Cambridge IGCSE™

BIOLOGY 0610/23
Paper 2 Multiple Choice (Extended) May/June 2024
45 minutes

You must answer on the multiple choice answer sheet.

*5865242745*

You will need: Multiple choice answer sheet

Soft clean eraser
Soft pencil (type B or HB is recommended)

INSTRUCTIONS
 There are forty questions on this paper. Answer all questions.
 For each question there are four possible answers A, B, C and D. Choose the one you consider correct
and record your choice in soft pencil on the multiple choice answer sheet.
 Follow the instructions on the multiple choice answer sheet.
 Write in soft pencil.
 Write your name, centre number and candidate number on the multiple choice answer sheet in the
spaces provided unless this has been done for you.
 Do not use correction fluid.
 Do not write on any bar codes.
 You may use a calculator.

INFORMATION
 The total mark for this paper is 40.
 Each correct answer will score one mark.
 Any rough working should be done on this question paper.

This document has 20 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.

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1 Which characteristic do all living organisms show?

A breathing
B excretion
C photosynthesis
D tropism

2 What kind of skin do amphibians have?

A dry without scales

B dry with scales
C moist without scales
D moist with scales

3 Some components of cells are listed.

1 cell membrane
2 cell wall
3 chloroplasts
4 cytoplasm

Which cell components are present in plant cells but absent in animal cells?

A 1 and 2 B 1 and 4 C 2 and 3 D 3 and 4

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4 The image shows a pollen grain from a grass plant.

The image has a length of 60 mm.

The actual length of the pollen grain is 500 μm.

What is the magnification of the pollen grain?

A ×0.12 B ×30 C ×120 D ×30 000

5 What will increase the rate of diffusion across a gas exchange surface?

A a decrease in the concentration gradient

B a decrease in the diffusion distance
C a decrease in the kinetic energy of molecules
D a decrease in the surface area of the gas exchange surface

6 What happens when potato plant cells are placed in pure water?

A Water enters the cells and they become plasmolysed.

B Water enters the cells and they become turgid.
C Water leaves the cells and they become plasmolysed.
D Water leaves the cells and they become turgid.

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7 The diagrams show four molecules.

C represents carbon, H represents hydrogen, O represents oxygen and N represents nitrogen.

Which structure is an amino acid?

A B C D

CH2OH H H H O CH2OH
O H 2N C COOH H C C C C O
H H
H
H H H O H HO H
OH H
HO OH H OH
H OH
H OH
CH2OH

8 The diagram shows the effect of changing the temperature on the time taken for an enzyme to
digest starch.

time taken to
digest starch

temperature

Which statement about the results is correct?

A The optimum temperature is at X and the rate of reaction decreases between X and Y.
B The optimum temperature is at X and the rate of reaction increases between X and Y.
C The optimum temperature is at Y and the rate of reaction decreases between X and Y.
D The optimum temperature is at Y and the rate of reaction increases between X and Y.

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9 Which structure contains the pigment that transfers energy from light into chemical energy?

A chloroplast
B mitochondrion
C nucleus
D ribosome

10 Which region in the leaf of a green plant contains phloem?

A palisade mesophyll
B spongy mesophyll
C upper epidermis
D vascular bundle

11 The table shows the percentage of the daily recommended intake of nutrients in a serving of four
foods.

Which food would be the best choice to prevent scurvy?

percentage of daily recommended intake

in a serving of food

vitamin vitamin
calcium iron
C D

A 71 1 0 6
B 24 11 2 73
C 3 3 72 0
D 1 72 1 0

12 What is the correct order of the processes that take place in the alimentary canal?

A absorption, digestion, ingestion, egestion

B digestion, ingestion, egestion, absorption
C egestion, digestion, absorption, ingestion
D ingestion, digestion, absorption, egestion

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13 Why does chewing food speed up digestion?

A Bacteria in the food are killed.

B Food is mixed with protease.
C The surface area of the food is increased.
D The taste of food is improved.

14 Which substances are produced by the action of amylase on starch?

A amino acids
B fatty acids and glycerol
C salts
D sugars

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15 The diagram shows a section through a villus.

key
direction of
blood flow

1 3

Several hours after a meal, where will the highest concentrations of amino acids and of glucose
be found in the villus?

highest highest
concentration of concentration of
amino acids glucose

A 1 1
B 1 2
C 2 1
D 3 3

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16 The diagram shows a cross-section of a plant root.

What is a function of the part labelled Q?

A storage of starch
B structural support
C transport of amino acids
D transport of glucose

17 Which part of the heart separates the deoxygenated and oxygenated blood?

A atrium muscle wall

B atrioventricular valve
C septum
D ventricle muscle wall

18 The diagrams show four components of blood.

Which component produces antibodies?

A B C D

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19 The cholera bacterium produces a toxin. The toxin causes the secretion of chloride ions into the
lumen of the small intestine.

Why does this cause diarrhoea?

A The water potential in the lumen of the small intestine decreases and water moves into the
small intestine by osmosis.
B The water potential in the lumen of the small intestine increases and water moves into the
small intestine by osmosis.
C The water potential in the lumen of the small intestine decreases and water moves out of
the small intestine by osmosis.
D The water potential in the lumen of the small intestine increases and water moves out of
the small intestine by osmosis.

20 Which structure contains cartilage?

A alveoli
B diaphragm
C intercostal muscle
D trachea

21 The diagram shows the human breathing system.

4 3

Which labels show structures that produce changes in volume and pressure during ventilation of
the lungs?

A 1 and 3 B 1 only C 2 and 3 D 2 and 4

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22 The graph shows the lactic acid concentration in the blood during exercise and during recovery
after exercise.

1.0

Z
blood lactic acid
concentration 0.5
/ mg dm–3

exercise recovery
0.0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
time / minutes

Which process accounts for the shape of the graph at Z?

