1.

Cell Structure and Function:

- What staining techniques can be used for examining animal and plant cells under a
microscope?
- Name one locally available material suitable for observing animal cells.
- Name one locally available material suitable for observing plant cells.
- List two organelles found in both animal and plant cells.
- What is the function of ribosomes in a cell?
- How does the structure of a plant cell differ from an animal cell?
- Describe one function of the nucleus in a cell.
- What is the main function of chloroplasts in plant cells?
- Name one structure unique to plant cells.
- Define the term "cell membrane."
- What is the function of the cell wall in plant cells?
- What is the role of the cytoplasm in a cell?
- Briefly describe the structure of bacterial DNA.
- What is the primary function of plasmids in bacterial cells?
2. Specialized Cells, Tissues, and Organs:
- Give an example of a specialized cell and its function.
- Define the term "tissue" in the context of biology.
- Provide an example of an organ in the human body.
- How are organs and tissues related?
- Define the term "organ system."
- Give an example of an organ system in the human body.
- Explain how cells become specialized.
- Define the term "organism."
- How are specialized cells adapted to perform specific functions?
- Describe one example of a specialized cell found in plants.
- Give an example of a specialized cell found in animals.
- How do specialized cells contribute to the overall function of an organ system?
- Name one organ system involved in nutrient absorption in the human body.
- Explain the relationship between cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems.
3. Formula for Magnification:
- Define magnification in microscopy.
- What does "image size" represent in the magnification formula?
- Define "actual size" in the context of microscopy.
- How is magnification calculated using the given formula?
- Describe one application of magnification in biological research.
- Provide an example of when magnification might be used in a laboratory setting.
- How does increasing magnification affect the clarity of an image?
- Why is it important to calculate the magnification when using a microscope?
- What units are typically used for expressing magnification?
- Explain how magnification can help in the study of cell structure and function.
4. Concept and Use of a Classification System:
- How are organisms grouped in a classification system?
- Define a species according to its reproductive capabilities.
- What does the binomial system of naming species consist of?
- What is the purpose of a dichotomous key in classification?
- What are the five kingdoms used in biological classification?
- Name the main groups of vertebrates within the animal kingdom.
- List the main groups of arthropods within the animal kingdom.
- What are the main features used to distinguish ferns from flowering plants?
- How are organisms classified using the identified features?
5. Diffusion and Osmosis:
- Describe the role of water as a solvent in biological processes.
- What provides the energy for diffusion and osmosis?
- Define diffusion.
- List the factors that influence diffusion.
- Define osmosis.
- How do plants maintain their structure with the help of osmosis?
- Explain the effects of osmosis on plant and animal tissues.
- Describe the terms turgid, turgor pressure, plasmolysis, and flaccid in the context of osmosis.
- What materials can be used to investigate osmosis experimentally?
6. Active Transport:
- Define active transport.
- Explain why active transport requires energy.
- What is the significance of active transport in root hair cells?
7. Biological Molecules:
- List the chemical elements present in carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and DNA.
- Name some large molecules and their constituent smaller molecules.
- Describe chemical tests for starch, glucose and maltose, proteins, and lipids.
- Explain the importance of carbohydrates in living organisms.
- Describe the structure of a triglyceride.
- What are the functions of proteins in biological systems?
- Name two types of nucleic acids other than DNA.
- What is the significance of starch, cellulose, and glycogen in organisms?
8. Enzyme Action:
- Define catalyst.
- What are enzymes, and what role do they play in metabolic reactions?
- Explain the mechanism of enzyme action, including substrate, active site, enzyme-substrate
complex, and product formation.
- Describe the specificity of enzymes using the "lock and key" hypothesis.
- Explain why enzymes are considered highly specific catalysts.
- Describe the role of the active site in enzyme-substrate interactions.
- What happens to an enzyme's activity if its active site is altered?
- How do enzymes affect the activation energy of a chemical reaction?
9. Effects of Temperature and pH:
- How can the progress of enzyme-catalyzed reactions be monitored?
- Investigate the effects of temperature and pH on enzyme activity.
- Explain how changes in temperature and pH affect enzyme activity, considering kinetic energy,
denaturation, and effective collisions.
- Discuss the optimal temperature for enzyme activity.
- Explain why extreme pH levels can denature enzymes.
- How does pH affect the ionization state of amino acid residues in an enzyme's active site?
