Page 1 of 8

AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY EXAMINATION BOARD

SECONDARY SCHOOL CERTIFICATE

COMPOSITE EXAMINATION 2008

Biology Paper I

Time allowed: 40 minutes Marks 30

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Read each question carefully.

2. Answer the questions on the separate answer sheet provided. Do NOT write your answers on the
question paper.

3. There are 100 answer numbers on the answer sheet. Use answer numbers 1 to 30 only.

4. In each question there are four choices A, B, C, D. Choose ONE. On the answer grid mark the
box for your choice as shown below.

Correct Way Incorrect Way

1 A B C D 1 A B C D

2 A B C D

3 A B C D

4 A B C D

5. If you want to change your answer, ERASE the first answer completely before blacking out a
new box.

6. Do NOT write anything in the answer grid. The computer only records what is in the boxes.

S08A0-190111
 Page 2 of 8

1. ‘Living things can be formed spontaneously from non-living things’. This concept was rejected
by

A. Redi.
B. Crick.
C. Aristotle.
D. Harvey.

2. Which of the following organelles is NOT present in plant cells?

A. Plastids
B. Ribosomes
C. Centrioles
D. Mitochondria

3. The organelle which is also called the powerhouse of a cell is the

A. nucleus.
B. vacuole.
C. mitochondria.
D. cell membrane.

4. Which of the following would you expect to be the most closely related?

A. Two species in different phyla

B. Two species in the same genus
C. Two species in the same class
D. Two species in different classes

5. The duck-billed platypus is an example of

A. pouched mammals.
B. placental mammals.
C. edentate mammals.
D. egg-laying mammals.

6. Which of the following is an example of a gymnosperm?

A. Acacia
B. Fern
C. Sunflower
D. Pine tree

7. Sycon belongs to the phylum

A. Porifera.
B. Protozoa.
C. Annelida.
D. Mollusca.

S08A0-190111
 Page 3 of 8

8. The figure shown below is of the digestive system of a frog.

Identify the structure labelled as G.

A. Stomach
B. Liver
C. Small intestine
D. Large intestine

9. Which of the following vitamins is water soluble?

A. Vitamin A
B. Vitamin C
C. Vitamin D
D. Vitamin E

10. The following diagram is of the upper and lower jaw in humans.

What are the teeth labelled as X called?

A. Canine
B. Molars
C. Incisors
D. Premolars

PLEASE TURN OVER THE PAGE

S08A0-190111
 Page 4 of 8

11. Which part of the human digestive system is responsible for the absorption of water?

A. Stomach
B. Pancreas
C. Small intestine
D. Large intestine

12. Which gas is produced during seed germination?

A. Oxygen
B. Methane
C. Carbon dioxide
D. Carbon monoxide

13. The double-layered membrane that encloses the lungs is known as the

A. pleural membrane.
B. surface membrane.
C. tympanic membrane.
D. nictitating membrane.

14. Which of the following is responsible for regulating the size of stomatal opening?

A. Mesophyll cells
B. Companion cells
C. Epidermal cells
D. Guard cells

15. Look at the following figure of a food test.

Iodine

Food sample turns

blue/black

Which of the following nutrients is present in this food sample?

A. Fats
B. Proteins
C. Vitamins
D. Starch

S08A0-190111
 Page 5 of 8

16. Which of the following options correctly links the animal and its excretory organ?

Name of animals Excretory organs

A. Cockroach Flame cells
B. Earthworm Nephridia
C. Amoeba Malpighian tubules
D. Planaria Contractile vacuole

17. Following is a generalised diagram of the human excretory system.

What is the name of the part labelled as P?

A. Pelvis
B. Ureter
C. Urethra
D. Glomerulus

18. In dicotyledonous plants, wood is produced by the

A. pith.
B. cortex.
C. epidermis.
D. vascular cambium.

19. Which part of the eye contains the light sensitive cells?

A. Sclera
B. Retina
C. Choroid
D. Iris

PLEASE TURN OVER THE PAGE

S08A0-190111
 Page 6 of 8

20. Look at the diagram of the Brassica flower.

What is the collective name of the structure labelled as W?

A. Calyx
B. Corolla
C. Androecium
D. Gynoecium

21. Which of the options correctly identifies the structure labelled as X?

A. Bone
B. Biceps
C. Triceps
D. Ligaments

22. Look at the structure of a human kidney below.

Identify the part labelled as X.

A. Pelvis
B. Cortex
C. Medulla
D. Glomerulus

S08A0-190111
 Page 7 of 8

23. The diagram shows the structure of a joint. Which of the given parts reduces friction between the
ends of the bones during movement?

24. The diagram shows some of the endocrine glands. Which of the parts represents the parathyroid
glands?

25. Which type of asexual reproduction is shown in the figure below?

A. Fusing
B. Cutting
C. Grafting
D. Binary fission

PLEASE TURN OVER THE PAGE

S08A0-190111
 Page 8 of 8

26. If a man with blood group heterozygous A is married to a woman with blood group O then the
possibility of blood group A in F1 generation will be

A. 20%
B. 50%
C. 75%
D. 100%

27. Which biological species was used by August Weismann to prove that the acquired characters
did not directly affect the gametes?

A. Mice
B. Snakes
C. Giraffes
D. Finches

28. This is a diagram of a food web. Which of the following trophic levels is representing the
producers?

29. The relationship existing between fungi and algae to form lichens is an example of

A. mutualism.
B. parasitism.
C. antagonism.
D. commensalism.

30. Which of the following is a non-renewable natural resource?

A. Water
B. Forests
C. Paper
D. Fossil fuels

END OF PAPER
S08A0-190111