Form Four Biology Mid-term 1 papers
The 2025 paper is free to try here
Mid-term 1 is the first assessment of the year and is set in March. Use these papers to test yourself under exam conditions, then check your work with the marking scheme.
2025 Form Four Biology Mid-term 1 exam (March)
Time: 2 hours 30 minutes · Section A: 16 marks · Section B: 54 marks · Section C: 30 marks
Instructions from the paper:
• This paper has three sections, A, B and C, with eleven (11) questions in total.
• Answer all questions from Sections A and B, and two questions from Section C.
• All writing should be in blue ink except diagrams, which must be in pencil.
How to use this page: choose an option for each multiple-choice question and click “Check Answer”. A correct answer plays a short sound and shows an explanation; a wrong answer shows the right option and why. For the matching item and written questions, answer on paper first, then click “View Answer”.
SECTION A (16 marks): Question 1, Multiple Choice (10 marks)
(i) The following are the organs responsible for blood sugar regulation:
(ii) Kameme was riding a bicycle on a sunny day and lost a lot of water through sweating. Which organ is responsible for this water loss?
(iii) A man with brown iris eyes married a woman with blue iris eyes. In the F1 generation all their offspring had brown iris eyes. What does this suggest about brown iris colour?
(iv) Which of the following is the site of digestion where both mechanical and chemical digestion occur?
(v) Mr. Mbena had a car accident and his head was seriously damaged, leading to loss of memory. Which part of his brain was damaged?
(vi) Living things are made up of cells with three basic parts. Which set shows these parts?
(vii) A patient has been diagnosed with a low level of sugar in the blood. Which hormone will be recommended to regulate it?
(viii) Which theory postulates that living organisms originated from non-living matter?
(ix) A laboratory technician examined a patient's faeces and found organisms with flattened, segmented bodies. What are these organisms?
(x) Why is it advised to build an incinerator in every hospital and health centre?
SECTION A: Question 2, Matching Item (6 marks)
2. Match the phrases in List A with the responses in List B by writing the letter of the correct response beside the item number.
| # | List A | Your answer |
|---|---|---|
| (i) | A type of seed germination in which the cotyledons are pushed above the ground. | |
| (ii) | A pore which allows water to enter the seed during germination. | |
| (iii) | Inability of a seed to germinate. | |
| (iv) | Prevents a viable seed from germinating. | |
| (v) | A type of cell division in which the same number of chromosomes is maintained from parent cell to daughter cell. | |
| (vi) | Increases the length and height of roots and shoots. |
List B
- A. Micropyle
- B. Meiosis
- C. Radicle
- D. Viability
- E. Epigeal germination
- F. Hard seed coat
- G. Mitosis
- H. Dormancy
- I. Cotyledon
- J. Hypogeal germination
- K. Lateral meristems
- L. Apical meristems
Correct matches
- (i) E: Epigeal germination
- (ii) A: Micropyle
- (iii) H: Dormancy
- (iv) F: Hard seed coat
- (v) G: Mitosis
- (vi) L: Apical meristems
SECTION B (54 marks): Questions 3 to 10
3. On their way home, Nina and her friends saw a variety of things, some living and some non-living. Among them were baobab trees, cars, mango trees, stones, butterflies, gravels, pebbles, dogs, water streams and birds.
(a) Sort the things into living and non-living.
(b) Give two reasons for placing the organisms in the living group.
(c) Give two reasons for placing the things in the non-living group.
Suggested answer and marking guide
(a)
- Living: baobab trees, mango trees, butterflies, dogs, birds
- Non-living: cars, stones, gravels, pebbles, water streams
(b) Living group, any two:
- They grow: they increase in size or complexity over time
- They reproduce: they produce offspring similar to themselves
(c) Non-living group, any two:
- They do not grow by biological processes (stones, gravel and pebbles do not increase in size in this way)
- They do not reproduce or make copies of themselves
4. Organisms with a simple body structure, such as Amoeba and Paramecium, need no elaborate excretory system because they remove wastes by diffusion. Higher animals such as humans, cows and birds need a more complex system because of the nature, concentration and variety of the wastes they excrete.
