Just finished the 2017 VCAA exam and I am a bit unsure about some of my responses, so any feedback would be amazing! In particular, I am unsure of my responses to questions 4c and e, 7a, 8, 9a, 10b and 11d. Apologies in advance for my handwriting, it's a lil bit of a mess
Thanks heaps!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5cq5zfy2wx1keyd/AACk_iFbGWLlCCIhM9duXqURa?dl=0
1c. The golgi apparatus does alter proteins a bit, but you're not really taught that in VCE so it's possible it wouldn't be accepted.
4c. You've included 2 extra lines at the bottom of the given space which is a pretty good indication that you've written too much. You need to pay attention to how the question is worded - it asks
how this form of immunity is beneficial - it doesn't ask why it's beneficial, which is what you've talked about in too much depth by discussing how long it takes for their own immune system to develop. You've then talked a bit about how specific immunity works so it sounds like you didn't really understand what the question wanted. It was worth 3 marks - the marks would have been for saying that it's passive, provides antibodies, and that the joeys own immune system was underdeveloped/insufficient.
4e. Your answer is *almost* detailed enough to get the mark, vcaa did say that they accepted similar answers if good understanding was shown. Your answer was too broad - you don't necessarily need testing to turn that antibiotic into a drug, but you do need testing to turn it into a safe drug.
7a. Probably not the best examples to use - these are both things associated with bipedalism - both homo and Australopithecus were bipedal. Although it's likely that these things were comparatively better adapted for bipedal motion in homo than in Australopithecus, there are other features that would have shown greater difference.
7b. As well as mentioning that homo species appeared prior to 900 000 years prior, you should also mention that australopithicus species had entirely disappeared by then.
8a. Not necessarily before symptoms appear - some genetic conditions have symptoms present at birth. Would be better to say provides information on any genetic conditions the baby has and therefore allows for treatment/prevention.
8b. Your first point is correct, your second point is more of a social implication than an ethical one (although the line between them is quite blurry).
9a. Given it says "in the context given", saying bacteria rather than cell is fine. Your answer is correct.
9bi. You've written too much again, there's no need to restate the stem - you could get rid of most of that first line and just start with "They cut the plasmid..."
You don't need to talk about DNA ligase. You would have just about got the mark just from your first dot point - you just need to add a few more words to say that cutting them with the same enzyme means that the human gene can be inserted.
9bii. Your diagram should look exactly like the one given previously, just with the human gene inserted where the BamH1 recognition site was, and with a BamH1 recognition site at either end of the human gene.
10a. You've got the right idea but you need to be more specific to the scenario eg. say what damage the fire might have done specifically rather than just saying that it damaged the environment (e.g. damaged habitat/resulted in loss of prey).
10b. Your answers for this are fine - too long, but you've included the important information.
11c. Careful with your accuracy/validity. Accuracy is about how close a measurement is to the true value - this part had nothing to do with accuracy, only validity.
11d. What you've written in black isn't really a control - it's a way to improve accuracy, controls are normally about improving validity.
What you've written in blue is correct.