CAMBRIDGE IGCSE™ BIOLOGY: WORKBOOK

Workbook answers
Chapter 1
Exercise 1.1 3 Points that learners may make include:
Birds are living things because they are able
1 Term Description
to carry out all seven characteristics: they can
making more of move of their own accord; they can reproduce;
nutrition the same kind of they respire; they are sensitive to changes in
organism their environment; they grow; they excrete;
removing waste they take in nutrients.
respiration products of Aeroplanes are able to move, and they also
metabolism take in ‘nutrients’, in the form of fuel. They
a permanent combine oxygen with fuel to provide energy
growth increase in size and for their movement, which is similar to
dry mass respiration, and this reaction produces waste
taking in materials products removed in the exhaust, which is
excretion for energy, growth similar to excretion. They have sensors that
and development can detect and respond to changes in their
environment – for example, they may have
chemical reactions
lights that come on automatically when light
that release energy
reproduction intensity in their surroundings falls below a
from nutrient
particular level. However, aeroplanes do not
molecules
grow, and they are not able to reproduce.
Because aeroplanes are not able to carry out
all seven characteristics, they are not alive.

2 Growth – the plant makes new

Excretion – the plant makes oxygen
cells so it increases in size.
as a waste product of phosynthesis,
and loses it from its leaves.

Reproduction – gametes Sensitivity – the plant senses the

are made in the flower, which direction from which light comes, and
fuse together to produce a the stem and leaves grow towards it.
zygote; this is sexual
reproduction. (Note: If
students have not previously
studied reproduction, accept
an answer that refers simply to
reproduction as making more
of the same species.)

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Chapter 1 continued
Exercise 1.2 Exercise 1.6
4 An organism is a living thing. A species is a 10 Learners may suggest these points:
group of living organisms that can reproduce • It is larger.
with each other to produce fertile offspring. • Label lines are straight.
Each species of organism has a two-word • Label lines always touch the part they
name. This system of naming is called the are labelling.
binomial system. The first of the two words
• There is no shading.
in the name tells us the genus that the species
belongs to. • The lines are continuous, not broken
which means they are clearer.
5 a They both belong to the same genus,
Panthera. 11 a Look for the features listed above,
for question 10.
b They have different binomials, Panthera
tigris and Panthera leo. They cannot b It has cells that do not have cell walls.
interbreed to produce fertile offspring. It has cells that do not have chloroplasts.
6 The two-word name provides information Some learners may also mention that it
about the genus and species that the organism has cells that do not have large vacuoles
belongs to, so scientists can tell whether two containing cell sap. It is able to move its
species are related or not. The name is used by body from place to place.
scientists all over the world, no matter what 12 a Look for the features listed above,
language they speak, so all scientists can be for question 10 (but note that no labels
sure they are referring to the same species. are required here).
b Fungi have cells with cell walls not made
Exercise 1.3 of cellulose. They do not have chlorophyll,
7 Note that students cannot write in italic, so and do not feed by photosynthesis.
should underline the binomials instead. They are made of hyphae. They feed
A (given) 1b, 2a, 3a – Crocodylus niloticus by digesting waste organic material and
absorbing it.
B 1a – Geochelone elephantopus
C 1b, 2b – Ophiophagus hannah Exercise 1.7
D 1b, 2a, 3b – Chamaeleo gracilis
13 A – amphibian; B – mammal; C – bird;
D – fish; E – mammal
Exercise 1.4 and Exercise 1.5
14 Any two features of mammals, such as: they
8 and 9 Look for these features in the keys: have mammary glands; the young develop in
• It is made up of pairs of contrasting a uterus, attached by a placenta; they have
statements. different types of teeth; they have a pinna;
• The statements are stand-alone and they have sweat glands; they have
can be selected by looking at only the a diaphragm.
organism being identified; they do 15 Reptile
not require comparison with another
organism.
• The key has no more than four pairs of
statements.
• The key works.