- Describe how changes in temperature affect enzyme kinetics.
- What is the relationship between enzyme activity and substrate concentration at different
temperatures?
10. Photosynthesis:
- Define photosynthesis.
- What is the role of chlorophyll in photosynthesis?
- How does chlorophyll transfer light energy?
- Name one carbohydrate produced in photosynthesis and its subsequent use/storage.
- Provide the word equation and balanced chemical equation for photosynthesis.
- What are the requirements for photosynthesis?
- How does light intensity affect the rate of photosynthesis?
- Describe an experiment to investigate the factors affecting photosynthesis.
- What are the limiting factors of photosynthesis?
11. Leaf Structure:
- Why do most leaves have a large surface area and are thin?
- Name and label the structures of a dicotyledonous leaf involved in photosynthesis and gas
exchange.
- Explain the adaptations of stomata and guard cells.
- Describe the roles of spongy and palisade mesophyll cells in photosynthesis.
- What is the function of air spaces in leaves?
- How do vascular bundles contribute to leaf function?
- Where are chloroplasts mainly found in leaves?
- Name the outermost layer of a leaf and its function.
12. Mineral Nutrition:
- Why are nitrate ions important for plants?
- What role do magnesium ions play inplant physiology?
13. Uptake and Transport of Water and Ions:
- How is the structure of root hair cells related to their function?
- Outline the pathway of water through the root, stem, and leaf.
- What method can be used to investigate the pathway of water in a cut stem?
14. Transpiration and Translocation:
- Define transpiration.
- Describe how water evaporates from leaves during transpiration.
- Explain the factors that affect the rate of transpiration.
- How does wilting occur in plants?
- What factors can affect transpiration rate?
- Describe the mechanism of water movement in the xylem.
- Define translocation.
- Identify tissues in transverse sections of non-woody dicotyledonous roots and stems.
- State the functions of xylem.
- How is the structure of xylem vessels related to their function?
15. Blood:
- Identify red and white blood cells under a light microscope.
- List the components of blood.
- What are the functions of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma?
- Describe the transfer of substances between blood in capillaries, tissue fluid, and body cells.
16. Disease:
- What is a pathogen?
- Define transmissible disease.
- How can pathogens be transmitted?
- What are the human body's barriers to the entry of pathogens?
- Explain the role of mosquitoes as vectors of disease.
- Describe malaria as an example of a parasitic disease and its transmission.
- How is the mosquito that transmits malaria controlled?
- What type of pathogen is HIV?
- How is HIV transmitted?
- What can HIV infection lead to?
- How can HIV be controlled?
- What causes cholera and how is it transmitted?
- Explain the importance of clean water supply, hygiene, and waste disposal in controlling
cholera.
- Describe how the cholera bacterium causes symptoms.
- What are the effects of excessive alcohol consumption?
- What are the effects of tobacco smoke and its major toxic components
17. Antibiotics:
- Define a drug.
- How are antibiotics used in the treatment of bacterial infection?
- What types of pathogens do antibiotics target?
- How can the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria be minimized?
18. Immunity:
- Describe active immunity.
- What are antigens and antibodies?
- How do antibodies work in the immune response?
- How is active immunity gained?
- Outline the process of vaccination.
- What is the role of vaccination in controlling disease spread?
- What is passive immunity and how is it acquired?
- Why is breast-feeding important for passive immunity in infants?
- What happens to memory cells in passive immunity?
- How does HIV affect the immune system?
19. Excretion:
- What is excretion?
- How is carbon dioxide excreted from the body?
- What is urea, and how is it produced in the body?
20. Coordination and Response in Plants:
- Define gravitropism and provide an example.
- Explain phototropism and give a real-life scenario.
- Describe the role of auxin in controlling shoot growth.
- How can gravitropism and phototropism be investigated in shoots and roots?
21. Nuclear Division:
- Define chromosomes and their role in carrying genetic information.
- What is a haploid nucleus, and how does it differ from a diploid nucleus?
- Explain mitosis and its significance in maintaining chromosome number.
- Describe the role of mitosis in growth, repair, and asexual reproduction.
- What are stem cells, and how do they contribute to specialized cell types?
- Define meiosis and its role in producing gametes.
- How does cancer develop?
22. Asexual and Sexual Reproduction:
- Describe asexual reproduction and provide examples.
