VCE Biology Question Thread

[RazzMeTazz]

When talking about steroid based hormones do you say they bind with specific receptor proteins in the cytosol or nucleus
Or just refer to the cytosol excluding the nucleus part?
A lot of the answers to practice exams just seem to acknowledge the receptors in the cytosol but not the ones in the nucleus?

[dankfrank420]

Mast cells will degranulate in response to many different antigenic stimuli, which makes them nonspecific

Cell mediated immunity is not the same thing as the innate response, they're different things. CMI is just a response generated by cells

Some parts of CMI are part of the acquired response (T cells) whereas some are part of the innate response (NK cells).

[RazzMeTazz]

How do you guys distinguish between responses that are controlled by the parasympathetic, sympathetic , sensory , motor divisions of the nervous peripheral nervous system?

I know what each is involved in (e.g parasympathetic is part of autonomic nervous system and slows things down ) but I don't seem to be able to distinguish between them in multiple choice questions ?

[slothpomba]

When talking about steroid based hormones do you say they bind with specific receptor proteins in the cytosol or nucleus

Not sure whats taught in VCE biology but the answer is actually both... (it's been awhile though for this subject, could be wrong)

Most of the time it actually attaches to something in the cytosol which then does stuff the the nucleus. Think of what it attaches to as a little car (or train if we're being green) that drives it to the nucleus to do its job. Sometimes this car is located within the nucleus itself. It can't hurt to mention both i guess but i'd more likely swing towards what the exams are telling you (consult your teacher if you have time).

[slothpomba]

How do you guys distinguish between responses that are controlled by the parasympathetic, sympathetic , sensory , motor divisions of the nervous peripheral nervous system?

I know what each is involved in (e.g parasympathetic is part of autonomic nervous system and slows things down ) but I don't seem to be able to distinguish between them in multiple choice questions ?

Could i have an example of such questions?

[Reus]

Is anyone else finding past VCAA exams to be easy? (Not being cocky, genuinely curious.)

[dankfrank420]

Is anyone else finding past VCAA exams to be easy? (Not being cocky, genuinely curious.)

Yeah. After hammering out a few company exams, VCAA seem simple relative to these (especially compared to NEAP - Jesus Christ they're hard  ).

[Rishi97]

Two hominin skull fragments were found in separate locations and each was associated with a number of artefacts. Skull X was dated and shown to be 100 000 years old, while skull Y was dated at 20 000 years old.
The artefacts most likely discovered with skull Y but not skull X would be:
A. fireplace fragments
B. stone tools for cutting
C. pigment used in rock paintings
D. bones from hunted animals

Thanks

[melons]

Two hominin skull fragments were found in separate locations and each was associated with a number of artefacts. Skull X was dated and shown to be 100 000 years old, while skull Y was dated at 20 000 years old.
The artefacts most likely discovered with skull Y but not skull X would be:
A. fireplace fragments
B. stone tools for cutting
C. pigment used in rock paintings
D. bones from hunted animals

Thanks

C as it's the one which needs the most complex thought processes.

[anat0my]

Does anyone have any worthwhile exam techniques they'd like to share? Thanks

[RazzMeTazz]

Could i have an example of such questions?

The sympathetic nervous system controls:

A. Dilation of smooth muscles in arterioles
B. Slowing heart rate
C. Increasing peristalsis to aid digestion
D. Release of adrenalin

The correct answer is D.

Thanks!

[AllG_]

Can someone confirm that the advantages of using mitochondrial DNA over nuclear DNA for determining the evolutionary relationships are:
- No recombination/crossing over like in nuclear DNA as it is only inherited from one parent (the mother)
- There is a high copy rate
- Mutates faster, hence it can be used in genetic comparisons between organisms which have diverged more recently
Are there any disadvantages of mtDNA or why one would  prefer the use of nuclear over mitochondrial DNA?

[RazzMeTazz]

I have a few exam questions:

1.) If the question gives you a piece of text (information) and questions are asked based on this, should you always only answer your questions based on the information provided:

e.g. The TSSM 2014 Trial Exam paper provided information about Thyroxine being an amino acid hormone and then asked where the specific protein receptor for this hormone would be found. I answer in the cytosol (as thryoxine is small and thus hydrophobic - information I had learnt previously in the year) but the correct answer was : on the plasma membrane of the target cell.

2.) A practice exam question asked:  "Why will an individual's temperature increase if the electron transport chain in cellular respiration ceases to function?"

The correct answer was: If the ETC is non-functional all of the energy will be used to produce heat, causing a rise in temperature of the individual.

^ I didn't quite understand that explanation. Any help would be appreciated.

[RazzMeTazz]

Currently human insulin used by diabetics is mainly produced by bacteria into which the gene for human insulin production has been inserted. Which of the following terms identifies the insertion process?

A. Gene splicing
B. Mutation
C. Crossing over
D. Transformation.

The chose D. The correct answer is A.

Can someone please explain to me how this is not an example of transformation?

Also for the question attached I choose D but the the correct answer is B. I thought the internal environment of multicellular organisms was the blood plasma and interstitial fluid, and that the extracellular fluid different to the interstitial fluid?
So I was confused with this question.

Clarifications would be great!

[shivaji]

I have a few exam questions:

1.) If the question gives you a piece of text (information) and questions are asked based on this, should you always only answer your questions based on the information provided:

e.g. The TSSM 2014 Trial Exam paper provided information about Thyroxine being an amino acid hormone and then asked where the specific protein receptor for this hormone would be found. I answer in the cytosol (as thryoxine is small and thus hydrophobic - information I had learnt previously in the year) but the correct answer was : on the plasma membrane of the target cell.

2.) A practice exam question asked:  "Why will an individual's temperature increase if the electron transport chain in cellular respiration ceases to function?"

The correct answer was: If the ETC is non-functional all of the energy will be used to produce heat, causing a rise in temperature of the individual.

^ I didn't quite understand that explanation. Any help would be appreciated.

not quite sure but i'll take a stab at it:

possibly because the ETC is not working, the cell will require only on glycolysis for ATP. Hence, it will undergo glycolysis more to produce more energy, so more heat will be produced.

A question of my own:
In which stage of cellular respiration is the heat released the most or released at all?