IGCSE COMBINED SCIENCE ASSIGNMENT 01

IGCSE Combined Science Assignment One

Answer all the questions in the spaces provided. Use black ink throughout, though any diagrams and
graphs should be done in pencil.

In any questions involving calculations you may use a calculator and, in these questions, it is
important that you show your working.

Remember: the marks are a guide as to how much you need to write. If an answer is worth two
marks you will need to state two facts, or one fact and an explanation.

1.
a. The diagram shows a section through a cell from a leaf.

Which part is the cell membrane?

(1 mark)

b. Complete Table 1.1 to show which structures are present in plant cells and which are
present in animal cells.

Use a tick or check (✓) to show that the structure is present. Use a cross (x) to show that
the structure is not present.

You should place either a tick or a cross in every space in the table.

Table 1.1

Structure Plant cells Animal cells

1
IGCSE COMBINED SCIENCE ASSIGNMENT 01

2. One of the characteristics of living organisms is sensitivity, which is the ability to respond to
changes in the environment.

List four characteristics of all living things.

(2 marks)

3. The diagram shows an experiment using an uncooked potato. The skin of the potato was
removed as shown.

Which diagram shows the result of the experiment after 24 hours?

(1 mark)

4. A student draws a diagram of a plant cell.

The diagram is 40 mm in width. The plant cell is 0.02 mm in width.

What is the magnification of the student's drawing?

A x0.005
B x0.08
C x200
D x2000
(1 mark)

2
IGCSE COMBINED SCIENCE ASSIGNMENT 01

5. The diagram shows a high-power drawing of a plant cell.

The distance between X and Y on the diagram below is 80mm.

The actual length of the cell between X and Y was 160 μm

What is the magnification of the cell?

A x50
B X100
C X500
D X1000

(1 mark)

6. The diagram shows some liver cells as they appear under a microscope.

How many cell walls can be seen?

A 0
B 2
C 5
D 10

(1 mark)

3
IGCSE COMBINED SCIENCE ASSIGNMENT 01

7. The diagram shows two solutions that are separated by a partially permeable membrane.

In which direction will most water molecules move in relation to their concentration gradient?

A from X to Y against their concentration gradient

(1 mark)

8. Fig. 8.1 shows a diagram of an enzyme molecule and some other smaller molecules.

Enzymes function as biological catalysts.

Fig. 8.1

4
IGCSE COMBINED SCIENCE ASSIGNMENT 01

a.
i. The enzyme molecule in Fig. 8.1 catalyses the joining together of small molecules.

From Fig. 8.1 state the letter of a possible substrate for this reaction and explain your
answer.

Substrate: _______________________________________________________________

Explanation: _____________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

ii. Describe how the shape of the enzyme molecule shown in Fig. 8.1 helps it with its
function in this reaction.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

b. The activity of this enzyme changes as the temperature increases. The optimum
temperature for the enzyme is 40 'C.

Explain why enzyme activity is lower

i. at 20'C

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

ii. at 50°C

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

5
IGCSE COMBINED SCIENCE ASSIGNMENT 01

c. Enzymes also catalyse the breakdown of larger molecules during chemical digestion.

Name the enzyme that catalyses the chemical digestion of protein.

___________________________________________________________________________

Name the products of this reaction.

___________________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)
(Total 9 marks)

9. Some students investigated the activity of catalase.

Catalase is an enzyme found in plant and animal tissues. It catalyses the breakdown of hydrogen
peroxide into water and oxygen. The activity of this enzyme can be measured by collecting the
oxygen produced.

The students used the apparatus shown in Fig. 9.1 to compare the activity of catalase using
pieces of sweet potato of different sizes.

Fig. 9.1

Three cubes of 10 mm x 10 mm x 10 mm of sweet potato were used.

Cube 1 was placed into the test-tube and 5cm3 of hydrogen peroxide was added. The bung was
quickly replaced into the top of the test-tube.

The students carefully counted the number of bubbles of oxygen delivered into the water in one
minute and then measured the final height of foam in the test-tube.

For cube 1, they counted 12 bubbles in one minute. The height of foam is shown in Fig. 9.2. They
then discarded the contents of the test-tube and rinsed it with clean water.

