Year 9 Biology Summer Exam Revision

Comprehensive practice questions covering biology characteristics, variety of organisms, cell structure, biological molecules, nutrition, respiration, ecology, and scientific skills based on the Year 9 revision booklet.

What are the eight characteristics shared by all living organisms?

They require nutrition, they respire, they excrete their waste, they respond to their surroundings, they move, they control their internal conditions, they reproduce, and they grow and develop.

How do plants store carbohydrates?

Plants store carbohydrates as starch or sucrose.

What is a herbaceous legume example mentioned in the text?

Peas or beans.

How do animal cells typically store carbohydrate?

They often store carbohydrate as glycogen.

Describe the body structure of most fungi.

Their body is usually organised into a mycelium made from thread-like structures called hyphae, which contain many nuclei.

What is saprotrophic nutrition in fungi?

It is the feeding by extracellular secretion of digestive enzymes onto food material and absorption of the organic products.

Which pathogenic protoctist is responsible for causing malaria?

Plasmodium.

What are the structural features of a bacterium?

They have a cell wall, cell membrane, cytoplasm, plasmids, and a circular chromosome of DNA (lacking a nucleus).

What are two examples of bacteria and their roles?

Lactobacillus bulgaricus (used in yoghurt production) and Pneumococcus (pathogen causing pneumonia).

What are the components of a virus particle?

They have no cellular structure but possess a protein coat and contain one type of nucleic acid, either DNA or RNA.

List the levels of organisation in organisms from smallest to largest.

Organelles, cells, tissues, organs and systems.

What are the basic units that make up starch, proteins, and lipids?

Starch is made from simple sugars, protein from amino acids, and lipids from fatty acids and glycerol.

How do temperature and pH changes affect enzyme function?

They can affect enzyme function by altering the shape of the active site.

What factors affect the rate of movement of substances into and out of cells?

Surface area to volume ratio, distance, temperature, and concentration gradient.

What are the seven components of a balanced diet?

Carbohydrate, protein, lipid, vitamins, minerals, water and dietary fibre.

What is the function of bile in the digestive system?

Bile neutralises stomach acid and emulsifies lipids.

Where is bile produced and where is it stored?

Bile is produced by the liver and stored in the gall bladder.

What is the balanced chemical symbol equation for aerobic respiration?

$$C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2 \rightarrow 6CO_2 + 6H_2O$$

What is the word equation for anaerobic respiration in animals?

$$\text{glucose} \rightarrow \text{lactic acid}$$

What are the five levels of trophic levels in ecology?

Producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, and decomposers.

What are the six marking points for drawing a graph?

Scale (linear and > half grid), Line (best fit/straight ruler lines), Axes (labelled and correct orientation), Points (correctly plotted), Units (on axis labels), and Key (if required).

What is the formula for calculating the actual size of a structure under a microscope?

$$\text{Actual size} = \frac{\text{Image size}}{\text{Magnification}}$$

What is the conversion factor between millimeters ($mm$) and micrometers ($\mu m$)?

$$1000\, \mu m = 1\, mm$$