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Chapter 1 continued
Exercise 1.8
16 They have several pairs of jointed legs; they
have an exoskeleton.
17
Group Number Number Other
of pairs of pairs of distinguishing
of legs antennae features, if any
arachnids 4 0 body
divided into
cephalothorax
and abdomen
insects 3 1 body divided
into head,
thorax and
abdomen;
usually have
wings, breathe
through tubes
called tracheae
myriapods many 1 body made up
(more of many similar
than 4) segments
crustaceans more 2
than 4

Exercise 1.9
18 They have cells with walls made of cellulose;
their cells contain chlorophyll; they feed
by photosynthesis.
19 Ferns do not produce flowers. They reproduce
by producing spores on the underside of
their fronds.
20 For example:
Monocotyledons Dicotyledons
seeds have one seeds have two
cotyledon cotyledons
roots grow directly usually have a main
from the stem root that branches
leaves have parallel leaves have a
veins network of veins
flower parts in flower parts in
multiples of three multiples of four or
five
vascular bundles vascular bundles in
in stem arranged stem arranged in a
randomly ring

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Chapter 2
Exercise 2.1 Exercise 2.2
1 cell membrane 6
size of image
nucleus magnification =
size of actual object
7
cytoplasm 120
magnification = = ×2
60
mitochondrion
8 a 93 mm
2 b
chloroplast cell wall 93
magnification =
cell membrane 32
vacuole
containing = 2.9 to 1 d.p.
cytoplasm
cell sap 9 a 45 mm
mitochondrion (allow any value between 42 and 47 mm)
membrane
around b
vacuole nucleus 45
magnification =
105
= ×0.43
(allow correctly
3 Cell membrane: it is partially permeable, and calculated answers from
controls what enters and leaves the cell. the value given in a)
Mitochondrion: where aerobic respiration to 2 d.p.
happens, which releases energy from glucose. 10
Chloroplast: contains the green pigment
size of image
chlorophyll, which absorbs energy size of actual object =
from sunlight, used for making food by magnification
photosynthesis. = 25 ÷ 12 = 2 mm
(to the nearest whole number)
4 Cell wall: supports the cell, helps to stop the
cell bursting when it absorbs water. 11 a Root hair cell; it absorbs water and
mineral ions from the soil.
Ribosome: where amino acids are combined
together to make proteins, using instructions b length of cell in the diagram = 65 mm
on the DNA. = 65 × 1000 µm
Circular DNA: provides instructions for 65 000 µm
making proteins. So magnification =
100 µm
5 Mitochondria are the parts of the cell where
= ×650
aerobic respiration happens, which is how
(allow correct
energy is released from glucose. If more
calculations
energy is needed in a cell, there will be more
from a different
mitochondria. Ribosomes are where proteins
measurement of the
are made. If more protein is needed in a cell,
length of the cell)
there will be more ribosomes.

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Chapter 3
Exercise 3.1 Exercise 3.2
1 A = 3; B = 5; C = 10; D = 20 7 Percentage Mass / g
2 Yes. As temperature increased, the distance concentration Before After Change
the red colour diffused through the jelly of solution soaking soaking
increased. As the dishes were all left for the
A 0.0 5.2 5.5 +0.3
same period of time, this must mean the
colour was moving faster in the warmer B 0.1 5.1 5.2 +0.1
dishes. A doubling of the temperature caused
C 0.2 4.9 4.9 0.0
the distance diffused by the colour to
roughly double. D 0.5 5.0 5.3 +0.3
3 The four most important variables to be E 0.8 5.1 5.0 –0.1
controlled are: concentration of the solution
of red pigment; size of hole in the jelly; depth F 1.0 5.2 5.0 –0.2
of jelly in the dish; volume of solution placed
in the hole. 8 The change for solution D should be ringed.
4 This allows the learner to spot an anomalous (The mass of the potato piece soaking in 0.5%
result. A mean can be calculated. It improves solution (D) has increased, but it would be
the trust you can have in your results. expected to decrease. This does not follow
the pattern of the other results and so
5 The higher the temperature, the more kinetic is anomalous.)
energy the dye particles have. This means that
they move faster, so diffusion happens 9
0.4
more quickly.
0.3
6 a and b Possible answers include:
• Moving the dishes from one place to 0.2

