HSC biology heredity questions are critical to your success in the HSC. We created a list of questions based on past data analysis of HSC Biology papers.
Click here to jump straight to the Module 5 HSC Questions
Is HSC biology module 5 hard to do well in?
I worked with an above average student who had jumped two years throughout their high school journey. They wanted to get top in their class for biology but had found they couldn’t finish their year 11 exams in enough time to catch their silly mistakes. Going into year 12, knowing every mark counted towards their ATAR, they wanted to be confident in their exams. Realising that they were great with their grasp of content, but not so much with their speed or accuracy in their exams, I created this curated list of heredity questions. I also provided them with exemplar answers, ones the markers want to see. This way their writing is clear and concise so they have the comfort of knowing they will get their exam finished. Remember, 50% of your mark will come from knowing the content and 50% of your mark will come from knowing how to show the markers you know the content.
How do I get a band 6 in HSC biology?
Fortunately, we have created a straight path to success for you, our HSC Biology Open access resources will give you everything you need to excel at the HSC biology course and earn yourself a band 6. We can’t do the work for you but we can give your the tools you need to do well in biology. Just answer our questions and mark your answers and those around you will wonder what it is you are doing to improve so rapidly.
Overview
HSC Biology heredity Questions
58 marks – these HSC biology heredity questions should be done in 100 minutes in exam conditions.
Biology module 5 Questions: Multiple Choice
Question 1.
Adapted from 2020 HSC Question 2
Question 2.
Adapted from 2020 HSC Question 3
Question 3.
Adapted from 2020 HSC Question 14
Question 4.
Adapted from 2020 HSC Question 16
Question 5.
Adapted from HSC Question 19
Question 6.
Which of the following is an example of the same genotype but a different phenotype
- a) Two identical twins who weigh different amounts due to differences in diets
- b) Two dogs from the same litter who weigh the exact same amount
- c) A dog and a cat that weigh different amounts
- d) A rabbit which is the same colour in summer and winter
Question 7.
A protein is identified and it is noted that it contains 3 substituent polypeptide chains, what level of structural protein is this
- a) Primary structure
- b) Secondary structure
- c) Tertiary structure
- d) Quaternary structure
Question 8.
In DNA replication, what is the role of the polymerase
- a) To unwind the double stranded DNA
- b) To unzip the double stranded DNA
- c) To synthesis of a complementary strand
- d) To put down RNA primers
Question 9.
Which of the following will occur after the docking of tRNA into the ribosome
- a) The DNA will be unzipped by RNA polymerase
- b) The mRNA strand will be synthesised
- c) The polypeptide chain will grow
- d) The ribosome will dock the mRNA
Question 10.
Codon table
You are given the following mRNA sequence, what is the sequence of amino acids that you would expect.
UCU AGU AGG
- a) Serine Arginine
- b) Serine Serine Arginine
- c) Isoleucine Serine Serine
- d) Isoleucine Serine
Question 11.
In the diagram below, what does the pentagon labelled X represent?
- a) A deoxyribose sugar
- b) A phosphate
- c) A ribose sugar
- d) A nuclear base
HSC Biology Module 5 Questions: Short answer
Attempt the following 48 marks of short answer questions before marking your HSC biology heredity questions to get the most from your study time.
Question 1.
A mule is a hybrid animal which is unable to have offspring. It is created through breeding a donkey with a horse. Mules are found to be useful as pack animals due to their ability to travel in rough terrain.
1a) Complete the following diagram for meiosis to demonstrate the expected genetic information of each cell. [2 marks]
1b) Complete the following diagram for meiosis to demonstrate the expected genetic information of each cell when there is an odd number of chromosomes for the starting cell.
1c) A donkey has 62 chromosomes and a horse has 64 chromosomes. How many chromosomes would you expect a mule to have? [1 mark]
1d) Justify why a mule breed with a mule can’t have offspring [3 marks]
Question 2.
Evaluate the usefulness of models in science to communicate scientific concepts. [6 marks]
Question 3.
3a) Explain why external reproduction often generates more offspring than internal [3 marks]
3b) Outline the significance of internal fertilisation for the evolution of ground dwelling animals [3 marks]
Question 4.
4a) Compare and contrast meiosis and mitosis [4 marks]
4b) Explain how genetic diversity is created in meiosis [4 marks]
Question 5.
5a) Explain why DNA replication is a semi-conservative process [2 marks]
5b) Outline the process of DNA Replication [6 marks]
5c) Create a table to compare polypeptide synthesis and DNA replication. [4 marks]
| Polypeptide synthesis | DNA replication | |
| Similarities | ||
| Differences |
Question 6.
In the diagram below, a yeast cell can be seen replicating:
Courtesy of https://www.wikiwand.com/simple/Yeast
6a) Is this sexual or asexual reproduction [1 mark]
6b) Outline what mechanism of reproduction is being used [1 mark]
6b) Justify when the above method of reproduction would be favourable [2 marks]
Question 7.
Table 1. Percentage observed of nucleobases in a DNA sample
| Percentage of Thymine bases in different DNA strands (%) | Percentage of Cytosine bases in different DNA strands (%) |
| 24 | 26 |
| 28 | 22 |
| 32 | 20 |
| 31 | 18 |
| 24 | 26 |
| 22 | 28 |
| 28 | 23 |
1a) Graph the data above [3 marks]
1b) Explain the trend you observed and provide one possible explanation for this [3 marks]
Jump to the answers for biology module 5 Questions Module Quiz
Answers to HSC biology heredity questions
My first ever student had done 15 papers before they sat their trial paper for advanced math. Yet they didn’t do well, relatively speaking. That’s when they called me in. I sat down with them and went through what they were doing when they were studying. They were doing everything right. Just as I was leaving, I asked them what they were averaging in the study papers. This is when they revealed they weren’t marking them to preserve their motivation. They did 3 papers and marked each one the following fortnight. Like that they had improved by 20%, more then the 15 papers they had done. Thats why we provide exemplar answers to the HSC biology heredity questions.
Biology Module 5 exam: Multiple Choice Answers
- D: Sexual reproduction is when two different genetic lines join together, D is the only viable option – A is incorrect as pollination leads to the dispersal of seeds – B is for asexual reproduction – C is incorrect
- C: First the egg needs to be released via ovulation occurs before the egg is picked up by the tube. It can then be fertilised through the union of sperm and egg. It then needs to implant in the uterus before a placenta can form.
- D: Incomplete dominance is when the offspring shows a mix of both parents phenotype.
- B: A + T + G + C = 100 | A = T (DNA is double stranded) | G = C (DNA is double stranded) | 2 A + 2 G = 100 | A + G = 50
- A: In meiosis II
- A: Identical twins have the same genotype, however, their lifestyle choices make them look different.
- D: The quaternary structure is when multiple polypeptides in their tertiary form are joined together.
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Glossary
| Term | Definition |
| Allele | Different version of the same gene e.g eye colour |
| Blastocyst | Connects to the wall of the uterus during the start of pregnancy |
| Chromosome | A strand of linear DNA composed of multiple genes found in eukaryotic cells |
| Zygote | When the egg and sperm fuse together |
References
