Cambridge International AS & A Level

* 0 3 7 1 9 2 7 8 7 6 *

BIOLOGY 9700/32
Paper 3 Advanced Practical Skills 2 May/June 2020

2 hours

You must answer on the question paper.

You will need: The materials and apparatus listed in the confidential instructions

INSTRUCTIONS
● Answer all questions.
● Use a black or dark blue pen. You may use an HB pencil for any diagrams or graphs.
● Write your name, centre number and candidate number in the boxes at the top of the page.
● Write your answer to each question in the space provided.
● Do not use an erasable pen or correction fluid.
● Do not write on any bar codes.
● You may use a calculator.
● You should show all your working and use appropriate units.

INFORMATION
● The total mark for this paper is 40.
● The number of marks for each question or part question is shown in brackets [ ].

For Examiner’s Use

Total

This document has 16 pages. Blank pages are indicated.

DC (NF/SW) 182312/2
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Before you proceed, read carefully through the whole of Question 1 and Question 2.

Plan the use of the two hours to make sure that you finish the whole of Question 1 and Question 2.

1 When plant cells are placed into sodium chloride solution, osmosis occurs and water will enter
or leave the vacuoles. Some cells may become plasmolysed. A cell is described as being
plasmolysed when the cell surface membrane detaches from the cell wall.

You will investigate the effect of different concentrations of sodium chloride solution on onion
tissue.

You will need to:

• prepare different concentrations of sodium chloride solution using proportional dilution of

4.0% sodium chloride solution
• observe and record the effect of adding these concentrations of sodium chloride solution to
the onion tissue.

You are provided with the materials shown in Table 1.1.

Table 1.1

labelled contents hazard volume / cm3

X 2 pieces of onion none –
tissue in distilled water
S 4.0% sodium chloride none 50
solution
W distilled water none 50

It is recommended that you wear suitable eye protection.

You will need to prepare different concentrations of sodium chloride solution, S, using proportional
dilution. You will need to prepare 10 cm3 of each concentration.

(a) (i) Table 1.2 shows how to make up two of the concentrations of S you will use.
Decide which three other concentrations of S you will use.

Complete Table 1.2 for the other concentrations you will use.

Table 1.2

percentage concentration
of sodium chloride volume of S / cm3 volume of W / cm3
solution
4.0 10.0 0.0

0.0 0.0 10.0

[2]
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Carry out step 1 to step 14.

1. Prepare the concentrations of sodium chloride solution, as shown in Table 1.2, in the
beakers provided.

2. Put one clean and dry microscope slide on a paper towel.

3. Put a few drops of W onto the microscope slide.

4. Remove one piece of onion tissue from beaker X. Peel off the inner epidermis as shown
in Fig. 1.1.

Fig. 1.1

5. Cut one piece of the inner epidermis so that it will fit under a coverslip. Put any remaining
epidermis into the beaker labelled For waste.

6. Put the epidermis into W on the microscope slide, as shown in Fig. 1.2. If the epidermis is
folded, you may need to add more drops of W so that it floats and uncurls. It is important
to stop the epidermis from drying out.

piece of inner epidermis

microscope slide

W
paper towel

Fig. 1.2

7. Put a coverslip over the piece of epidermis on the microscope slide. Use a paper towel to
remove any excess W that is outside the coverslip.

8. Observe the epidermis using the low power lens of the microscope. You may need to
reduce the amount of light entering the microscope to observe the cells clearly.

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You will need to observe and record the effect of adding W and the different concentrations
of sodium chloride solution on the onion tissue. You will do this by counting the number of
plasmolysed cells within a sample of cells.

(ii) Decide the total number of cells in your sample.

State the total number of cells in your sample ............................................................ [1]

9. Count the number of plasmolysed cells observed in your sample for W. Record your
results in (a)(iii).

10. Take the microscope slide off the microscope and remove the coverslip.

11. Use a paper towel to remove W from around the epidermis.

12. Put a few drops of the lowest concentration of sodium chloride solution you prepared
in step 1 onto the epidermis.

13. Repeat step 7 to step 11 using the lowest concentration of sodium chloride solution
instead of W.

14. Repeat step 12 to step 13 using the remaining concentrations of sodium chloride solution.
The 4.0% sodium chloride solution is used last.

(iii) Record your results in an appropriate table.

[3]
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(iv) Using the high power lens, select three adjacent, touching cells that show the effect of
adding 4.0% sodium chloride solution.

Make a large drawing of these three adjacent, touching cells. Use a sharp pencil for
drawing.

Use one ruled label line and label to identify a cell surface membrane of one cell.

[4]

(v) Use your knowledge of water potential to explain the appearance of the inner epidermal
cells in 4.0% sodium chloride solution.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [2]

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(vi) Suggest how you could modify the procedure to have more confidence in your results.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [2]

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(b) A student investigated the effect of different concentrations of sucrose solution on pieces
of potato tissue. The student used the results to determine the mean percentage change in
length of the pieces of potato tissue.

