VCE Biology Question Thread

[Hayley_turnham]

exams are double marked so you will end up with a score /220 (110 x 2 =220) usually it won't mean much but in a subject like biology half marks are quite common (when one examiner gives you a mark and the other doesn't). Just double what score you get and then check the grade distributions 

Thank you so much! had no idea

[FatimaEl]

If you google your exam year and "grade distributions vcaa" you can work out your exam grade for that year. You should be aiming for an A+

If i didnt fall under the A+ mark for unit 3 assessments, but did for unit 4 and trial exams, is it still possible to get 40+, or must i have gotten an A+ in unit 3 too? (just a rough estimate, im aware that we must take into account scaling, ranking etc )

[Gogo14]

If i didnt fall under the A+ mark for unit 3 assessments, but did for unit 4 and trial exams, is it still possible to get 40+, or must i have gotten an A+ in unit 3 too? (just a rough estimate, im aware that we must take into account scaling, ranking etc )

Definitely

dont understand why my answer is wrong. Not sure if bad qs or my understanding

[Gogo14]

And this question as well

Thnx

[vox nihili]

And this question as well

Thnx

8 is fair but not the best question, admittedly. Really, understanding the proteome is about understanding how proteins work together to achieve things, rather than just knowing all the proteins.

13 is needlessly pedantic, so I wouldn't worry about it

33 is completely fair. DNA has uniform charge; it's only by mass that gel electrophoresis separates DNA (NB: you can separate proteins by mass and charge because charge is not uniform in proteins).

[Sine]

If i didnt fall under the A+ mark for unit 3 assessments, but did for unit 4 and trial exams, is it still possible to get 40+, or must i have gotten an A+ in unit 3 too? (just a rough estimate, im aware that we must take into account scaling, ranking etc )

Yes definitely though your sac marks may scale to an A+ if you are high ranked and do well on the exam or you have a decent rank and a strong cohort. Mine went from mid B+ on Unit 3 and Mid A on Unit 4 to a Mid to high A+ because I was rank one.

But there has been cases were some people have got A A A+ and ended up with mid 40's

[Hayley_turnham]

How many practice exams do you think is a good amount to have completed if aiming for 40+

of course, depends on the individual but I was just wondering if there is any range for no. of exams that people have completed and felt confident for the exam

[FatimaEl]

Yes definitely though your sac marks may scale to an A+ if you are high ranked and do well on the exam or you have a decent rank and a strong cohort. Mine went from mid B+ on Unit 3 and Mid A on Unit 4 to a Mid to high A+ because I was rank one.

But there has been cases were some people have got A A A+ and ended up with mid 40's

Thank you for answering! of course i cant be certain but that does have me feeling a little better 

How many practice exams do you think is a good amount to have completed if aiming for 40+

of course, depends on the individual but I was just wondering if there is any range for no. of exams that people have completed and felt confident for the exam

ive completed maybe 15? (excluding exam questions i did throughout the year) and i still dont feel 100% confident, so maybe just do as many as you need to until you feel ready, 20+ ish i suppose.
However rather than counting how many i have done, i prefer to just make sure im keeping track of the topics i am making mistakes in and   that when i am self marking the exams, i am being a harsh and critical marker and ensuring that all key words are included just as the assessors will do

[Hayley_turnham]

ive completed maybe 15? (excluding exam questions i did throughout the year) and i still dont feel 100% confident, so maybe just do as many as you need to until you feel ready, 20+ ish i suppose.
However rather than counting how many i have done, i prefer to just make sure im keeping track of the topics i am making mistakes in and   that when i am self marking the exams, i am being a harsh and critical marker and ensuring that all key words are included just as the assessors will do
[/quote]

Thanks! very helpful

[solution]

What characteristic of the genetic code enables a human protein, such as human growth hormone, to be made by rat cells?
Universal
A common incorrect answer was ‘redundant’. Many students identified the code as universal and then contradicted themselves by then adding ‘as the four bases are the same for all organisms’.

I don't understand the last sentence of the examiner's report. Is it referring to how there are 5 bases (A,T,U,C,G) instead of 4?

[HasibA]

What characteristic of the genetic code enables a human protein, such as human growth hormone, to be made by rat cells?
Universal
A common incorrect answer was ‘redundant’. Many students identified the code as universal and then contradicted themselves by then adding ‘as the four bases are the same for all organisms’.

I don't understand the last sentence of the examiner's report. Is it referring to how there are 5 bases (A,T,U,C,G) instead of 4?

answered this before, but this is the 2015 vcaa exam? i think i read somewhere that saying the '4 bases are the same for all organisms' could be interpreted at having all Adenine bases, or all Thymine etc. or that each organism has the exact same sequence of bases etc.
does this make sense? considering its 1 mark, best to give a one/two word response , but correct me if im wrong (meh question haha)

[Gogo14]

These are qs from a company paper
1. What is the name for the hormone involved in the dropping of leaves in deciduous trees?
I wrote ethylene, but answer says abscisic acid. Would ethylene be accepted as well?
2. According to engage, the interneurons are missing in a reflex arc. Isnt this wrong, and interneurons are part of the pathway, but does not link to the brain?


From VCAA
3. Which plant hormone is involved in the development of flower buds?
Answer says gibberellin, but I can only recall that gibberellin is involved in seed germination. So in flower bud development, does giberellin have the same function?(e.g. Break down starch)

Thnx

[solution]

In apoptosis
A. a cell rapidly divides and releases antibodies.
B. an inflammatory response is initiated by cell fragments.
C. nuclear material and organelles are broken down.
D. DNA is replicated.

Answer is C, but I thought organelles are still functional after apoptosis?

[Gogo14]

In apoptosis
A. a cell rapidly divides and releases antibodies.
B. an inflammatory response is initiated by cell fragments.
C. nuclear material and organelles are broken down.
D. DNA is replicated.

Answer is C, but I thought organelles are still functional after apoptosis?

Nup, how can they still function when there is no cell? They are engulfed and recycled by phagocytes

[Hayley_turnham]

How do the homologous chromosomes in meiosis 'know' to line up next to each other in metaphase I?
Mitosis and meiosis start off with the same amount/types etc of chromosomes but the align themselves in different ways depending on the purpose of the division so how does this actually occur?