Six Mark Questions 2012
Biology
1. Rachel has an injury to her spinal cord just above her waist. She cannot walk because she cannot make her legs
move. A doctor tests Rachel’s knee jerk reflex and finds that it still works, even though she cannot walk. Use
information about the pathways followed by nerve impulses to suggest an explanation for these observations.
2. Scientists are investigating some properties of structures in a yeast cell. They are examining the processes of
aerobic respiration and anaerobic respiration. Their results are shown in the table.
Explain how the properties of these structures help
the yeast cell to respire using aerobic respiration and
anaerobic respiration.
structure in yeast cell
cell membrane
cytoplasm
mitochondria
nucleus
property
freely permeable to gases
contains enzymes
contain enzymes
holds the genetic code
3. Use your knowledge of the genetic code to explain where and how proteins are coded for and made.
Chemistry
1. The table shows data about the physical
properties of some elements.
Mendeleev put these elements into two
groups in the Periodic Table. He used
their similarities and differences to put
lithium, sodium and potassium in one
group. He put chlorine, bromine and iodine into another group.
Discuss which data in the table support, and which data do not support, Mendeleev’s idea of
organising these elements into the two groups.
2.
Use the data sheet on page 2 to help you answer this question. Amy and Zak’s teacher tells them that
neither of their conclusions are fully correct. Look at Amy and Zak’s tests and their results. Explain
why neither Amy or Zak has a fully correct conclusion. Identify the correct metal and non-metal ions in
the solution.
2. Alex wants to use a titration method to make some
potassium sulfate. Alex begins by measuring 25.0 cm3 of
dilute potassium hydroxide into a flask. He reacts the
potassium hydroxide with dilute sulfuric acid. Alex does
titrations to find out the volume of acid that exactly reacts
with the 25.0 cm3 dilute potassium hydroxide. Describe in detail how Alex does the titrations.
Physics
1. Two cars, A and B, are
crash tested by
scientists. Car A has a
crumple zone but car B
does not.
Using the information
given, and by
calculating the forces on
the drivers, explain why
a government might
choose to make
crumple zones a legal
requirement.
2. Tim walks on a nylon carpet wearing shoes with rubber soles. When he touches a metal rail, he feels
an electric shock. Tim is worried about the risk from these electric shocks. Explain these
observations, and discuss what Tim will need to consider to decide the size of the risk.
3. Read the following passage.
A study for the German Government was carried out by scientists from the University of Mainz.
It found that children living within 5 km of nuclear power stations were 2.19 times more likely to
get cancer than children living further away. The researchers looked at a sample of 593 children
under five who had leukaemia, which is a type of blood cancer, over a 23-year period. They
compared them with a sample of 1766 healthy children. For each child the researchers took into
account the distance from the child’s home to the nuclear power plant. Some scientists think that
emissions of ionising radiation from the nuclear power stations could be causing cancer. Other
scientists think that the increased risk is due to other factors.
Two government ministers talk about the study.
Use ideas about the harmful effects of radiation, together with the information about the study, to
discuss whether ministers should write laws based on this study.
Six Mark Questions Jan 2013
Biology
1. Yeast is a single-celled microorganism. Yeast can be grown in a fermenter. The yeast cells are grown
in a liquid containing nutrients. The nutrients are needed for them to grow and reproduce. Yeast can
carry out both aerobic and anaerobic respiration.
Some yeast cells are put into a solution into two fermenters, A and B. The lid is closed tight so that no
air can get in or out of fermenter A. Air containing oxygen is bubbled through fermenter B. A scientist
counts the number of yeast cells in samples taken from both fermenters. The results show that the
yeast reproduces faster in fermenter B than in fermenter A.
The scientist adds a chemical called adriamycin to the yeast culture in fermenter B after the first 4
hours of the study. Adriamycin is quick-acting and prevents the copying of chromosomes. The
scientist continues to count the number of yeast cells in samples from this fermenter for a further two
hours. Describe and explain how this chemical will affect the yeast cells during the next two hours of
the study. Use your knowledge of the cell cycle in your answer.
2. Dr Amrani is a researcher studying embryonic stem
cells. She grows some embryonic stem cells from one
embryo in a petri-dish. These cells are unspecialised.
Dr Amrani removes some of the embryonic stem cells
and produces some specialised cells needed to replace
damaged tissues (process A). The remaining
embryonic stem cells stay unspecialised and are used
to create a new cell culture (process B).
Use your knowledge of growth and development in
cells to explain the differences between the cells
produced by processes A and B.
3. Different models have been proposed to explain how memory works. Describe the multi-store model for
memory and show how the data collected in this investigation supports this model. You can use the space
provided to draw a model if this will help your explanation.
Chemistry
1. The table shows some information about the
element hydrogen. Fay and Guy are discussing
where hydrogen fits in the Periodic Table.
Use information in the table and your knowledge of Group 1 elements to evaluate the ideas of Fay
and Guy.
2. Sam does some research about the
properties of diamond and graphite. The
table shows what he finds out.
Sam notices that some of the properties are
similar and some are different. He finds
diagrams that show the structures of
diamond and graphite.
The table shows some similarities and differences in the
properties of diamond and graphite. Use ideas about their
structures to explain these similarities and differences.