(a) Analyse three types of excretory products excreted by higher organisms.
(b) Cite any three organs used by higher organisms for excretion.
Suggested answer and marking guide
(a) Three types of excretory products
- Nitrogenous wastes from protein metabolism: ammonia (mainly aquatic animals), urea (mammals, including humans) and uric acid (birds, reptiles and insects)
- Carbon dioxide: a waste product of cellular respiration, carried by the blood to the lungs and exhaled
- Water and salts: excess is removed to keep the body's salt balance and blood volume steady, for example in sweat
(b) Three excretory organs
- Kidneys: remove urea, excess water and salts as urine
- Lungs: remove carbon dioxide
- Skin: removes water, salts and small amounts of waste in sweat
5. (a) The growth pattern of an organism is the series of growth and development in which, in the first stage, the organism grows slowly due to several factors. Using five points, justify the statement.
(b) Mr. Tindwa, a farmer, surveyed his maize farm and found that all the seeds had germinated. State the environmental conditions necessary for germination and their function.
Suggested answer and marking guide
(a) Reasons for slow growth in the first stage, any five:
- The body uses a lot of its stored energy
- The cells have not yet adjusted to their environment
- The body's immunity is not yet fully developed
- The number of dividing cells is low
- Fewer cells are produced than are dividing
(b) Conditions for germination and their function
- Water: softens the seed coat and increases its permeability; activates enzymes
- Temperature: activates enzymes
- Enzymes: catalyse metabolic activities
- Hormones: control and catalyse metabolic activities
- Oxygen: needed for respiration to release energy for growth of the embryo
6. (a) Explain why:
(i) the rate of breathing increases quickly during exercise;
(ii) it is better to breathe through the nose than through the mouth.
(b) How are respiratory surfaces adapted to their role? (Give five points.)
Suggested answer and marking guide
(a)(i) Muscles need more energy during exercise, so cells respire faster. This needs more oxygen and removes more carbon dioxide, so breathing speeds up to:
- bring in more oxygen for the working muscles
- remove carbon dioxide more quickly so it does not build up
(a)(ii) Breathing through the nose is better because:
- hairs and mucus filter dust, pollen and other particles
- the nasal passages warm and moisten the air
- it allows you to smell harmful substances such as smoke
- it reduces the risk of respiratory infections
(b) Adaptations of respiratory surfaces, any five:
- Large surface area (folded or branched, as in alveoli or gills)
- Thin membranes, so gases diffuse a short distance
- Moist surfaces, so gases can dissolve and diffuse
- Rich blood supply, which carries gases away and keeps the concentration gradient
- Ventilation, which keeps fresh air or water moving over the surface
7. Form Two students did an experiment to find the food substance in a sample G. They took 2 cm³ of sample G in a test tube, added an equal volume of sodium hydroxide, then three drops of copper(II) sulphate solution. A purple colour was observed.
(a) Which food substance is present in sample G?
(b) State two functions of this food substance.
(c) Name the part of the alimentary canal where this food substance is first digested.
(d) Identify two natural sources of this food substance.
(e) Give two disorders caused when this food substance is insufficient in children.
Suggested answer and marking guide
- (a) Protein (the biuret test)
- (b) Growth and repair of body tissues; making enzymes and hormones
- (c) Stomach, where pepsin and hydrochloric acid begin protein digestion
- (d) Meat and legumes (beans, lentils)
- (e) Kwashiorkor and marasmus
8. (a) Explain one role played by each of the following in digestion:
(i) bile
(ii) maltase enzyme
(iii) hydrochloric acid
(b) How do animals such as human beings benefit from photosynthesis in plants?
Suggested answer and marking guide
- (a)(i) Bile: made in the liver and stored in the gall bladder; it emulsifies fats into small droplets so lipase can digest them
- (a)(ii) Maltase: breaks maltose into glucose, which can be absorbed and used for energy
- (a)(iii) Hydrochloric acid: gives the stomach the acid conditions pepsin needs; it also kills bacteria in food
(b) Benefits of photosynthesis, any points:
- Food: plants make glucose, which starts every food chain
- Oxygen: released for animals to breathe
- Habitat: plants provide shelter and breeding places
- Climate: plants absorb carbon dioxide and help regulate climate
- Soil: roots reduce erosion and add organic matter
9. (a)(i) Define the term mitosis.