another, after the dye had been put into Mean change
0.1

the holes, makes it likely that some dye in mass / g

0.0
would overflow onto the surface of the
jelly. It would be better to place the dishes −0.1

in their final places, and then add the dye −0.2

to the holes.
−0.3
• The dye samples placed into the holes will 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
Percentage concentration of solution
0.8 0.9 1.0

all be the same temperature to start with,

and will take different amounts of time to 10 The 0% and 0.1% solutions had a lower
reach the four different temperatures in concentration (higher water potential) than
the experiment. It would be better to leave inside the potato cells, so water moved in by
some dye at each temperature for a while, osmosis and made the cells increase in mass.
and then add the dye to the holes. The 0.2% solution had the same concentration
(water potential) as the potato cells, so there
was no net movement of water into or out of
the cells (the same amount went in as came
out) so there was no change in mass. The 0.8%
and 1.0% solutions had higher concentrations
(lower water potential) than that of the potato
cells, so water moved out of the cells by
osmosis and their mass therefore decreased.

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Chapter 3 continued
11 The most useful improvement would be to 15 a Ion A
have several pieces of potato in each solution, b Diffusion
and calculate a mean change in mass.
16 B, because the concentration inside the root
12 Yes, this would have been better because the cell is greater than outside, so it must have
original masses of the potato pieces were been moved in against its concentration
not identical. Calculating percentage change gradient.
would give a fairer comparison between the
17 The roots would not be able to respire
pieces – it would avoid discrepancies caused by
aerobically, so they would not be able to
this uncontrolled variable.
release energy to use in active transport. This
13 He could look at the graph, and determine would have no effect on the concentration
the concentration of solution where there of A, as these ions are moving passively by
would be no change in mass (i.e. the value diffusion. Active transport of B and C would
on the x-axis where the line intercepts the 0 stop, so they would now move by diffusion
on the y-axis). (It would be helpful to repeat alone and their concentrations in the soil and
the experiment using more concentrations cells would become equal. For ion B, this
between 0.1% and 0.5%, to narrow down would mean that the concentration inside the
this value.) cells would decrease and for ion C, it
would increase.
Exercise 3.3
14 Term Description
movement of
particles through
a cell membrane,
diffusion
against a
concentration
gradient
a difference in
concentration
concentration
gradient
between two places
the diffusion of
water through a
osmosis
partially permeable
membrane
the net movement
active of particles down
transport a concentration
gradient

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Chapter 4
Exercise 4.1 4 a Ribosomes
b Amino acids
1 Look for a single table, with ruled and fully
headed rows and columns. c Each protein is made from a particular
sequence of amino acids. A different
For example:
sequence would make a different protein,
Food Result of Result of Conclusion which would have a different function (or
test with test with no function at all).
iodine Benedict’s 5 Answers will depend on the learner’s choice
A remained changed contains of protein, and the information that they find.
brown from blue reducing Look for answers that appear to be written in
to orange- sugar but the learner’s own words, rather than copied
red not starch from the internet or other source.
B changed remained contains
from blue starch
Exercise 4.3
brown to but not 6 The variable to be changed is the type of milk
black reducing – cow’s milk and goat’s milk.
sugar
The most important variables to be controlled
There are several other ways in which the table are: the volume of milk, the age of the milk,
could be organised. For example, learners the temperature of the milk, the volume and
could decide to have two separate columns for concentration of biuret reagent added to it
the conclusions, one for the starch test and and the time left before the intensity of the
one for the reducing sugar test. colour is assessed.
2 The variable to be measured is the intensity of
Example of the colour produced after the biuret test has
Function in organisms
carbohydrate been carried out on the milk. This could be
provides energy; the form measured by comparing the colours visually.
in which carbohydrates are The apparatus that students choose will
glucose
transported in mammalian depend on their choice of method, but should
blood include a way of measuring volume (e.g. a
the form in which plants store
measuring cylinder or syringe), a timer and
starch a thermometer.
energy
If the hypothesis is correct, the purple colour
makes up the cell walls of
cellulose formed in the cow’s milk will be more intense
plants
than the colour in the goat’s milk.
used to store energy in Check that the results table has been drawn
glycogen
animal cells with ruled lines, the independent variable
placed in the first column and the dependent
Exercise 4.2 variable placed in the remaining columns
(with a column for a mean if repeats have been
3 Cut up the substance into very small pieces included) and that, if appropriate, there are
and mix with water. Add biuret solution. units in the headings.
(Note: no heating is required.) If the mixture
remains blue, there is no protein. A purple
colour indicates the presence of protein.

