VHEMBE WEST DISTRICT

NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE CAPS

GRADE 12

LIFE SCIENCES

TASK

Assignment

August 2022

MEMORANDUM

Marks: 50

Time: 60 Minutes
Life Sciences Grade 12 2 FS/ 2021
Assignment Marking Guidelines

QUESTION 1

1. If this was conducted as an experiment, what would the research question

1 be?

Would the offspring from an injured guinea pig also be born with the same injury? 
OR (1)
Would the offspring inherit the phenotype or genotype of the parents? 

1. How could Charlie ensure the validity of such an investigation?

2
All the factors/variables could have been controlled/no other factor could influence
the one being tested for (2)
The samples could have been chosen randomly

Which evolutionary theory is represented by Charlie’s consideration that

1. some of the offspring might have been born without their left front feet?
3 (1)
The law of inheritance of aquired characteristics 

Give the name of the scientist who proposed this theory.

(1)
1. Lamarck 
4
Briefly describe what the evolutionary theory referred to in QUESTION 1.3
states.

1. Organisms could inherit changed structures/missing limbs from their parents 

5 This is called Lamarckism*  i.e. inheritance of acquired characteristics
(compulsory) (3)
Characteristics developed during the life of an individual, could be inherited by their
offspring 

What conclusion could you make if all the pups in the litter were born healthy
and would have all their feet?

Lamarck’s theory was proven to be wrong 

1. Offspring inherit the genotype  from their parents, (2)
6 and not physical characteristics /the phenotype ANY 2

Provide two ways in which you would improve the reliability of an experiment
such as this one.

Repeat the experiment  (2)

Use a larger sample size  (12
1. )
7

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Life Sciences Grade 12 3 FS/ 2021
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QUESTION 2

2.1 What kind of selection is referred to in the above paragraph?

Artificial selection  (1
)

2.2 Quote one sentence from the paragraph to support your answer in Q. 2.1

‘The various domestic pigeon breeds that exist today came about when
pigeon breeders cross bred different variations of domestic pigeons.’  (1
)

2.3 Provide three reasons why pigeons were a good choice for Darwin’s
experiments.

1. Pigeons are easy to keep 

2. Pigeons are inexpensive to keep 
3. Fast breeding cycle 
4. Readily available  ANY THREE (3
)
2.4 Discuss Darwin’s theory of natural selection.

 There is a great deal of variation amongst the offspring. 

 Some have favourable characteristics, and some do not. 
 When there is a change in the environmental conditions/or if there is
competition,
 organisms with characteristics, which make them more suited, survive
 whilst organisms with unfavourable characteristics, which make them less
suited, die. 
 The organisms that survive, reproduce
 and thus, pass on the allele for the favourable characteristic to their
offspring. 
 The next generation will therefore have a higher proportion of individuals
with the favourable characteristic. 
ANY FOUR (4
)
(9
)

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Life Sciences Grade 12 4 FS/ 2021
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QUESTION 3

3.1 On which continent would it have been possible to find both species?

Asia  (1)

3.2 Both species belong to the genus Panthera. What does this imply?

They both had a common ancestor 

They are genetically closely related to each other  (2)

3.3 There are several documented cases where lion and tiger hybrids, called
Ligers, occurred in captivity. What is a hybrid and why can lions and tigers
form hybrids?

A hybrid is often an unfertile offspring  produced

when two different species mate with one another.
A hybrid shows phenotypical traits of both parents 
Lions and Tigers share a closely related common ancestor , thus enabling
fertilisation to take place. (4)

3.4 What is speciation?

If a population of a single species is isolated from one another

they are individually exposed to to their environmental conditions 
and through natural selection independently split into two populations ANY (2)
TWO
3.5
Speciation can be driven by factors such as isolation. Which form of
isolation caused the speciation within these two species? Explain this type
of speciation by making use of the above information.

A geographical barrier *  (compulsory mark)

separated the original species  of Lions and Tigers.
These populations adapted to their environmental conditions 
Natural selection took place independently
Making them genotypically  and
phenotypically different  from one another
Even if they were to mix again ,
they would not be able to interbreed 
and form fertile offspring  (5)
ANY FIVE (14)

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Life Sciences Grade 12 5 FS/ 2021
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QUESTION 4

The table below shows the change in antibiotic resistance in three strains of bacteria
(MRSA, VRE and FQRP)

YEAR ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE (%)

MRSA VRE FQRP
1981 2 0 0
1985 10 0 0
1989 15 2 0
1993 40 5 5
1997 40 20 10
2001 60 20 25

4.1 Which bacterial strain was the …

(a) most resistant to antibiotics over the years?

(1)
MRSA 

(b) last to develop antibiotic resistance?

(1)
FQRP 

4.2 Calculate the percentage increase in antibiotic resistance in VRE from

1993 to 1997.

(20 – 5)  100 OR 15  100

5 x 1 5 x 1

= 300% = 300% (3)

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Life Sciences Grade 12 6 FS/ 2021
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4.3 Draw a line graph to show the development of antibiotic resistance in the
bacterial strain MRSA. (6)

Changes in the percentage of antibiotic resistance in MRSA from

1981 to 2001 / over 20 years
Antibiotic resistance (%) in MRSA

70
60
60
50
40 40
40
30
20 15
10
10 2
0
1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001
Year

Mark allocation for the graph

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Life Sciences Grade 12 7 FS/ 2021
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NOTE:
If the wrong type of graph is drawn, marks will be lost for:
 Correct type of graph
 Plotting of points

If the axes are transposed:

The learner will lose 2 marks for correct label and scale for X and Y axes

If learners draw all 3 graphs on the same system of axes:

 Learners will lose the mark for the title
 Learners will lose 1 mark for correct label and scale for y axis
 If all three graphs drawn are labelled, mark the correct MRSA graph
 If all three graphs drawn are not labelled, marks for plotting will be lost
 If learners draw three graphs separately mark the first graph

CRITERIA MARKS
Correct type of graph (line graph) (T) 1
4.4 Describe how natural selection is responsible1for bacteria to become
Title of graph (both variables) (C)
Correct labels for X-axis and Y-axis (L) 1
resistant to antibiotics
Correct scales for X-axis and Y-axis (S) 1
- In a population of bacteria mutations  are a source of variation
Plotting of points (P) 1: 1 – 5 points plotted correctly
- which may make some organisms more resistant  to antibiotics
2: All 6 points plotted correctly
- Those individuals that are not resistant will die whereas
- those that are resistant will survive
- to pass the resistant allele/ resistance on to their offspring
- As a result, individuals of the future generations will be resistant to
the antibiotics ANY FOUR (4)
(15)
TOTAL 50

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