[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-459235-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-459235-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","variation-and-evolution-gcse-aqa-biology-topic-questions-8641","Variation and Evolution - GCSE AQA Biology Topic Questions 8641","","Practice questions for GCSE AQA Biology (topic: Variation and Evolution, 8641). Covers fossils and evidence for early life, fossil formation, causes of extinction, and how mutation and natural selection drive evolution. Includes questions on mutation definition, describing natural selection, and comparing mitosis and meiosis via statements and outcomes of chromosome content and DNA replication. Also includes application to bluebells’ sexual vs asexual reproduction advantages and Punnett square genetics. Further items address enzyme changes from amino acid substitutions, interpreting fat percentages in milk, heterozygosity evidence, and selective breeding with in vitro fertilisation.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/","Exam",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/variation-and-evolution-gcse-aqa-biology-topic-questions-8641/459235/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/variation-and-evolution-gcse-aqa-biology-topic-questions-8641/459235.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"acoobca","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-14","2026-09-30",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",7,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What evidence do fossils provide in the topic Variation and Evolution?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Fossils provide evidence about organisms that lived a long time ago. The questions note that scientists have found very few fossils of the earliest life forms.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How do mutation and natural selection cause evolution?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Evolution is caused by mutation and natural selection. Mutation is defined as a change in a gene, and natural selection describes how organisms with advantageous characteristics survive and reproduce more successfully.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"How is genetics applied in the cow milk-fat questions?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"The questions use alleles where a dominant allele produces low-fat milk and a recessive allele produces high-fat milk. Learners are asked to infer heterozygous status from milk-fat percentages, draw a Punnett square for animals 7 and 8, and describe selective breeding to produce low-fat milk in large volumes.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},459235,1790862193,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,95,100,105,109,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},70,"exam",{"id":96,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":101,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":106,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":110,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":33,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},3985747870733,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","Variation and Evolution  \nThese practice questions can be used by students and teachers and is suitable for GCSE AQA Biology topic Questions 8641  \nLevel: GCSE AQA Biology 8641  \nSubject: Biology  \nExam board: GCSE AQA  \nTopic: Variation and Evolution  \nQ1 .  \nFossils give evidence about organisms that lived a long time ago.  \n(a) Scientists have found very few fossils of the earliest life forms.  \nGive one reason why.  \n______________________________________________________________  \n_____  \n______________________________________________________________  \n_____  \n(1)  \nBelow is a photograph of a fossilised fish.  \n(b) Suggest how the fossil in the photograph above was formed.  \n\n| _____ |\n| --- |\n| _____ |\n| _____ |\n\n_____  \n(2)  \n(c) The species of fish shown in the photograph above is now extinct.  \nGive two possible causes of extinction.  \n1.  \n\n| ___ |\n| --- |\n| 2. |\n| ___ |\n\n_____  \n(2)  \nModern fish species have evolved from fish that lived a long time ago.  \nEvolution is caused by mutation and natural selection.  \n(d) What is a mutation?  \nTick one box.  \nA change in a gene   \nAccidental damage to an organism   \nAn organism with a new characteristic   \nThe loss of a species   \n(1)  \n(e) Describe the process of natural selection.  \n\n| _____ |\n| --- |\n| _____ |\n| _____ |\n\n_____  \n______________________________________________________________  \n_____  \n______________________________________________________________  \n_____  \n(3)  \n(Total 9 marks)  \nQ2 .  \nCell division is needed for growth and for reproduction.  \n(a) The table below contains three statements about cell division.  \nComplete the table.  \nTick one box for each statement.  \n\n|  | Statement is true for |  |  |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Statement | Mitosis\u003Cbr>only | Meiosis\u003Cbr>only | Both\u003Cbr>mitosis\u003Cbr>and\u003Cbr>meiosis |\n| All cells produced are genetically identical |  |  |  |\n| In humans, at the end of cell division each cell contains 23 chromosomes |  |  |  |\n| Involves DNA replication |  |  |  |\n\n(2)  \nBluebell plants grow in woodlands in the UK.  \n• Bluebells can reproduce sexually by producing seeds.  \n• Bluebells can also reproduce asexually by making new bulbs.  \n(b) One advantage of asexual reproduction for bluebells is that only one parent is needed.  \nSuggest two other advantages of asexual reproduction for bluebells.  \n1.  \n______________________________________________________________  \n___  \n______________________________________________________________  \n_____  \n2.  \n______________________________________________________________  \n___  \n______________________________________________________________  \n_____  \n(2)  \n(c) Explain why sexual reproduction is an advantage for bluebells.  \n\n| _____ |\n| --- |\n| _____ |\n| _____ |\n| _____ |\n| _____ |\n| _____ |\n| _____ |\n| _____ |\n| _____ |\n\n_____  \n(4)  \n(Total 8 marks)  \nQ3 .  \nScientists want to breed cows that produce milk with a low concentration of fat.  \nFigure 1 shows information about the milk in one group of cows.  \nThe cows were all the same type.  \nFigure 1  \n(a) In Figure 1 the mean percentage of fat in the milk is equal to the modal value.  \nGive the mean percentage of fat in the milk of these cows.  \nMean percentage =    \n(1)  \n(b) A student suggested:  \n‘The percentage of fat in milk is controlled by one dominant allele and one  \nrecessive allele.’  \nHow many different phenotypes would this produce?  \nTick one box.  \n(1)  \n(c) Give the evidence from Figure 1 which shows the percentage of fat in the milk is controlled by several genes.  \n______________________________________________________________  \n_____  \n______________________________________________________________  \n_____  \n(1)  \n(d) One of the genes codes for an enzyme used in fat metabolism.  \nA mutation in this gene causes a reduction in milk fat.  \nThe mutation changes one amino acid in the enzyme molecule.  \nExplain how a change in one amino acid in an enzyme molecule could stop the enzyme working.  \n\n| _____ |\n| --- |\n| _____ |\n| _","cbCaid5JMzkDRrQz","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaid5JMzkDRrQz","pdf",4703550,288,"English","# Q1 Fossils and evolution\n## Natural selection and mutation\n# Q2 Cell division and bluebell reproduction\n## Mitosis vs meiosis and sexual vs asexual reproduction\n# Q3 Genetics and milk fat in cows\n## Mutation, heterozygosity, IVF/embryo transfer, selective breeding\n# Q4 Ring-tailed lemur classification","[{\"question\":\"What evidence do fossils provide in the topic Variation and Evolution?\",\"answer\":\"Fossils provide evidence about organisms that lived a long time ago. The questions note that scientists have found very few fossils of the earliest life forms.\"},{\"question\":\"How do mutation and natural selection cause evolution?\",\"answer\":\"Evolution is caused by mutation and natural selection. Mutation is defined as a change in a gene, and natural selection describes how organisms with advantageous characteristics survive and reproduce more successfully.\"},{\"question\":\"How is genetics applied in the cow milk-fat questions?\",\"answer\":\"The questions use alleles where a dominant allele produces low-fat milk and a recessive allele produces high-fat milk. Learners are asked to infer heterozygous status from milk-fat percentages, draw a Punnett square for animals 7 and 8, and describe selective breeding to produce low-fat milk in large volumes.\"}]","Variation and Evolution - GCSE AQA Biology Topic Questions 8641 | PDF",1790755485,726]