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Chapter 4 continued
Exercise 4.4
7 In an animal or plant cell, DNA is found
in the nucleus. It forms long thread-like
structures called chromosomes.
In bacterial cells, there is no nucleus. Instead,
the DNA is free in the cytoplasm. It is in
the form of a circle. These cells also contain
smaller circles of DNA, called plasmids.
8 a Bases
b Upper strand: A, G; lower strand: C.
9 A DNA molecule is made of two strands,
coiled around each other to form a
double helix.
Cross-links between the bases hold the two
strands together.
The sequence of bases in a DNA molecule
determines the sequence of amino acids that
are used to make protein molecules.

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Chapter 5
Exercise 5.1 9 Tube 1 2 3 4 5
1
Temp / °C 20 20 0 40 100

enzyme Milk added? no yes yes yes yes

substrate pH at:
0 min 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.0

active site 2 min 7.0 6.8 7.0 6.7 7.0

of enzyme
4 min 7.0 6.7 7.0 6.5 7.0

6 min 7.0 6.6 7.0 6.3 7.0

8 min 7.0 6.6 6.9 6.2 7.0

2 10 min 7.0 6.5 6.9 6.2 7.0

10 There was no milk, so no fat, so no fatty acids

were made.
11 The high temperature denatured the lipase
molecules, so there was no digestion of fats
and no fatty acids were made.
12 These tubes differed only in their temperature.
Lipase acts more rapidly at 20 °C than at 0 °C.
Students studying the supplement should also
refer to the lipase molecules moving around
faster and therefore collisions between enzyme
3 The active site of the enzyme is complementary and substrate molecules happening more
in shape to the substrate. Only a molecule frequently and with more energy. This means the
with the shape of the substrate can form an rate of reaction is faster at 20 °C than at 0 °C.
enzyme–substrate complex with the enzyme.
13 40 °C is the temperature at which the enzyme
worked fastest in this experiment, but the
Exercise 5.2 optimum could be somewhere either side of
4,5 Look for questions that are very clear, this – either a bit below or anywhere between
biologically correct and that have 40 °C and 100 °C.
unambiguous answers. 14 To find a more reliable value of the optimum
temperature, the experiment could be
Exercise 5.3 repeated, to obtain another set of results,
6 lipids (fats and oils) to see if these matched the first ones.
Alternatively (or as well), three tubes could
7 Fatty acids and glycerol
be set up for each temperature, and a mean
8 Fatty acids are produced, which are acids and calculated. To find a more precise value of
therefore lower the pH. the optimum temperature, more temperatures
need to be tested on either side of 40 °C – for
example 35 °C, 45 °C, 50 °C. Once these results
have been found, the temperature range can
be narrowed down even more to keep getting
closer to the
optimum temperature.

