Repeat steps 1 to 6 using different concentrations of sugar solution.

Before the investigation, the pepper was wrapped in plastic and kept at 5 °C.

Which are two reasons for keeping the pepper wrapped in plastic at 5 °C?

Tick (✓) two boxes.

To change the colour of the pepper

To decrease the size of the pepper

To increase growth of the pepper

To reduce water loss from the pepper

To slow down decay of the pepper

The student calculated the mean percentage change in mass at each concentration of sugar solution.

Figure 7 shows the results.

Figure 7

Concentration

–10

–20

In some concentrations of sugar solution, the mass of the pieces of pepper increased.

The mass increased because water moved into the cells.

What process moved water into the cells?

What concentration of sugar solution would cause a mean percentage change in mass of 0%?

Use Figure 7.

Concentration of sugar solution = __________________ arbitrary units

The cells of the pepper have wrinkled cell walls.

What is the advantage of wrinkled cell walls to the pepper plant?

Tick (✓) one box.

The cells can expand

The cells contain less cellulose

The surface area is smaller

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) can infect pepper plants.

Infected plants have yellow patches on the leaves.

Explain why plants with TMV grow slower than plants that do not have TMV.

This question is about genetics.

Draw one line from each term to the meaning of the term.

The inheritance of sex in humans is controlled by two chromosomes, X and Y.

Complete Figure 8 to show how sex is inherited.

In 2018 a scientist claimed to have genetically modified two human embryos.

Why is genetic modification of human embryos illegal in most countries?

Tick (✓) one box.

Genetic modification technology is too expensive.

Specialist equipment is needed for genetic modification.

The side effects of genetic modification are not known.

The scientist claimed the genetic modification was made to embryos immediately after fertilisation.

Why is genetic modification of embryos more of a concern than genetic modification of body tissues in an adult?

Tick (✓) one box.

Genetically modified body tissues are much larger than an embryo.

The genetic modification of an embryo would not affect all the body tissues.

The modified gene in an embryo could be passed on to future offspring.

The scientist claimed that the embryos were genetically modified to be resistant to HIV infection.

Why do some scientists think this use of genetic modification is not necessary?

Tick (✓) one box.

HIV infection can be treated with antiretroviral drugs.

Only adults are at risk of HIV infection.

Oral contraceptives reduce the risk of HIV infection.

This question is about respiration.

Yeast is a type of fungus.

A student investigated how temperature affects respiration in yeast.

Figure 9 shows some of the apparatus used.

The yeast produces a gas. The gas passes through the layer of oil and is collected in the measuring cylinder.

The oil above the yeast and sugar solution prevents oxygen from entering the solution.

What type of respiration occurs in the yeast when no oxygen is present?

This is the method used.

1. Place yeast and sugar solution in a test tube.

2. Add a thin layer of oil.

3. Place the test tube in a water bath at 5 ° C

4. After 10 minutes set up the apparatus as shown in Figure 9.

5. Record the volume of gas collected in 1 hour.

6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 at different temperatures.

Give two control variables the student used in the investigation.

Table 3 shows the results.

Why should the data from Table 3 be presented as a line graph and not as a bar chart?

Tick (✓) one box.

Bar charts are too simple

Temperature is a continuous variable

Volume of gas is a categoric variable

Complete Figure 10.

You should: label the y-axis plot the data from Table 3 draw a line of best fit.

Predict the volume of gas that would be produced at 7 °C.

Use Figure 10.

The student repeated the investigation at 60 °C.

Suggest why gas was not produced by the yeast at 60 °C.

Funnel-web spiders produce poison to kill prey.

The poison enters the prey when the spider bites the prey.

The poison contains a protein.

What is a protein?

Tick (✓) one box.

A chain of glucose molecules

A long chain of amino acids

A small insoluble molecule

What reagent is used to test for protein?

The protein from the spider could be used in a new drug to treat patients having a heart attack.

When a person has a heart attack:

cells in the heart muscle do not receive enough oxygen

cells in the heart muscle stop working.

Why are heart attacks non-communicable?

The protein from the spider allows heart muscle tissues to function in low concentrations of oxygen.

Complete Table 4 to show the risks and benefits of the new drug.

Tick (✓) one box in each row.

The drug made from the protein would be tested in a drug trial.

Part of the drug trial would involve a placebo.

Explain why a placebo is used in a drug trial.

The results of drug trials are peer reviewed.

Which are two advantages of peer review?

Tick (✓) two boxes.

People who are not experts simplify the results during peer review.

Scientists not involved in the drug trial assess whether the results are valid.

Scientists who planned the drug trial decide whether the results are published.

The peer reviewers decide the dose for testing the drug on animals.

The process of peer review reduces the chance of bias.

Two students analysed water from four rivers.

Each student measured the pH of the river water using a different method.

Table 5 shows the results.

Suggest what was used to measure the pH in each method.

Why is it not valid to calculate a mean of the two pH values for each river?

Tick (✓) one box.

A mean cannot be calculated from only two values.

Each method gives values to a different resolution.

The mean should be calculated for each method using all four samples.

Which river is most likely to be in an area with a high concentration of sulfur dioxide in the air?

Use Table 5.

Tick (✓) one box.

W X Y Z

Explain your answer to Question 08.4.

Describe a method to determine the mass of dissolved solids in 50 cm³ of river water.

Biodiversity is the variety of species within an ecosystem.

A student investigated the biodiversity in a field.

In part of the field, the living grass had been replaced with plastic grass.

Other plants grow between living grass plants and between pieces of plastic grass.

Figure 11 shows the field.

Figure 11

Living grass

Plastic grass

The student used quadrats to randomly sample the biodiversity of plants in:

the area with living grass

the area with plastic grass.

Describe how the student could decide where to randomly place the quadrats in the area with plastic grass.

How would a greater number of different plant species affect the biodiversity of animals in the area?

Another student used a transect to place quadrats in the field.

Figure 12 shows the position of the transect.

The student placed a quadrat every 5 metres from point A to point B.

Table 6 shows the results.

Describe the relationship between the type of grass and the number of plant species.

Which of the following are two improvements to the investigation that used a transect?

Tick (✓) two boxes.

Decrease the length of the transect to 20 metres.

Increase the distance between quadrats from 5 metres to 10 metres.

Record the number of plants of each species as well as the number of species.

Repeat three times at different times of the same day.

Repeat using three different transects that cross the two types of grass.

Small pieces of plastic break off plastic grass and enter rivers and oceans.

Leaves from trees take longer to decompose on plastic grass than on living grass.

Other plants can grow between pieces of plastic grass.

Plastic grass cannot be recycled.

Explain how plastic grass affects biodiversity of ecosystems.

Ecosystems with low biodiversity may have small populations of some species.

Why are small populations more likely to become extinct than large populations?

Tick (✓) one box.

A small population may be more varied genetically than a large population.

Large populations in the same habitat interact to form communities.

Less genetic variation is a greater risk if the ecosystem changes.

Suggest two ways biodiversity in and around fields can be increased.

Do not refer to plastic grass.