- Explain sexual reproduction and the process of fertilization.
- Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of asexual and sexual reproduction.
23. Sexual Reproduction in Plants:
- Identify and describe the structures of an insect-pollinated flower.
- Compare the structures of insect-pollinated and wind-pollinated flowers.
- Explain the process of pollination and distinguish between self-pollination and cross-
pollination.
- Discuss the effects of self-pollination and cross-pollination on population variation and
adaptation.
- Describe the growth of the pollen tube and fertilization.
- Explain the development of seeds and fruits after fertilization.
- Investigate and describe the structure of a seed.
24. Sexual Reproduction in Humans:
- Identify and describe the structures of the male reproductive system.
- Identify and describe the structures of the female reproductive system.
- Explain the structure of sperm cells and their functions.
- Describe the structure of egg cells and their functions.
- Define fertilization and its process.
- Compare male and female gametes.
- Describe the roles of testosterone and estrogen during puberty.
- Explain the menstrual cycle and the roles of hormones involved.
- Describe the early development of the zygote.
- State the functions of the amniotic sac and amniotic fluid.
- Identify and describe the placenta and umbilical cord.
- Explain how some viruses can affect the fetus through the placenta.
25. Variation:
- Define variation and provide examples.
- Explain continuous variation and give examples.
- Define discontinuous variation and provide examples.
- Differentiate between continuous and discontinuous variation.
- Provide examples of both continuous and discontinuous variation.
26. DNA:
- Describe the structure of DNA.
- Define a gene and its function.
- Explain how DNA controls cell function.
- Describe the relationship between DNA, genes, and proteins.
- Explain the significance of the sequence of bases in a gene.
27. Inheritance:
- Define inheritance and its significance.
- Define allele and provide an example.
- Explain the terms dominant, recessive, phenotype, genotype, homozygous, and heterozygous.
- Use Punnett squares to predict the results of monohybrid crosses.
- Explain why observed ratios may differ from expected ratios in genetics.
- Define pure-breeding individuals.
- Describe codominance using the ABO blood groups as an example.
- Explain the determination of sex in humans.
- Define gene mutation and provide an example.
- Define chromosome mutation and provide an example.
- Identify sources of genetic variation in populations.
- Explain the effects of ionizing radiation and certain chemicals on mutation rates.
28. Selection:
- Describe natural selection and its key components.
- Explain how natural selection leads to the evolution of populations over time.
- Describe the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria as an example of natural selection.
- Define artificial selection and its process.
- Describe the role of artificial selection in agriculture and animal breeding.
29. Biotechnology:
- Explain the role of yeast in bread production.
- Describe the role of yeast in ethanol production.
- Discuss the advantages of using bacteria in biotechnology.
- Describe the conditions controlled in fermenters for large-scale production.
- Explain the use of enzymes in biological washing powders, fruit juice production, and lactose-
free milk.
30. Genetic modification:
- Define genetic modification.
- Explain the insertion of the human insulin gene into bacterial DNA.
- Outline the use of genetic modification in crop plants.
- Discuss potential advantages and risks of genetic modification.
31. Energy flow:
- Describe the importance of the Sun as the source of energy in biological systems.
- Explain the dependence of most life forms on photosynthesis.
- Describe the flow of energy through food chains and webs.
- Construct and interpret simple food chains.
- Define producer, consumer, herbivore, carnivore, and decomposer.
- Explain the inefficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels.
- Describe why food chains typically have fewer than five trophic levels.
- Explain the energy efficiency of eating crop plants versus eating livestock.
- Construct and interpret pyramids of numbers, biomass, and energy.
32. Nutrient cycles:
- Describe the carbon cycle.
- Outline the nitrogen cycle.
- Explain the role of fungi and bacteria in decomposition.

33. Ecosystems and biodiversity

- Define population, community, ecosystem, and biodiversity.
- Identify factors affecting the rate of population growth.
- Understand the impact of human population growth on global resources.
34. Effects of humans on ecosystems:
- Outline the causes and consequences of deforestation.
- Describe the impacts of over-harvesting and introducing non-native species.
- Describe the harmful effects of water pollution, air pollution, insecticides and herbicides, and
non-biodegradable plastics.
35. Conservation:
- Discuss reasons for species conservation.
- Explain conservation methods for forests and fish stocks.
- Define sustainable resource and describe its characteristics.