MODULE: Photosynthesis and Respiration
Intervention Session
Teaching Guide
This session has been designed to help your students to practice answering PISA questions,
both paper and computer based assessments about Photosynthesis and Respiration.
The computer based assessment item is the interactive that goes with this module. This
intervention also helps your students to practice reading and interpreting text; analysing and
interpreting data; evaluating scientific inquiries; and explaining key concepts and applying their
understanding.
It must be emphasised that PISA assessment items are not designed to test knowledge in the
approach of TIMSS assessment items. PISA assessment items are designed to test students’
ability to read and interpret text, analyse and interpret data, evaluate scientific inquiries; explain
the outcomes of enquiries using their scientific understanding; and apply their understanding of
how the world of science works. These assessment items have been designed to help students
practice those skills.
1. (15 minutes)
Carry out the Mars Mission computer based assessment question on the computer. Read the
information, instructions and questions carefully before selecting or typing in your answers.
Remember that you can navigate backwards and forwards to check and change your answers.
When you have finished, print your answers by clicking on the print icon.
Q1 55
Q2 a. No, because the plants need light to photosynthesise
b. The leaves may have just been take out of the light, and they were still
vvvvvvvvlphotosynthesising
Q3 Same volume and concentration of Sodium bicarbonate
Vacuum
Same number of discs
Same size of discs
Same length of time exposed to the light
Same temperature
Q4 a. White
b. It is made up of all the colours of light
1
Q5 a. White light and highest intensity of light possible
b. They would survive because in the red light 50% of the discs
floated to the surface showing that the plants will photosynthesise
Q6 a. Carbon dioxide
b. In their cells the astronauts breakdown sugar in the presence of oxygen to produce
vvvvvvvvenergy. This process is called cell respiration. Cell respiration also produces carbon
vvvvvvvlldioxide and water as products. The body releases the carbon dioxide when the
vvvvvvvvastronauts breathe out.
Q7 The plants would provide oxygen and food for the astronauts through the process of
vvvvvvlphotosynthesis. The astronauts would eat the plants and breathe in the oxygen and
vvvvvvluse the sugars in the food and the oxygen for the process of respiration in their cells.
vvvvvvThis process will produce energy for the cells of the astronaut. They will breathe out
vvvvvvlthe carbon dioxide which will be used by the plants in the process of photosynthesis.
vvvvvvThus, creating a self-sustaining unit.
2. (15 minutes)
Plants produce food by photosynthesis.
a. Complete and balance the chemical equation for photosynthesis
CO2 + C6 H12O6 +
Sunlight
6 CO2 + 6H2O 6C6 H12O6 + 6 O2
Some students investigated the effect of temperature on the rate of photosynthesis in pondweed.
They set up the apparatus and altered the temperature of the water bath using ice and hot water.
They counted the number of bubbles given off in a minute as different temperatures.
Thermometer Delivery tube
Stopper
Pondweed
water
Water bath
2
b. Why did the students use a water bath?
To keep the temperature constant.
The graph shows the students’ results.
Rate of photosynthesis
(arbitary units)
Temperature (0C)
c. Explain the shape of the graph between 22°C and 27°C.
A limiting factor other than temperature, e.g. carbon dioxide
d. A greenhouse owner wants to grow vegetables as quickly and cheaply as possible in winter.
At what temperature should he keep his greenhouse in order to grow the vegetables as
quickly and cheaply as possible?
21/22°C
Explain your answer
The rate of photosynthesis is at maximum for the least heating cost.
3. (10 minutes)
A student investigated how much gas was given off under different conditions in the production
of gasohol. The diagram shows the apparatus she used.
Test tubes A and B contained the same volume of yeast mixed with glucose solution.
Test tube C contained yeast in water, but no glucose
Test tube D contained glucose, but no yeast.
Test tube A was placed in room temperature at 20°C. The other test tubes were placed in a
warm water bath at 35°C. A balloon was put over the opening of each tube.