(ii) Outline the significance of mitosis to organisms.
(b) Define the following terms and give an example of an organism in which each takes place:
(i) complete metamorphosis
(ii) incomplete metamorphosis
(iii) ecdysis
Suggested answer and marking guide
(a)(i) Mitosis is cell division in which one parent cell divides into two identical daughter cells, each with the same number of chromosomes as the parent.
(a)(ii) Significance:
- Growth: increases the number of cells
- Repair: replaces damaged or dead cells
- Asexual reproduction in some organisms
- Keeps the chromosome number constant
(b)
- Complete metamorphosis: development with egg, larva, pupa and adult stages, where the larva looks very different from the adult. Example: butterfly
- Incomplete metamorphosis: development in which nymphs resemble smaller adults without wings, with no larval or pupal stage. Example: grasshopper
- Ecdysis: shedding of the exoskeleton so the organism can grow. Example: crayfish
10. Write an essay to explain five advantages and three disadvantages of coniferophytes.
Suggested answer and marking guide
Five advantages:
- Adaptable to harsh environments: needle-like, waxy leaves reduce water loss, so they survive in cold, dry or poor soils
- Carbon sequestration: they absorb carbon dioxide and store carbon in wood and soil
- Habitat and food for animals: shelter, nesting sites and seeds
- Timber and pulp: construction, furniture and paper industries, with jobs and income
- Soil and water protection: roots reduce erosion and runoff and help prevent floods
Three disadvantages:
- Susceptible to pests and diseases, such as bark beetles and fungi
- Low biodiversity in pure stands (monoculture forests)
- High fire risk because of resinous needles and a dry understory
A good essay has an introduction, a paragraph for each point and a conclusion.
SECTION C: Question 11
11. Respiration in the absence of oxygen is common to both plants and animals.
(a) Explain how this type of respiration differs in plants and animals.
(b) Explain how it is commercially and industrially useful (five points).
Suggested answer and marking guide
(a) Differences
- Animals: lactic acid fermentation; glucose is broken down to pyruvate and then lactic acid, which can cause muscle fatigue and cramps
- Plants (and yeast): alcoholic fermentation; glucose is broken down to pyruvate and then ethanol and carbon dioxide
- The key difference is the end products: lactic acid in animals, ethanol and carbon dioxide in plants
(b) Uses, any five:
- Making alcoholic drinks such as beer and wine
- Bread making: carbon dioxide makes dough rise
- Making yoghurt, cheese and other fermented foods
- Producing biofuels such as ethanol
- Treating wastewater: anaerobic bacteria break down organic pollutants
Continue with Form Four Biology exams
Next in the exam sequence
Start the year here. After Mid-term 1, move on to the terminal exams, and use the topical exams and online tests to fix weak topics.
Or go back to all Form Four Biology exams, all Form 4 exams or all secondary exams.
Continue on the Click Online Academy app
Get the 2024 and 2026 Mid-term 1 papers with marking schemes, plus term exams, mock papers and NECTA review papers, with progress tracking and offline downloads. Free to download on Google Play.
Get the Form Four Biology Mid-term 1 exams on Google Play Back to all secondary examsFrequently asked questions: Form 4 Biology Mid-term 1 exams
Which Form Four Biology Mid-term 1 exams are available?
The March Mid-term 1 papers for 2024, 2025 and 2026. The 2025 paper is open on this page with interactive answers, and the other papers are on the Click Online Academy app.
How do I use the interactive paper?
Answer the multiple-choice questions and click Check Answer to see whether you are right and why. For the matching item and the written questions, answer on paper first, then click View Answer to see the suggested answer and marking guide.
When is Mid-term 1 held?
Mid-term 1 is the first assessment of the year and is set in March. Mid-term 2 follows in August.