Cloning and Biotechnology | OCR A-Level Biology A (H420)
Cloning and Biotechnology
- 120 questions
- 10 subtopics
- Module 6: Genetics, evolution and ecosystems
- Component 02 and Component 03
Cloning and biotechnology is the fourth section of Module 6.
It covers natural and artificial plant cloning, micropropagation, embryo twinning and nuclear transfer in animals, the arguments for and against each, microorganisms in food and medicine, aseptic technique and fermentation, and immobilised enzymes.
Sample questions from Cloning and Biotechnology
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Natural plant cloning and taking cuttings
How do tubers enable vegetative propagation?
Show the answer
Tubers are swollen underground stems or roots that store nutrients and have buds (eyes) that can sprout to produce new genetically identical plants. -
Micropropagation
What is an explant in micropropagation?
Show the answer
A small piece of tissue taken from the parent plant to initiate the culture. -
Advantages and disadvantages of plant cloning
Why is artificial plant cloning independent of season?
Show the answer
Plants can be propagated year-round in controlled laboratory conditions regardless of external climate or season. -
Animal cloning: embryo twinning and nuclear transfer
How is the embryo divided in artificial embryo twinning?
Show the answer
The early embryo is mechanically separated into two or more cell masses. -
Advantages and disadvantages of animal cloning
Why is animal cloning valuable for research?
Show the answer
It provides genetically identical animals for studying development, disease mechanisms, and testing treatments. -
Microorganisms in food production
How does microbial food production compare to conventional agriculture in terms of speed?
Show the answer
Microorganisms reproduce rapidly, allowing much faster production than growing crops or raising livestock. -
Aseptic technique
Why must growth media be sterilised before use?
Show the answer
To kill any microorganisms present that could contaminate the culture. -
Fermentation and its conditions
Why is pH monitored and adjusted during fermentation?
Show the answer
To maintain optimal conditions for enzyme function, as pH changes can denature enzymes and reduce yield.
The 10 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Natural plant cloning and taking cuttings | Runners, rhizomes, bulbs, corms, tubers and suckers as natural clones, and the steps in taking a cutting and getting it to root. | 15 |
| Micropropagation | The explant and why it is surface sterilised, the hormones in the nutrient agar, the callus that forms, and the hardening off that ends the process. | 8 |
| Advantages and disadvantages of plant cloning | Rapid mass production, preserved traits, disease-free stock and growing out of season, set against reduced genetic diversity, cost and the skill required. | 10 |
| Animal cloning: embryo twinning and nuclear transfer | How identical twins arise naturally, the splitting of an early embryo, and the enucleation and nuclear transfer steps of somatic cell nuclear transfer. | 11 |
| Advantages and disadvantages of animal cloning | Elite genetics, medical uses, conservation and research, set against low success rates, health problems, reduced longevity, cost and ethical objections. | 10 |
| Microorganisms in food production | Why microorganisms suit industrial production, the speed, land use and waste substrates involved, mycoprotein from Fusarium, and the objections raised to microbial food. | 20 |
| Aseptic technique | Sterilising equipment and growth media, working near a flame, flaming bottle necks and inoculating loops, and how Petri dishes are handled and taped. | 8 |
| Fermentation and its conditions | Batch and continuous fermentation, and why temperature, pH, oxygen supply, nutrient concentration and agitation are monitored and controlled. | 10 |
| The microbial growth curve | The lag, exponential, stationary and death phases, the calculation of numbers after n generations, and the conditions that shape microbial growth. | 14 |
| Immobilised enzymes | Adsorption, covalent bonding, entrapment and encapsulation, and the reusability, stability and continuous flow they allow, set against reduced activity, diffusion limits and cost. | 14 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby sections
OCR A-Level Biology A Active Recall Guide
Every section, not just this one. 1,833 questions with their answers.