3. Alex predicts that the more concentrated
the acid, the faster the reaction. He plans
some experiments to find out if his
prediction is right. He has this equipment.
He has three different concentrations of
hydrochloric acid.
Describe how Alex could use the equipment and his results
to show that the more concentrated the acid, the faster the
reaction.
Physics
1. Look at the two graphs showing motorcycle
rider deaths and helmet use.
A politician looks at the graphs. And says…
The number of deaths dropped in 2009,
and in that year fewer riders used helmets.
We think motorcycle helmets save lives,
but this data proves they do not. I think that
motorcycle helmets stop your head moving
in a shorter time during a collision.
The politician has misunderstood the ideas
of correlation and cause, and does not
understand how motorcycle helmets work.
Explain why he is wrong, using the data
and your knowledge of physics.
2. Diane investigates how the resistance of a
wire changes with the length of wire. She
uses this circuit. Here are her results.
Diane says …..
I expected resistance to be proportional to
length of wire. My graph does not show this. I
noticed the wire got hot when it was short.
Discuss Diane’s comments and explain the
shape of her graph.
3. Zoe has a problem with her chest. Her doctor suggests that she has a series of CAT scans over a
period of time. CAT scans do not use radioactive sources, but do produce ionising radiation. Zoe
researches CAT scans on the internet and finds this information.
Use the data to help you discuss the issues that need to be thought about when Zoe makes a decision
about whether or not to have the CAT scan.
Six Mark Questions June 2013
Biology
1. A group of students are doing fieldwork. Anton wants to find out if the amount of light affects the
distribution of plants. He does this by comparing the plants growing in the middle of a field with those
growing under a hedge surrounding the field. Explain how he will use a quadrat, light meter and
identification key to do his investigation.
2. Plant hormones are produced naturally by the growing
tips of plant shoots. A researcher is studying the effect of
plant hormones on the directional growth of plant shoots.
She cuts the tips off three plant shoots A, B and C. Blocks
of agar jelly, containing a plant hormone, are placed on
the cut surfaces of the plant shoots. The plant shoots are
placed in a dark box for 12 hours. After 12 hours, the
shoots are removed from the box and the appearance of
each shoot, A, B and C is recorded.
Describe and explain the differences in the three shoots, A, B and C after 12 hours.
3. Jimmy’s teacher tells him that a synapse is found between a sensory neuron and a relay neuron in a
spinal reflex arc. An electrical impulse travels along the sensory neuron and reaches the synapse.
Describe what happens at the synapse and suggest why the impulse cannot travel back from the
relay neuron to the sensory neuron.
Chemistry
1. Alex plans to write an article about flame colours for a school science magazine. He researches the
flame colours of some compounds of metals from Group 1 in the Periodic Table. He talks about his
findings with other science students in an internet chat room.
Alex
Hi everyone. Have any of you done any research into flame test colours for Group 1?
I have found out that potassium and rubidium both give purple flames. I think that each
group has its own flame colour.
Bea
I’ve checked out your research and I agree about the flame colours for potassium and
rubidium. I just looked up caesium and that’s purple too!
Carl
I flame tested some Group 2 elements, none of them were purple. They were all different
colours.
Dan
Sodium is in Group 1 and gives a yellow flame.
Elly
I’ve looked on the internet and I can’t find any elements that give purple flame colours
except the ones in Group 1.
Fay
Lithium doesn’t have a purple flame.
Alex’s ideas are that in flame tests:
• all the elements in a group of the Periodic Table have the same flame colour
• each group has its own flame colour.
Explain how each piece of evidence in the chat supports or does not support Alex’s ideas.
2. Carbon dioxide and silicon
dioxide are compounds
that occur naturally on
Earth. The table shows
some information about
the two compounds.
Use ideas about structure
and bonding to explain the
similarities and differences
between the properties of
carbon dioxide and silicon
dioxide.
3. Lithium chloride, sodium chloride and potassium chloride are all soluble in water. The diagrams show
the energy change when each salt dissolves in water.
Tom does an experiment. He
dissolves each compound in
water and measures the
temperature change that
happens when the compound
dissolves. He uses the same
amount of each compound
and water each time.
Use the energy level diagrams
to help you to explain the
results Tom should expect
from his experiment.
Physics
1. Some scientists believe that nuclear fusion will be a major source of energy.
Currently, nuclear power stations use nuclear fission to generate electricity.
• Fission of uranium-235 releases 3.2 x 10-11 J per event.
• Fusion of hydrogen-1 releases 2.8 x 10-12 J per event.
Compare how nuclear fusion and nuclear fission release energy.
2. Motors and generators both contain magnets
and coils of wire. Explain the similarities and
differences between a motor and a generator.
3. A simple roller coaster has one line of track
on which a vehicle travels backwards and
forwards.
• The vehicle is pulled up the left side of the track, and is then released.
• It travels down the track, speeding up as it moves.
• It rises up the right side of the track, slowing down as it moves upwards.
• It rolls back down.
• It moves backwards and forwards on the track several times, with each move becoming
lower and lower and the top speed becoming slower and slower.
Use ideas of energy to explain the motion of the vehicle.