Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Biology · 4BI1 · Free · no account needed
Genetic Engineering — exam questions
9 original Incandio exam-style questions on Genetic Engineering, 18 marks, about 18 minutes of writing. Each one carries the command word, the tariff and the specification statement it assesses, exactly as a paper presents them. This is an original Incandio practice question, written to reflect the structure and demands of the qualification. It is not an official Pearson Edexcel past-paper question.
This is the practice set for Genetic Engineering — the lesson that teaches it. Read the lesson first if the idea is new; come here when you want to find out whether you can turn it into marks. Completely free, no account needed to read.
What these questions ask of you
6 command words run through this set, and on Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Biology each one means something precise. Answering the wrong command is the commonest way a candidate who understands the lesson still loses the mark.
- Which (1 mark)
- one option chosen from the set given
- State what is meant by (1–2 marks)
- the definition
- Describe (2–4 marks)
- developed, linked statements of WHAT happens — no reason required, but detail is Misread as: giving one bare statement where the tariff asked for a developed account
- Explain (2–4 marks)
- a causal chain — WHY it happens, each link a separate marking point Misread as: describing what happens without giving the reason it happens
- Suggest (1–3 marks)
- a plausible answer applying taught biology to a situation not taught
- Give (1–2 marks)
- a short factual answer drawn from recall or from the data
Assessed on Paper 1 (4BI1/1B) and Paper 2 (4BI1/2B), against AO1, AO2, AO3.
Where these sit in the specification
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Biology (4BI1) — statements 5.12 · 5.13 · 5.16. Incandio is aligned to this specification; it is not published by, endorsed by or affiliated with Pearson, and it reproduces none of Pearson's wording.
The 9 questions
Answer them on paper, then open the lesson's exam practice to have them marked. The mark scheme, the accepted and rejected answers and the annotated model answer are in Incandio and are not printed here — an answer beside its question is not practice.
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Table 1 — four samples of DNA treated with different combinations of enzymes and then examined. Sample Restriction enzyme Ligase Result 1 added added recombinant plasmids formed 2 added none plasmid and gene present, both cut, not joined 3 none added plasmid still circular, gene not inserted 4 none none no change (a)
(1)Give
Give the sample in Table 1 that produced usable recombinant plasmids.
Table 1 — four samples of DNA treated with different combinations of enzymes and then examined. Sample Restriction enzyme Ligase Result 1 added added recombinant plasmids formed 2 added none plasmid and gene present, both cut, not joined 3 none added plasmid still circular, gene not inserted 4 none none no change sample = ............................
(b)
(3)Explain
Explain the results obtained for samples 2 and 3.
Table 1 — four samples of DNA treated with different combinations of enzymes and then examined. Sample Restriction enzyme Ligase Result 1 added added recombinant plasmids formed 2 added none plasmid and gene present, both cut, not joined 3 none added plasmid still circular, gene not inserted 4 none none no change (c)
(2)Suggest
Suggest why sample 4 was included even though nothing was expected to happen in it.
Table 1 — four samples of DNA treated with different combinations of enzymes and then examined. Sample Restriction enzyme Ligase Result 1 added added recombinant plasmids formed 2 added none plasmid and gene present, both cut, not joined 3 none added plasmid still circular, gene not inserted 4 none none no change (Total for Question 1 = 6 marks)
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(1)Which
Which enzyme cuts DNA at a specific sequence of bases?
Enzyme A ligase B amylase C a restriction enzyme D protease (Total for Question 2 = 1 mark)
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(1)State what is meant by
State what is meant by a vector in genetic engineering.
(Total for Question 3 = 1 mark)
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(1)State what is meant by
State what is meant by a transgenic organism.
(Total for Question 4 = 1 mark)
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(4)Describe
Describe how a human gene is transferred into a bacterium.
Figure 1 — a gene being inserted into a bacterial plasmid. (Total for Question 5 = 4 marks)
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(2)Explain
Explain why a human gene can be read correctly by a bacterium.
(Total for Question 6 = 2 marks)
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(3)Suggest
Suggest why plasmids used as vectors usually also carry a gene for resistance to an antibiotic.
(Total for Question 7 = 3 marks)
Have them marked, then defend the answer
Practice tells you the mark; teaching it back tells you whether you understand it. On Incandio a topic counts as mastered only once you have taught it and defended it.
- Mark these questions — 9 questions, marked on Incandio against the authored scheme, with the mistake you actually made named.
- Teach it — explain Genetic Engineering to Ember, an AI pupil who does not have it yet and asks the awkward question.
- Defend it — argue it against Paul Berg over three rounds, marked against descriptors you can read first.
Completely free. No subscriptions, no paywalls, no account needed to start.
Back to the lesson
- Genetic Engineering — Cutting a gene out of one organism and making another organism read it — and the reason that works at all.
- All of Incandio Biology · Incandio Exam Practice