Genetic Variation and Speciation · CSEC Biology

28 past-paper questions on Genetic Variation and Speciation, part of Continuity and Variation, from every CSEC Biology paper on Quelpr.

1. 1(a)3 marks· Biology Q1 1(a)In the space below, construct a table using the data presented in Figure 1.
2. 1(b)2 marks· Biology Q1 1(b)Suggest TWO causes of variation among members of the same species.
3. 1(c)4 marks· Biology Q1 1(c)Explain how the type of variation shown in Table 1 differs from the type of variation represented by Figure 1.
4. 2(b)(i)2 marks· Biology Q2 2(b)(i)Define the term 'species'.
5. 2(b)(ii)2 marks· Biology Q2 2(b)(ii)Using the human species as an example, explain why physical appearance or morphology is NOT always useful for identifying organisms belonging to the same species.
6. 2(b)(iii)2 marks· Biology Q2 2(b)(iii)Suggest ONE reason why biologists use the biological concept of species instead of physical characteristics to classify organisms.
7. 2(c)(i)2 marks· Biology Q2 2(c)(i)Using the biological concept of a species, state TWO reasons why they were reclassified.
8. 2(c)(ii)2 marks· Biology Q2 2(c)(ii)The new species of lizards living in the mountainous region of the island were found to be smaller than those living on the lowlands. Suggest TWO reasons for this variation.
9. 3(a)(i)2 marks· Biology Q3 3(a)(i)What is the effect on the expression of phenotype for continuous and discontinuous variation?
10. 3(a)(ii)1 mark· Biology Q3 3(a)(ii)State how the data for continuous variation should be presented graphically.
11. 3(a)(iii)3 marks· Biology Q3 3(a)(iii)What type of genetic variation is shown by the flower colour in Impatiens? Explain your answer.
12. 3(b)(i)2 marks· Biology Q3 3(b)(i)State ONE characteristic of human beings that shows continuous variation.
13. 3(b)(ii)2 marks· Biology Q3 3(b)(ii)State ONE characteristic of human beings that shows discontinuous variation.
14. 3(c)2 marks· Biology Q3 3(c)Suggest ONE reason why it is possible to successfully transfer genes from one species to another, yet species under normal conditions do not generally interbreed.
15. 3(e)2 marks· Biology Q3 3(e)John and Jake grew plants with the same genotype. Jake's plants produced smaller flowers than John's plants. Account for the difference in size of these flowers.
16. 3(e)3 marks· Biology Q3 3(e)Suggest THREE events which take place during sexual reproduction which may have led to the variation in the height of the two sisters.
17. 4(b)(i)3 marks· Biology Q4 4(b)(i)Mutation and sexual reproduction are two processes which can lead to variation in the population of a species. State ONE way in which both processes are similar and TWO ways in which they differ.
18. 4(b)(ii)4 marks· Biology Q4 4(b)(ii)Explain the difference between variation in a community and variation in a population, and suggest ONE way in which diversity benefits the community.
19. 5(a)(i)5 marks· Biology Q5 5(a)(i)How is it possible for plants that have identical genetic make-up to show differences?
20. 5(a)(ii)1 mark· Biology Q5 5(a)(ii)Identify the type of variation involved in the inheritance of earlobe size in humans shown in Figure 6 above.
21. 5(a)(iii)5 marks· Biology Q5 5(a)(iii)Give ONE disadvantage of breeding an identical population of organisms.
22. 5(a)(iii)1 mark· Biology Q5 5(a)(iii)Give ONE reason for the importance of variation among living things.
23. 5(b)(i)2 marks· Biology Q5 5(b)(i)Give TWO examples of traits that show continuous variation.
24. 5(c)(i)2 marks· Biology Q5 5(c)(i)Why is genetic variation important?
25. 5(c)(ii)2 marks· Biology Q5 5(c)(ii)Explain why this practice may be considered risky.
26. 6(c)3 marks· Biology Q6 6(c)Genetically identical offspring sometimes show differences in phenotype. Suggest why such differences may occur.
27. 6(d)(ii)2 marks· CSEC Biology · May/June 2021 · Paper 2Provide an explanation to support the conclusion that the iguanas with longer tails were not a new species.
28. 6(e)4 marks· CSEC Biology · May/June 2021 · Paper 2Describe two situations which may lead to the evolution of a new species.