Unit 1: Unity and Diversity
Topic 1.3: Origins of Cells (HL) Questions
Practice 20 exam-style questions for IB Biology Topic 1.3. Review the question stems below, then unlock the full Question Bank to access markschemes, model answers, and AI grading.
2State1 mark
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State what is meant by the term LUCA.
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Approximately when did the first living cells arise on Earth?
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In the Miller-Urey experiment, why was the gas mixture sparked with electricity?
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State what is meant by the term protocell.
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What does it mean to say the first organic molecules formed 'abiotically'?
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State what is meant by the term 'RNA world'.
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State what is meant by the cell being the 'unit of life'.
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List, in the correct order, the four stages by which the first cells are thought to have formed from non-living matter.
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State what is meant by the abiotic synthesis of organic molecules.
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Why is the cell described as the unit of life?
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Which set of gases best represents the main gases of the early-Earth atmosphere?
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The Murchison meteorite is often cited in discussions of the origin of life.
What did analysis of it reveal?
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According to the endosymbiotic theory, how did mitochondria most likely arise?
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How is the age of LUCA (around 4 billion years ago) estimated?
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Which gas mixture did Miller and Urey seal in their flask to model the early atmosphere?
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Why is the abiotic formation of monomers described as the FIRST step in the origin of cells?
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Which statement best describes what LUCA was?
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