Explanation:
For oxygen to diffuse into the blood, there must be a higher concentration of oxygen in the alveoli than in the blood (Choice D). This is because gases only diffuse down their concentration gradients.

Similarly, for carbon dioxide to diffuse into the alveoli, there should be a lower concentration of carbon dioxide in the alveoli (Choice C) and a higher concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood (Choice B).

Explanation:
Choice C is correct because ribosomes are organelles found on the surface of the rough endoplasmic reticulum and are needed to synthesise polypeptide chains.

The nucleus (Choice A) contains DNA, some of which codes for the polypeptides made by the ribosomes. The role of vesicles (Choice B) is to store substances and to transport substances, including proteins, between cellular compartments. The mitochondria (Choice D) are the organelles responsible for aerobic respiration.

Explanation:
Ducks and fish are consumers (Choice B, C and D), which is a type of heterotroph, whereas Azolla and rice can carry out photosynthesis and are, therefore, autotrophs (self-feeding).

Explanation:
Choice B is correct because Rubisco is the name of the enzyme which is responsible for the fixation of carbon during photosynthesis. Choice A is incorrect as rhodopsin is a pigment found in the retina which is responsible for detecting light . Choices C and D are incorrect as neither are enzymes, with collagen being a structural component of tissues such as skin and insulin being a hormone responsible for regulating blood glucose levels.

Explanation:
All the statements are true. A mesocosm is a stable, small representation of an ecosystem and can be used to study how one factor in an ecosystem affects other factors in an ecosystem. In all ecosystems, energy is lost and autotrophs such as algae or green plants generate the energy needed for the ecosystem. Saprotrophs are necessary for nutrient cycling, which is why no external addition of nutrients is generally required. Herbivores are not necessary for mesocosms to be stable as autotroph abundance is also regulated by the availability of resources such as nutrients and light. The only choice that includes all three statements is Choice C. All other choices (A, B and C) are therefore incorrect.

Explanation:
Centrifugation is a technique that primarily separates substances based on their density. When a mixture is centrifuged, particles or components with higher density sediment to the bottom of the tube. Choice A is, therefore, correct.

Centrifugation does not separate substances based on their charge. Electrophoresis is a technique that separates particles or molecules based on their charge. Choice B is, therefore, incorrect. Centrifugation does not directly separate substances based on their chemical composition. Other techniques like chromatography may be more suitable for separating substances by chemical composition. Choice C is, therefore, incorrect. Centrifugation does not separate substances based on their colour. Colour differences might be observed during centrifugation, but they are not the basis for separation. Choice D is, therefore, incorrect.

Explanation:
Choice C is correct because Y is the nucleus and is an organelle, whereas X is the cytosol and not an organelle.

Choice A is incorrect because only X, the cytosol, is primarily composed of water and solutes, Y, the nucleus, primarily contains the DNA. Choice B is incorrect because Y, the nucleus, has a specialised function. Choice D is incorrect because Y, the nucleus, is not found in prokaryotes, but both X, the cytosol, and Y, the nucleus, are found in eukaryotes.

Explanation:
The triglyceride molecule consists of one glycerol molecule and three fatty acids.

A phosphate head and two fatty acid tails (Choice A) form a phospholipid, not a triglyceride. One fatty acid and three glycerol molecules (Choice B) or one glycerol molecule and three monosaccharides (Choice D) cannot form a triglyceride.

Explanation:
The disaccharide sucrose is made up of the monosaccharides glucose and fructose. Sucrose forms when glucose and fructose combine in a condensation reaction (a reaction that releases water).

Maltose (Choice A) is a disaccharide made up of two glucose molecules. Lactose (Choice B) is a disaccharide made up of glucose and galactose. Galactose (Choice D) is a monosaccharide, not a disaccharide.

Explanation:
Autotrophs are producers (Choice A, B). They are self-feeding whereas heterotrophs are organisms that gain nutrition by feeding on another organisms (Choice C, D). Detritivores consume dead organic matter by ingestion (Choice C) whereas saprotrophs break down food outside their bodies by secreting enzymes into the environment.

Explanation:
Statement II is incorrect as both starch and glycogen are made up of $\alpha -$ glucose molecules (Choices B and D). Choice A is incorrect as it only includes one correct statement (statement I).

Explanation:
Choice A is correct because insulin is a peptide hormone, which is polar so cannot directly pass through the plasma membrane. Instead it binds to receptors in the plasma membrane which triggers intracellular signalling pathways.

Choices B, C and D are all incorrect, as they are all non-polar steroids so can diffuse through the plasma membrane and bind directly to receptors inside the cell, affecting gene expression.

Explanation:
In prokaryotes, the mRNA produced after transcription is ready for translation and does not undergo splicing. In contrast, eukaryotic pre-mRNA undergoes splicing to remove introns and join exons, producing mature mRNA. Choice C is, therefore, correct.

Both prokaryotes and eukaryotes use DNA as a template for transcription. Choice A is, therefore, incorrect. In prokaryotes, transcription occurs in the cytoplasm, while in eukaryotes, it occurs in the nucleus. Choice B is, therefore, incorrect. Splicing of mRNA occurs in eukaryotes, not prokaryotes. Choice D is, therefore, incorrect

Explanation:
Choice A - The surface area of a cell affects the rate of diffusion of materials in and out of the cell.

Choice B - A small cell will have a bigger surface area to volume ratio which means that diffusion will be easier and other cell processes will become faster.