6
IGCSE COMBINED SCIENCE ASSIGNMENT 01

Cube 2 was cut into two pieces of approximately the same size. Both of these pieces were
placed into the test-tube and 5 cm3 of hydrogen peroxide was added as before.

For cube 2, they counted 23 bubbles in one minute. The height of foam is shown in Fig. 9.2. They
then discarded the contents of the test-tube and rinsed it with clean water.

Cube 3 was cut into eight small pieces which were all placed into the test-tube and 5cm3 of
hydrogen peroxide was added as before.

For cube 3, they counted 38 bubbles in one minute. The height of foam is shown in Fig. 9.2.

Fig. 9.2

7
IGCSE COMBINED SCIENCE ASSIGNMENT 01

a. In the space below, prepare a table for the results from this investigation.

Use a ruler to measure the height of foam in Fig. 9.2 for each cube.

Record the height of foam for each cube in your table.

(6 marks)

b.
i. State two variables that the students kept constant in this investigation.

1 ______________________________________________________________________

2 ______________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

ii. Suggest how you could improve the method that they followed.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(3 marks)

8
IGCSE COMBINED SCIENCE ASSIGNMENT 01

c. What conclusion can be drawn from these results.

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

d.
i. The students were given a hypothesis that said

"the activity of catalase increases with increasing temperature".

Describe a similar investigation to the one carried out in (a) to test this hypothesis.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(6 marks)

ii. Outline one safety precaution that you would need to take when performing this
experiment.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)
(Total 19 marks)

9
IGCSE COMBINED SCIENCE ASSIGNMENT 01

10. A student investigated the effect of light on the chemical composition of leaves. Two plants of
the same species were used. Leaf A had been removed from a plant that had been in strong light
for a period of 24 hours. Leaf B had been removed from a plant that had been kept in the dark
for 48 hours.

 The student picked up leaf A with a pair of tweezers and carefully held it in very hot water
for 15 seconds. He carried out the same procedure for leaf B.

 He placed the leaves separately into the bottom of two large tubes labelled A and B.

 The leaves were covered with alcohol (ethanol) and the tubes placed into a very hot water
bath for 5 minutes.

 He removed the tubes from the water bath and poured off the alcohol into a beaker.

a. He noted that the colour of the alcohol, that had been poured off, had turned green
in colour. The leaves were now white in colour.

i. Suggest what substance from the leaf has dissolved in the alcohol substance

__________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

 He placed leaves A and B into separate petri dishes, laid them flat and covered them in
iodine solution for two minutes.

 He removed the excess iodine solution by washing the leaves with cold water

ii. Suggest, and record in Table 10.1, the colour of the leaves after they had been tested
with iodine solution.

For each leaf, what conclusion may be made from your suggested colours?

Record your conclusion for each leaf in Table 10.1.

Table 10.1

Leaf A Leaf B

Colour of leaf after testing

Conclusion

(4 marks)

10
IGCSE COMBINED SCIENCE ASSIGNMENT 01

b. The student carried out a second experiment:

 He took four pieces of pond weed and placed them into separate beakers labelled C, D, E
and F.

 He placed a funnel over each piece of pond weed.

 He placed measuring cylinders full of water over the funnels to collect any gases
produced, as in Fig. 10.1.

 Beakers C, D, and E were placed in strong light for 48 hours.

 Beaker F was kept in the dark for 48 hours.

Fig. 10.1

Figure 10.2 shows the measuring cylinders after the experiment.

Fig. 10.2

11
IGCSE COMBINED SCIENCE ASSIGNMENT 01

i. Record the volumes of gas in all four measuring cylinders in Table 7.2.

Table 10.2

Measuring cylinder C D E F

Volume of gas/cm3
(2 marks)

ii. The student took a glowing splint and placed it into the gas that had been collected. The
splint relit when placed into tubes C, D and E.

State the name of the gas that had been produced.

Name of gas: __________________________

(1 mark)

iii. The gas present in tube F did not relight the glowing splint.

Suggest what this gas could be and name the process that produced it.

Name of gas: ____________________________

Process: __________________________________________________________

(2 marks)
(Total 10 marks)

TOTAL FOR ASSIGNMENT 50 MARKS

12