Home / A level Biology 11.2 Antibodies and vaccination – Exam style question – Paper 1

A level Biology 11.2 Antibodies and vaccination – Exam style question – Paper 1

Question

Peptidoglycan is stained purple by the chemical crystal violet.

Which cells would stain purple in the presence of crystal violet?

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Solution

Ans: B

Crystal violet stains peptidoglycan found in bacterial cell walls. Vibrio cholerae (B) is a bacterium, while the others are eukaryotic (plant, protozoan, animal). Thus, only bacterial cells would stain purple with crystal violet.

Question

Which row is correct for the control or prevention methods for each disease?

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Solution

Ans: C

TB is controlled by contact tracing, malaria by targeting mosquitoes (vector), and cholera through water treatment. Option C correctly matches each disease with its primary control method, making it the right answer.

Question

Which statements are correct for penicillin?

  1. It is harmful to prokaryotic cells.
  2. It disrupts cell wall synthesis.
  3. It becomes less effective with regular use.
▶️ Answer/Explanation
Solution

Ans: A

All statements are correct: Penicillin targets prokaryotic cell walls (1), inhibits peptidoglycan synthesis (2), and bacteria can develop resistance with overuse (3). This makes option A the correct choice as it includes all true statements.

Question

A vaccine is used to give immunity to the virus that causes the disease influenza.

A new influenza vaccine is needed every year because the virus mutates regularly.

What is the reason for needing a new influenza vaccine every year?

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Solution

Ans: D

Influenza viruses undergo antigenic drift, changing their surface antigens (D). This makes existing memory cells ineffective against new strains, requiring updated vaccines. The other options (A/B/C) describe immune system limitations, not the primary reason for annual vaccine updates.

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