Choice C - The volume of the cell affects the rate at which materials are produced.

Choice D - A larger spherical cell will have a low surface area to volume ratio. Therefore, the comparatively large volume of cytoplasm may produce waste products at a rate too high to rely on diffusion through the comparatively small surface area of the cell membrane.

Explanation:
Obligate anaerobes are single-celled organisms that will not survive if oxygen is present. Facultative anaerobes are organisms that can either respire aerobically or anaerobically. Obligate aerobes can only respire if oxygen is present and cannot survive in conditions low in oxygen. Therefore Choice A is correct.

Choices B and D are incorrect because obligate anaerobes cannot respire when oxygen is present. Choice C is incorrect as obligate anaerobes require anoxic conditions, and obligate aerobes cannot carry out anaerobic respiration.

Explanation:
Protein pumps are membrane proteins that pump molecules up their concentration gradient using energy in the form of ATP.

Protein channels (Choice A) carry out passive transport while receptors (Choice D) and peripheral proteins (Choice C) do not transport proteins.

Explanation:
A potometer is used to measure the rate of transpiration in a plant. When transpiration takes place, water loss occurs because water evaporates inside the leaves and then diffuses out of the leaves. The bubble in the capillary tube will move in the direction of the plant along with the water in the capillary tube which is being absorbed by the plant (Choice C).

Choice B is incorrect because the water and bubble are moving towards the plant, not away from it.

Choice A is incorrect because the water in the reservoir will stay at the same level. The reservoir contains a switch that is used to refill the capillary tube and push the bubble back to the start position. This is done at the end of the experiment to reset the apparatus for the next measurement.

Choice D is incorrect as the water level in the beaker will decrease as water enters the capillary tube and also because of evaporation from the beaker to the atmosphere.

Explanation:
Choice D is correct because starch is made of chains of alpha glucose, proteins are made of chains of amino acids and triglycerides are made of fatty acids and glycerol. Choice A is incorrect because starch is not composed of beta glucose and peptides are not the simplest units of proteins. Choice B is incorrect because starch is not composed of beta glucose and triglycerides do not contain glycogen. Choice C is incorrect because peptides are not the smallest unit of proteins and triglycerides do not contain glycogen.

Explanation:
When two monosaccharides are joined together to form a disaccharide, water is produced, therefore it is a condensation reaction. Choice A is correct.

Choice B is incorrect as hydrolysis uses water to break bonds, in this case converting a disaccharide into a monosaccharides. Choice C is incorrect as catabolism breaks down large molecules into smaller molecules. Choice D is incorrect as oxidation means adding oxygen or losing electrons.

Explanation:
Saprotrophs are decomposers that secrete digestive enzymes onto organic molecules and then absorb the digested nutrients. This is a form of extra-cellular nutrition. Fungi and certain bacteria are examples of saprotrophs. Woodlice or pill bugs are detritivores. Detritivores are decomposers, but they ingest the organic molecules before digesting them into smaller, soluble ones. Choice D is, therefore, correct. Mushrooms and yeast are fungi, and Bacillus subtilis is a bacterium. Therefore Choices A, B and C are all saprotrophs and therefore are incorrect.

Explanation:
Choice D is correct because multipotent stem cells can produce only cells of a particular tissue or organ. Choice A is incorrect because pluripotent stem cells are usually found in early embryos and are capable of differentiating to become any cell type found in the organism except for extra-embryonic tissues such as the placenta. Additionally, they are not found in bone marrow. Choice B is incorrect because totipotent stem cells are only found in early stages of embryonic development and can produce all cell types of the organism as well as extra-embryonic tissues such as the placenta. Choice C is incorrect because stem cells are by definition, undifferentiated.

Explanation:
Structure X is a peripheral protein that is attached to one surface of the cell membrane.

Protein channels span the width of membranes (Choice B) as do transmembrane proteins (Choice A). Cholesterol molecules do not have a globular structure (Choice D).

Explanation:
Water is cohesive because it is a polar molecule. The oxygen atom in one water molecule forms a hydrogen bond with the hydrogen atom of another water molecule. In xylem vessels water is attracted to the hydrophilic regions of the cell wall and hydrogen bonds are formed. This an accurate description of the adhesive properties of water in the context of water transport in plants (Choice A). These statements are reversed in Choice D.

Ions dissolve in water, but this is not related to the cohesive (Choice B) or adhesive (Choice C) properties of water.

Explanation:
Choice A is correct because there is no compartmentalisation in prokaryotes, hence transcription and translation both take place in the cytoplasm.

Choice B is incorrect because mRNA splicing does not occur in prokaryotes, but does occur in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. Choice C and D are incorrect because the regulation of transcription and translation of mRNA into a polypeptide chain occurs in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

Explanation:
The bond formed between two glucose molecules to form maltose is an alpha 1-4 linkage. This is a covalent bond between two alpha glucose molecules, where the carbon #1 of one of the glucose molecules forms a bond with the carbon #4 of the other glucose molecule. Choice C is correct.

A hydrogen bond (Choice A) is a weak electrostatic attraction between a hydrogen atom that is covalently bonded to a highly electronegative atom and another electronegative atom in a different molecule or region of the same molecule. For example, between two water molecules. Peptide bonds (Choice B) are covenant bonds that hold amino acids together in polypeptide chains, and phosphodiester bonds (Choice D) are covalent bonds between the ribose sugars and phosphate groups, forming the backbone of DNA and RNA. Choices A, B and D are incorrect.