A aerobic respiration of lactic acid in the kidney

B aerobic respiration of lactic acid in the liver
C anaerobic respiration of lactic acid in the kidney
D anaerobic respiration of lactic acid in the liver

23 Which process takes place as the filtrate from a glomerulus passes along a nephron?

A production of amino acids

B excretion of oxygen
C production of urea
D reabsorption of glucose

24 A person moves from bright light into a dark room.

What changes occur in their eyes?

pupil radial muscles circular muscles

A constricts contract relax

B constricts relax contract
C dilates contract relax
D dilates relax contract

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25 A person who had not eaten for a few hours was given an injection of adrenaline.

The person’s blood glucose concentration was measured for 3.5 hours.

The graph shows the results.

time of
adrenaline
injection

blood glucose
concentration

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5

time / hours

What is the correct explanation for the change in blood glucose concentration immediately after
the injection of adrenaline?

A Adrenaline causes less glucose to be converted to glucagon.

B Adrenaline causes less glucagon to be converted to glucose.
C Adrenaline causes more glucose to be converted to glycogen.
D Adrenaline causes more glycogen to be converted to glucose.

26 Which statement about insulin is correct?

A Insulin is produced by the liver when the blood glucose concentration is high. Its target cells
are in the pancreas.
B Insulin is produced by the liver when the blood glucose concentration is low. Its target cells
are in the pancreas.
C Insulin is produced by the pancreas when the blood glucose concentration is high. Its target
cells are in the liver.
D Insulin is produced by the pancreas when the blood glucose concentration is low. Its target
cells are in the liver.

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27 What is a function of the placenta?

A acts as a barrier to prevent some toxins reaching the fetus

B exchanges blood between the mother and the fetus
C prevents the transfer of excretory products from the fetus
D protects the fetus from mechanical damage

28 Which diagram shows the correct inheritance of sex chromosomes?

A B

parent 1 parent 1

X Y X X
X XX XY X XX XX
parent 2 parent 2
Y XY YY Y XY XY

C D

parent 1 parent 1

X X X Y
X XX XX X XX XY
parent 2 parent 2
X XX XY X XY XY

29 Which of the statements about the production of a protein are correct?

1 The sequence of bases in the gene determines the amino acid sequence used to
make a protein.
2 The mRNA molecules are made in the nucleus and they remain there.
3 The ribosomes assemble amino acids together to make a protein.

A 1 and 2 only B 1 and 3 only C 2 and 3 only D 2 only

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30 In mice, the allele for brown fur is dominant to the allele for white fur.

The diagram shows the inheritance of fur colour in a family of mice.

key
1 2 3 4
male with brown fur

male with white fur

5 6 7 8 9 female with brown fur

female with white fur

10 11 12

Which two individuals are heterozygous for fur colour?

A 1 and 4 B 2 and 8 C 6 and 7 D 7 and 10

31 Desert plants have evolved to survive in places where very little water is available.

Which process is reduced to enable them to retain as much water as possible?

A transpiration
B translocation
C respiration
D digestion

32 These events may happen when an antibiotic is used to treat a bacterial infection.

1 The antibiotic kills most of the bacteria.

2 The antibiotic-resistant bacteria reproduce.
3 The antibiotic-resistant bacteria survive.
4 Some bacteria mutate and are resistant to the antibiotic.

Which sequence may produce a strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria?

A 1→2→3→4
B 2→3→1→4
C 3→1→4→2
D 4→1→3→2

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33 The graphs show the beak length of offspring of a wild bird population in 2000 and in 2020. The
graphs are drawn to the same scale.

number of number of
offspring birds offspring birds
in 2000 in 2020

beak length beak length

Which change has taken place in the overall beak length of the bird population, and what type
of selection has brought this about?

change in the beak

length of the bird type of selection
population

A decrease artificial
B decrease natural
C increase artificial
D increase natural

34 What is the principal source of energy input into an ecosystem?

A decomposers
B herbivores
C producers
D the Sun

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35 The diagram shows part of the nitrogen cycle.

nitrogen in the air

lightning

plant
protein

ammonium
ions in soil
death death
uptake
1 2 3 4
by roots

nitrates in soil

Which numbers represent decomposing bacteria and nitrifying bacteria?

decomposing nitrifying
bacteria bacteria

A 1 3
B 1 4
C 2 3
D 2 4

36 What is a description of biodiversity?

A the number of different animal species that live in an area

B the number of different plant species that live in an area
C the number of different species that live in an area
D the number of individuals of a particular species that live in an area

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37 A list of different stages that occur in the process of eutrophication is given.

1 reduction in dissolved oxygen

2 increase in nitrate ions
3 death of organisms requiring dissolved oxygen
4 growth of producers
5 increased aerobic respiration by decomposers
6 death of producers followed by their decomposition

What is the correct order in which these processes occur during eutrophication?

A 1→3→5→2→6→4
B 2→4→1→6→5→3
C 2→4→6→5→1→3
D 5→1→3→6→2→4

38 Lignin is used to make a sustainable resource known as bioplastic.

Why is bioplastic a sustainable resource?

A Lignin can be produced as rapidly as it is removed from the environment.

B Lignin is found in xylem tissue.
C Lignin is strong.
D Lignin is waterproof.

39 Which bacterial cell structure is useful in genetic modification?

A cell membrane
B cell wall
C cytoplasm
D plasmid

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40 A crop plant has been genetically modified to make it resistant to herbicides.

What is a possible disadvantage of introducing this new crop plant?

A The loss of weeds reduces competition.

B Some of the weeds might become resistant to the herbicide.
C The crop plant is unharmed and produces a higher yield.
D The new gene will appear in new generations of the crop plant.

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