Science - UPCAT MSA Reviewer

All living things are made up of cells. Different cells and organs are adapted for their different roles in life processes. All living cells contain a nucleus, cytoplasm and a cell membrane. In addition to these, plant cells also have a cell wall, chloroplasts, and a vacuole. Which part of a cell contains the mitochondria?

cytoplasm

The part of a plant cell that stores water, sugar, and minerals:

vacuole

Photosynthesis is the process of converting light energy and inorganic compounds into chemical energy and organic compounds. This is the way plants make their own food. It happens mainly in the palisade cells of leaves, and is a complex chemical reaction requiring energy from light. Photosynthesis—

is essential to all life on earth

Plants need carbon dioxide, water, light and chlorophyll in order to make starch by photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide enters plants through holes in the leaves called—

stomata

Our diet must include three types of food: energy foods, body-building foods and maintenance foods. The main energy foods are carbohydrates and:

fats

Vitamins help to control chemical reactions in our bodies. Without vitamins certain reactions cannot take place. We need only tiny amounts of vitamins, but without them we will suffer from deficiency diseases; like the lack of vitamin D will lead to—

rickets

The heart pumps blood around the body through a system of tubes called blood vessels. Which blood vessels carry blood back to the heart?

veins

What is the function of the white blood cells?

to destroy bacteria in the body

What is the function of the excretory system?

to remove harmful waste produced by the body

In a species of pea plant, white flowers were completely dominant over red flowers. Pure-breeding, white-flowered pea plants are crossed with pure-breeding, red-flowered pea plants. What proportion of white- and red-colored plants will be produced in the F₁ generation?

all white-flowered plants

Of the following parts of a cell, which one is the smallest in size?

amino acid

Which of the following statements is true?

Chromosomes are made of DNA and contain genes.

Different organisms have different numbers of chromosomes. Kangaroos have 12 chromosomes in each body cell. This means that the number of chromosomes in each egg cell of a kangaroo is

6

Phenotype may be defined as

visible expression of genotype.

Alleles are genes which

occupy corresponding positions on homologous chromosomes.

Fine pollen grains on the surface of water are examined under a microscope. It is observed that the pollen grains are in random motion and frequently changing direction. The movement is most likely due to the

collisions between water molecules and pollen grains.

When ice changes from a solid to a liquid at its melting point

its particles gain energy.

When water changes into steam, the molecules become

more widely spaced.

Which of the following is a physical property of sugar?

it is a white crystalline solid.

It is the separation of a liquid into different substances with different boiling points.

distillation

A chemical reaction occurs when

dilute hydrochloric acid is added to magnesium ribbon.

Solids do not diffuse like gases because the particles of a solid

cannot move around each other.

Smoke particles are examined under a microscope, and was observed to be moving randomly. This movement is due to

air molecules bumping into smoke particles.

The reason why gases diffuse faster than liquids is that gas molecules are

more free to move than liquid molecules.

It is considered as the most primitive kingdom.

Monera

Two different forms of the same gene and are located on homologous chromosomes.

alleles

Enzymes are proteins that catalyze a particular biochemical reaction involving specific substrate molecules. Enzyme activity is affected by pH, that is

each enzyme works at different optimum level.

An embryo begins to develop from a zygote as a direct result of

cleavage

Which of the following is the function of the cotyledon in a seed?

to provide nutrients for the germinating plant

Which of the following may stimulate the growth of the roots in plant cuttings?

the use of auxins