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Chapter 5 continued
Exercise 5.4 g Look for columns or rows for the pH and
the time taken for the brown colour to
15 a pH disappear. In this case, the values written
b From pH 2 to pH 10 (a different range in the table would be time in minutes.
would be acceptable). Students may also like to show the colour
c Using buffer solutions. Tubes could be set each time a sample was tested, in which
up using buffers for pH 2, 4, and so on. case the results table should also have
columns or rows with headings for the
d The volume and concentration of starch
time intervals. The results written in the
solution used should be kept constant.
table would be colours.
Do this by making up one lot of starch
solution, keeping it well mixed, and h The graph should have an x-axis labelled
measuring volumes using a syringe or ‘pH’, and a y-axis labelled ‘Time taken for
other calibrated instrument. The volume starch to disappear / minutes’. The line
and concentration of amylase solution should begin high at the lowest pHs, drop
should also be kept constant – do this as down to pH 7.5 and then rise again.
for the starch solution. The temperatures
of all solutions need to be kept constant –
use water baths.
e The time taken for the starch to disappear
should be measured. Take samples from
the mixtures of amylase and starch
at timed intervals (for example, every
minute); place them on a tile and add
iodine solution. Record the colour. The
time at which the sample does not go
black with iodine solution is the time
to record.
f Measure equal volumes of starch solution
into six tubes. Add equal volumes of
different buffer solutions, for pH 2, 4, 6,
8 and 10 to each tube. Stand the tubes in
a water bath at a known temperature (for
example, 30 °C). Measure equal volumes
of amylase solution and add them to the
starch mixtures. Use a clean glass rod to
take samples from each tube (a different
glass rod for each, wiped clean between
samples) and place them on a tile. Add
iodine solution and record the colour
obtained.

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Chapter 6
Exercise 6.1 7 The sun leaf is exposed to much more
sunlight, so having more palisade cells
1 carbon dioxide + water ➞ glucose + oxygen enables it to make more use of this light
Students may also include reference to and photosynthesise more. There can be
sunlight and chlorophyll. two layers of cells because at least some
2 Light energy from sunlight, which passes sunlight will penetrate through the top layer
through transparent epidermis cells to reach and reach those underneath. The shade leaf
the chlorophyll in the chloroplasts. has much less light, so only very little would
pass through the top layer of cells to reach a
Carbon dioxide from the air, by diffusion
second layer, so there is no point in having a
through a stoma and then the air spaces in the
second layer of palisade cells.
spongy mesophyll.
Water from the soil, by osmosis into the root Exercise 6.2
hair cells, then up through the stem in the
xylem vessels, then by osmosis out of the 8 and 10 Look for: ‘Percentage concentration
xylem and into the palisade cell. of carbon dioxide’ on the x-axis, and ‘Rate of
photosynthesis / arbitrary units’ on the y-axis;
Oxygen by diffusion into the air spaces then
suitable scales; points plotted accurately, as
out of a stoma into the air.
crosses or encircled dots; best-fit lines drawn
Carbohydrates stored as starch, or changed to (though you could allow points joined with
sucrose and transported away in the phloem; ruled lines); the two lines labelled ‘low light
made into cellulose for cells walls; made into intensity’ and ‘high light intensity’.
nectar to attract pollinators; made into amino
9 Carbon dioxide is one of the raw materials for
acids for growth; made into chlorophyll.
photosynthesis.
3 The sequence of labels runs from upper
10 See 8 above.
epidermis at the top, then palisade mesophyll,
then spongy mesophyll, and finally lower 11 0.04%
epidermis at the bottom of the diagram. 12 53 Arbitrary units
4 Green spots should be put inside all palisade 13 0.12% (Note that if learners have drawn a
mesophyll cells, spongy mesophyll cells and best-fit line, their line may flatten a little before
guard cells. or after this value; if so, take the reading from
5 their graph.)
Part of leaf Sun leaf Shade leaf
14 Light intensity
cuticle relatively thick relatively thin 15 Carbon dioxide is often a limiting factor for
palisade two layers one layer photosynthesis, so adding more will make
mesophyll photosynthesis take place faster. This enables
the plant to make more carbohydrates and
spongy more loosely quite tightly
grow faster, therefore producing higher yields.
mesophyll packed; larger packed; small
cells and more cells and small 16 Around 0.08 to 0.10%. Above this, the
air spaces air spaces increase in rate of photosynthesis is quite
small (the graph is flattening off) so the extra
6 The cuticle helps to prevent water loss from yield is likely to be small.
the leaf. The sun leaf will be hotter, so would
tend to lose more water by evaporation, so the
thicker cuticle helps to prevent this. The shade
leaf has a thin cuticle so more of the limited
amount of sunlight can get through it and
reach the palisade cells.

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