TSSM 2007 Anyone Done it (Hard)?

[slothpomba]

Anyone done TSSM 2007.... its the hardest bio exam ive done so far.... or maybe its just because of how im feeling now im not sure .....

Anyway i thought it was a fairly hard exam... i haven't marked it yet so i dont know how bad ive done but i got a feeling it wasnt great at all....

Any feedback from people who have done it?

[The Detective]

I've done it I thought it was okay, lost most of the marks on the last pages about evolution. hopefully this years exam will focus more on genetics!

[slothpomba]

I marked it....got 38/50 for the multiple choice on it compared to the 41/50 for the exam i did before it and same mark for multi choice 22/25... so it wasnt as bad as i thought but some of the question were tricky...

Stuffed up almost every mark in question 2... rest was mostly fine haha thats what got me.. i thought it was autosomal

[golden]

Lost a few marks on question 1 (short answer).
Multiple choice was nice, question 25 was interesting; can any explain why it is D?

Question 25:
Outcomes of cultural evolution in the genus Homo include the following with the exception of:
A. the first use of shaped stone objects as tools.
B. the cultivation of crops.
C. the use of written language.
D. the herding of animals.

Wouldn't it be A because the question stated the FIRST use of shaped stone objects as tools? I mean the first use may not have been induced by cultural evolution which is the passing on of information (etc.). It may have been an individual accidentally using a stone or realizing that the stone can be used.

I did it a while ago, in terms of time it wasn't as long as some other exams but it is easier to make a silly mistake due to the repetitiveness on some parts for example, question 3 part a. where you had to write the sequences of 7 DNA triplets, 7 mRNA codons and 7 mRNA anticodons.

Also, I have another question: Is it acceptable to say DNA codon as opposed to DNA triplet? Or are the terms interchangeable?

EDIT:

I have realized that the question stated SHAPED stone tools. But can anyone still explain why D would be correct in this case?

[LachieEvans]

D is correct because you get 'herding' behaviour from many other animals inclduing wolves and large cats, which herd their prey in order to hunt. And ah.. you have ants which herd aphids and other insects. So, it is present in other species thus is not classified as cultural evolution.

Hope that helps

[golden]

D is correct because you get 'herding' behaviour from many other animals inclduing wolves and large cats, which herd their prey in order to hunt. And ah.. you have ants which herd aphids and other insects. So, it is present in other species thus is not classified as cultural evolution.

Hope that helps

Does cultural evolution include the actions of other animals, without direct reference to the hominids?

[The Detective]

Lost a few marks on question 1 (short answer).
Multiple choice was nice, question 25 was interesting; can any explain why it is D?

Question 25:
Outcomes of cultural evolution in the genus Homo include the following with the exception of:
A. the first use of shaped stone objects as tools.
B. the cultivation of crops.
C. the use of written language.
D. the herding of animals.

Wouldn't it be A because the question stated the FIRST use of shaped stone objects as tools? I mean the first use may not have been induced by cultural evolution which is the passing on of information (etc.). It may have been an individual accidentally using a stone or realizing that the stone can be used.

I did it a while ago, in terms of time it wasn't as long as some other exams but it is easier to make a silly mistake due to the repetitiveness on some parts for example, question 3 part a. where you had to write the sequences of 7 DNA triplets, 7 mRNA codons and 7 mRNA anticodons.

Also, I have another question: Is it acceptable to say DNA codon as opposed to DNA triplet? Or are the terms interchangeable?

EDIT:

I have realized that the question stated SHAPED stone tools. But can anyone still explain why D would be correct in this case?

I don't think you should write DNA codon - probably stick with DNA triplet and mRNA codons

[LachieEvans]

This is one of the many ambiguous areas of Biology.. I have read textbooks that say cultural evolution only happens in humans as we are the only 'self-aware' species. Yet most sources define cultural evolution as "the passage and accumulation of the collective knowledge of a population, passed on through communication". Going by this definition, cultural evolution cannot be just in humans as certain birds have learnt to peck holes in, and then knock over, milk cartons to extract the milk and this practice has arisen in an entire species over a wide area, so communication of the knowledge must have occurred. So like I said confusing :|

For exam questions, unless it specifically states in the homo genus, I would look for any behaviour that involves social interaction and communication. Though I would not be happy if VCAA gave an ambiguous evolution question wherer you need to split hairs.

But for that question, sorry I wasnt specific enough. The stem stated "cultural evolution in the GENUS HOMO", so thats why D is correct.

[cypriottiger]

i only got 59/75 for it, but then again i did it 6 weeks ago so im not stressed