AQA GCSE Synergy Paper 1: Life and environmental sciences Foundation November 2020 question paper 8465/1F

Figure 1 represents a neon atom.

What is the name of the centre of the atom?

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Which particle has a positive charge?

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Which particle has the smallest mass?

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What is the electronic structure of neon?

Use Figure 1.

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There are 18 particles of neon in every 1 000 000 particles of air.

Which equation shows how to calculate the percentage of neon particles in the air?

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Figure 2 shows a sign containing neon. The sign is connected to an electrical supply.

The sign glows when the electrical supply is switched on.

What type of electromagnetic radiation is emitted by the neon atoms when the sign is switched on?

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Some elements emit ultraviolet (UV) radiation when electricity is supplied.

Sun tanning beds emit UV radiation.

Give two health risks of exposure to UV radiation.

Figure 3 shows a human bone cell.

Label the cell structures A, B and C on Figure 3.

Which structure in the cell contains DNA?

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A student used a microscope to view a cell.

The length of the image of the cell was 40 mm

The real length of the cell was 0.25 mm

Calculate the magnification of the image.

Use the equation:

Magnification = ×

Root hair cells are found on the roots of plants.

Root hair cells do not photosynthesise.

Give one structure found in a leaf cell, but not in a root hair cell.

Which two structures are found in plant cells but not in animal cells?

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Figure 4 shows a mosquito on human skin.

Malaria is a communicable disease.

Mosquitos can transmit malaria when they bite.

What is a communicable disease?

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Humans have adaptations to defend the body against pathogens.

Draw one line from each body part to the adaptation that defends against pathogens.

What type of chemical is used to kill mosquitos?

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Scientists are trying to reduce the number of people developing malaria by using genetically modified (GM) mosquitos.

Mosquitos have 6 chromosomes in each normal body cell.

How many chromosomes are in each egg cell from a mosquito?

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Which statement describes genetic modification?

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GM mosquitos can be produced in large numbers in laboratories.

These GM mosquitos can be released to reduce the population of wild mosquitos.

What is one advantage of using GM technology to reduce the population of wild mosquitos?

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Figure 5 shows a diagram of blood.

Cells in the blood are specialised to have particular functions.

What process produces specialised cells?

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Draw one line from each blood component to a function of the component.

Some blood cells carry out phagocytosis.

What is phagocytosis?

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Cystic fibrosis is an inherited condition.

The allele for not having cystic fibrosis is dominant, R.

The recessive allele is r.

What term describes the genotype Rr ?

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Having symptoms of cystic fibrosis is a person’s phenotype.

What does the term ‘phenotype’ mean?

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Two people are planning to have a child.

Complete Figure 6 to show the possible genotypes of the child.

Draw a ring around one of the offspring in Figure 6 that would have cystic fibrosis.

What is the percentage chance of the child having cystic fibrosis?

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New drugs are being developed to treat the symptoms of cystic fibrosis.

Trials of new drugs are needed to work out the correct dose of the drug to use.

Give one other reason why drugs are trialled before they are used by patients.

Do not refer to dosage in your answer.

Table 1 shows the concentration of some substances outside a cell and inside a cell.

Why do sodium ions move into the cell?

Use information from Table 1.

Calculate how many times greater the potassium ion concentration is inside the cell compared with outside the cell.

Name the process that releases energy in cells.

Which process needs energy to move a substance into a cell?

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Give two factors that affect the rate of diffusion.

Students investigated the change in mass of potato pieces in different concentrations of sugar solution.

Figure 7 shows some of the equipment used.

Describe a method to investigate the effect of different concentrations of sugar solution on the change in mass of potato pieces.

The electromagnetic spectrum is made up of waves with different wavelengths and frequencies.

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

A student investigated how the type of surface affects the amount of infrared the surface radiates.

The student used a hollow metal cube.

Four of the surfaces of the cube were different.

This is the method used.

1. Fill the cube with hot water and seal it with a lid.

2. Measure the infrared radiation emitted from each surface using an infrared detector.

Figure 8 shows the equipment used.

Table 2 shows some of the variables in this investigation.

Identify each variable as an independent, dependent or control variable.

Tick (✓) one box in each row on Table 2.

One row has been completed for you.

Table 3 shows the results.

What was the resolution of the infrared detector?

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What was the range of temperatures recorded?

Complete Figure 9.

You should:

• plot the data from Table 3 as a bar chart

• label each bar.

Give one conclusion that can be made from the results in Table 3.

Which equation links frequency (f), wavelength (λ) and wave speed (v)?

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A radio wave has:

• a speed of 300 000 000 m/s

• a wavelength of 500 m

Calculate the frequency of the radio wave.

Give the unit.

Choose the unit from the box.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a species of bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

Which term describes E. coli cells?

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Antibiotics are used to treat many different bacterial infections.

The government wants scientists to research and develop a new ‘antibiotic test’ that:

• takes less than 30 minutes

• shows doctors if an antibiotic is needed for an infection

• shows doctors which antibiotic to use.

Suggest two reasons why research into antibiotics is needed.

The new test should mean that fewer people take antibiotics.

What are two effects of fewer people taking antibiotics?

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A vaccine against E. coli is being trialled.

Suggest what this vaccine contains to cause immunity to E. coli.

This question is about solids and liquids.

Describe two ways the arrangement of particles in a solid is different from the arrangement of particles in a liquid.

You should answer in terms of the particle model.

Liquid water can freeze to form solid ice.

Grit is spread on roads to reduce the formation of ice.

Grit contains a mixture of salt and sand.

Explain why less ice is formed when salt is spread on roads.

Figure 10 shows the mass of ice melted by 1 kg of grit at different temperatures.

Draw a line of best fit on Figure 10.

Predict the mass of ice that 1 kg of grit would melt at −20 °C

Use Figure 10.

Describe the effect of changing temperature on the mass of ice that 1 kg of grit can melt.

Use Figure 10.

Grit is spread on roads when low temperatures are expected.

Some roads are built with temperature sensors in the surface.

The sensors indicate when to spread grit on the roads.

Suggest one advantage of having temperature sensors in roads rather than relying on weather forecasts.

Sewers are often blocked by ‘fatbergs’.

Fatbergs are made of very large lumps of fat and other solids.

The fat and solids come from waste being washed down drains and flushed down toilets.

Figure 11 shows a person holding a small fatberg.

The chemical composition of fatbergs can be tested.

Describe how a sample from a fatberg could be tested for fat and for protein.

Positive result for fat

Positive result for protein

Some fats in fatbergs come from undigested food in faeces.

Most fat that humans eat is digested.

Give the two products of fat digestion.

It may be possible to use fatbergs as a fuel in power stations.

Burning 1.0 kg of fatbergs transfers 40 MJ of energy.

A power station could burn 1250 kg of fatbergs each hour.

Calculate the energy output from the power station in 1 year.

1 year = 8760 hours

Energy output in 1 year = MJ

Evaluate burning fatbergs in power stations compared with burning coal in power stations.