• Pieces of potato tissue were cut to exactly the same length and cross-sectional area.
• Each piece of potato tissue was put into a different concentration of sucrose solution for
1 hour.
• After 1 hour the length of each piece of potato tissue was measured and the percentage
change in length was calculated.
• Five replicates were done for each concentration.

The student then calculated the mean percentage change in length of potato tissue for each
concentration of sucrose solution.

The processed data are shown in Table 1.3.

Table 1.3

concentration of percentage change in length mean

sucrose solution percentage
/ mol dm–3 change in
length
0.0 +2.60 +1.90 +2.80 +2.60 +2.80 +2.70
0.2 +0.25 +0.35 +0.35 +0.30 +0.25 +0.30
0.4 –1.40 –1.40 –1.35 –1.40 –1.45 –1.40
0.6 –2.20 –2.25 –2.20 –2.15 –2.20 –2.20
0.8 –2.60 –2.50 –1.60 –2.60 –2.70
1.0 –2.90 –3.00 –2.85 –3.15 –3.10 –3.00

(i) Complete Table 1.3 by calculating the mean percentage change in length of the potato
tissue in 0.8 mol dm–3 sucrose solution.
[1]

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(ii) Plot a graph of the mean data in Table 1.3 on the grid in Fig. 1.3.

Use a sharp pencil for drawing graphs.

Fig. 1.3
[4]

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(iii) Fig. 1.4 is a calibration curve of sucrose concentration against water potential.

–4000

–3500

–3000

–2500

water potential –2000

/ kPa
–1500

–1000

–500

0
0 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00
concentration of sucrose
solution / mol dm–3

Fig. 1.4

Use the graphs in Fig. 1.3 and Fig. 1.4 to determine the water potential of the cells in
potato tissue.

Show on the graphs how you determined your answer.

water potential of cells in potato = .......................................................... [3]

[Total: 22]

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2 Water moves through xylem vessel elements in plants. The diameter of xylem vessel elements
varies between different species of plant.

You will measure how quickly coloured water moves through xylem vessel elements of different
diameters. You will use microscope slides to represent xylem vessel elements of different
diameters.

You are provided with the materials shown in Table 2.1.

Table 2.1

labelled description hazard

P container with 6 pieces none
of paper
R beaker containing none
coloured water

Carry out step 1 to step 9.

1. Put one clean, dry microscope slide on the bench.

2. Put two pieces of paper from the container labelled P on top of the microscope slide.

3. Put another microscope slide on top of the paper.

4. Put tape around the two microscope slides to hold them together as shown in Fig. 2.1A.

5. Label this pair of microscope slides, A.

6. Repeat step 1 to step 4 using four pieces of paper instead of two pieces of paper, as
shown in Fig. 2.1B.

7. Label this pair of microscope slides, B.

tape
microscope slide
paper

A B

Fig. 2.1

8. Hold A by the side edges and remove the paper.

You should be left with a gap as shown in Fig. 2.2.

9. Repeat step 8 for B.

gap between
slides

A B

Fig. 2.2
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10. Put A into the beaker labelled R, as shown in Fig. 2.3. Start timing immediately and
record in Table 2.2 the time it takes for the coloured water to reach the top of the pair of
microscope slides. If the time taken is longer than 60 seconds record the result as ‘more
than 60’.

R A

Fig. 2.3

11. Repeat step 10 using B instead of A.

(a) (i) Record your results in Table 2.2.

Table 2.2

pair of microscope slides number of pieces of paper time for coloured water
used to make gap to reach the top of the
microscope slides / s
A 2

B 4
[1]

(ii) Identify one significant source of error when measuring the dependent variable.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(iii) Using your results in Table 2.2 suggest how the diameter of xylem vessels affects the
transport of water in a plant.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

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(b) Fig. 2.4 is a photomicrograph of a stained transverse section through a leaf.

You are not expected to be familiar with this specimen.

Fig. 2.4

Use a sharp pencil for drawing.

You are expected to draw the correct shape and proportions of the different tissues.

(i) Draw a large plan diagram of the section shown in Fig. 2.4.

Use one ruled label line and label to identify the upper epidermis.

[6]

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Fig. 2.5 is a photomicrograph of a stained transverse section through a leaf of a different type
of plant.

You are not expected to be familiar with this specimen.

Fig. 2.5

(ii) Identify the observable differences between the leaf in Fig. 2.4 and the leaf in Fig 2.5.

Record the observable differences in Table 2.3.

Table 2.3

feature Fig. 2.4 Fig 2.5

[4]

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(c) Fig. 2.6 is the same photomicrograph as in Fig. 2.5 but with line Z added to show the diameter
of the vascular bundle.

magnification x200

Fig. 2.6

(i) Use the magnification and the line Z on Fig. 2.6 to calculate the actual diameter of the
vascular bundle.

Show all the steps in your working and use appropriate units.

actual diameter of vascular bundle = ......................................................... [4]

(ii) State one piece of apparatus you would use to measure a specimen on a slide using a
microscope fitted with an eyepiece graticule.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

[Total: 18]
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