The Developing Cell: Cell Division and Cell Differentiation | OCR A-Level Biology B (Advancing Biology) (H422)
The Developing Cell: Cell Division and Cell Differentiation
- 47 questions
- 3 subtopics
- Biology content, examined on all three papers
- Component 01, Component 02 and Component 03
The Developing Cell: Cell Division and Cell Differentiation is examined in all three written papers — the specification states that Components 01, 02 and 03 can each assess content from any of the five modules, so nothing is confined to one paper.
It covers the cell cycle and mitosis, apoptosis in growth and repair and stem cells and cell differentiation.
Sample questions from The Developing Cell: Cell Division and Cell Differentiation
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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The cell cycle and mitosis
What happens to the chromosomes and to the nuclear envelope during prophase?
Show the answer
The chromosomes condense and become visible as two chromatids joined at a centromere, while the nuclear envelope and the nucleolus break down. -
The cell cycle and mitosis
Explain how the cell plate forms in a dividing plant cell.
Show the answer
Vesicles from the Golgi apparatus line up along the equator and fuse together, releasing material that forms the middle lamella and the new cell walls and plasma membranes. -
Apoptosis in growth and repair
Define karyorrhexis.
Show the answer
Karyorrhexis is the fragmentation of the condensed nucleus into pieces, which are then packaged into the apoptotic bodies. -
Apoptosis in growth and repair
How does apoptosis shape the developing nervous system?
Show the answer
Neurones that fail to form functional connections with a target undergo apoptosis, so only the useful connections are retained. -
Stem cells and cell differentiation
Where in a developing embryo are pluripotent stem cells found?
Show the answer
They make up the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, and are known as embryonic stem cells. -
Stem cells and cell differentiation
Name two conditions other than leukaemia that are treated with bone marrow stem cells.
Show the answer
Sickle cell anaemia and severe combined immunodeficiency are both treated in this way.
The 3 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| The cell cycle and mitosis | Recall questions on the G1, S and G2 phases of interphase, the four stages of mitosis and what happens at each, cytokinesis and the cell plate in plants, and preparing and staining a root tip squash to calculate the mitotic index. | 18 |
| Apoptosis in growth and repair | Recall questions on apoptosis as programmed cell death, pyknosis, blebs and karyorrhexis, how macrophages recognise phosphatidylserine, why apoptosis causes no inflammation unlike necrosis, its role in shaping digits and the nervous system, and its balance with mitosis in growth, tumours and repair. | 14 |
| Stem cells and cell differentiation | Recall questions on what makes a stem cell, how identical genes give different cells, the totipotent, pluripotent and multipotent distinction, bone marrow treatment for leukaemia, and the ethical objections. | 15 |
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 topics
OCR A-Level Biology B (Advancing Biology) Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,895 questions with their answers.