3
A B C D
water at 350C
yeast and glucose solution yeast in water glucose (no yeast)
The table describes the appearance of the balloons after 15 minutes:
Tube Appearance of balloon after 15 minutes
A slightly inflated
B very inflated
C no change
D
a. Explain why the balloons on tubes A and B inflated.
The explanation should link the following points:
• respiration (of the yeast)
• (produces) carbon dioxide (gas)
b. Explain why tube B being in a higher temperature than tube A caused the balloon on tube B
to inflate more than the balloon on tube A.
The explanation should link the following points:
• Increased enzyme/yeast activity
• Increased chemical reactions
Accept: warmer gas takes up a larger volume.
c. Why did the balloon on tube C not show any change?
No glucose, so no gas/ carbon dioxide produced.
4
d. Describe the appearance you would expect the balloon on tube D to
have at the end of the experiment.
No change: no yeast, so no respiration, so no carbon dioxide
produced.
4. (10 minutes)
When we make bread, we mix flour, water, salt and yeast. After the ingredients have been
mixed, the mixture is left for some time in a warm place for a reaction called fermentation to
take place. This involves the yeast transforming the starch in the flour into carbon dioxide and
water. It also causes the bread dough to rise.
a. Why?
A. Because alcohol is produced and turns into a gas.
B. Because the yeast is reproducing.
C. Because a gas, carbon dioxide, is produced.
D. Because fermentation turns water into a vapour.
b. After this process, called proving, has happened, if we weighed the dough we would
observe that its mass (not weight) has decreased.
Look at the experiments below. The dough weighed the same at the start of all four
investigations.
Stopper Stopper
Container Container
Flour, water, salt Flour, water, salt
with yeast no yeast
Experiment 1 Experiment 2
Open stopper Open stopper
Container Container
Flour, water, salt Flour, water, salt
with yeast no yeast
Experiment 3 Experiment 4
5
Which two experiments would you compare if it was the yeast that was causing the loss
of weight?
A. You should compare experiments 1 and 2.
B. You should compare experiments 1 and 3.
C. You should compare experiments 2 and 4.
D. You should compare experiments 3 and 4.
c. In the dough, yeast helps to transform starch and sugars in the flour. A chemical reaction
occurs during which carbon dioxide and alcohol form.
Where do the carbon atoms that are present in carbon dioxide and alcohol come from?
Circle ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for each of the following explanations:
Is this a correct explanation of where the
carbon atoms come from?
Some carbon atoms come from the sugars Yes
Some carbon atoms come from the salt No
Some carbon atoms come from the water No
5. (10 minutes)
a. The diagram below shows plants growing in a greenhouse. It is noon on a hot, sunny day.
6
In the sentences below, cross out TWO words which are wrong in each box.
The plant leaves will be taking in
Carbon dioxide
Nitrogen
Oxygen
The plant leaves will be making
Sugar
Magnesium
Nitrate
The energy needed for this process comes from
Electricity
Fossil fuels
Light
b. The diagram shows a computer being used as a data logger in a photosynthesis
experiment.
The experiment is to find how the oxygen output of the water plant varies over a 24-hour period.
Oxygen sensor
Light Sensor
Computer
Water plant
7
Give TWO advantages of using a data logger in this experiment
Many more readings/ much more data
Records for 24 hours/does not require manual readings during the night.
c. A student investigates the rate of photosynthesis in plants. She has two test groups of
plants of the same species in different conditions.
For each group she measures the rate of photosynthesis at different concentrations of carbon
dioxide.
The graphs show her results.
Plant group A Plant group B
Rate of Rate of
photosynthesis photosynthesis
Suggest how the conditions for group B have differed from group A, and explain why this has
produced the results shown in the graphs.
The rate of photosynthesis can be limited by carbon dioxide, light intensity and
temperature.
In group A, light intensity or temperature is limiting the rate of photosynthesis (at high
carbon dioxide levels).
In group B there is greater light intensity/higher temperature.
So a faster rate of photosynthesis is possible before light intensity/temperature
becomes limiting.
