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Biology entrance exam, 2018 E.C. (2026)

Real questions from the Grade 12 university entrance exam in Biology, as students sat it in 2018 E.C. Every question comes with the correct answer and a worked explanation.

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Natural science stream
Who sits it
2018 E.C. (2026)
Exam year
98 questions with answers
In this set

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Answer each question yourself before opening the answer. The explanations point to the exact textbook section, so you know which page to reread when you miss one.

Question 1

Which of the following is a major carbohydrate found in plants that humans cannot digest?

A.Glycogen
B.Fructose
C.Cellulose
D.Maltose

Show the answer and explanation

Answer: C Cellulose

Why

Plants store energy as starch and build their cell walls from cellulose. Both are chains of glucose, but the glucose units in cellulose are joined by beta 1,4 links, and the human gut makes no enzyme that can cut that link. So cellulose passes through us as dietary fibre. Glycogen tempts because it is also a glucose polymer, but it is the animal storage carbohydrate and our amylase and maltase break it down without trouble.

Question 2

Which of the following best describes the difference between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids?

A.Saturated fatty acids have one or more double bonds between carbon atoms, while unsaturated fatty acids have only single bonds.
B.Saturated fatty acids are typically found in plants, while unsaturated fatty acids are found in animals.
C.Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds between carbon atoms, while unsaturated fatty acids have one or more double bonds.
D.Saturated fatty acids are liquid at room temperature, while unsaturated fatty acids are solid.

Show the answer and explanation

Answer: C Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds between carbon atoms, while unsaturated fatty acids have one or more double bonds.

Why

The words saturated and unsaturated describe how much hydrogen the carbon chain carries. A saturated fatty acid has only single carbon to carbon bonds, so every carbon holds all the hydrogen it can. An unsaturated one has at least one \( \text{C}=\text{C} \) double bond, and each double bond means two fewer hydrogens. Option A states the same idea backwards, which is why it catches students who read fast.

Question 3

What is the role of bile in digestion?

A.It breaks down proteins in the stomach.
B.It emulsifies fats, breaking them down into smaller droplets.
C.It helps to digest carbohydrates in the small intestine.
D.It neutralizes the acid from the stomach to make the food alkaline.

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Answer: B It emulsifies fats, breaking them down into smaller droplets.

Why

Bile is made in the liver and stored in the gall bladder, and it contains no enzymes at all. Its bile salts break large fat drops into many tiny droplets, which multiplies the surface area that lipase can work on. Faster fat digestion is the result. Option D is not invented, because bile is alkaline and does help raise the pH of the food leaving the stomach, but the role the question is asking about is emulsification.

Question 4

Which part of the digestive system is responsible for producing enzymes that digest carbohydrates, proteins, and fats?

A.Stomach
B.Small intestine
C.Pancreas
D.Liver

Show the answer and explanation

Answer: C Pancreas

Why

Pancreatic juice is the one secretion that carries all three enzyme classes at once: amylase for starch, trypsin and other proteases for protein, and lipase for fat. It empties into the duodenum through the pancreatic duct. The small intestine tempts because its lining does make enzymes such as maltase and peptidases, but those finish the job on small molecules rather than supply the full set.

Question 6

Which structure separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity and plays a key role in breathing?

A.Larynx
B.Diaphragm
C.Trachea
D.Bronchi

Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B Diaphragm

Why

The diaphragm is a dome of muscle stretched across the base of the chest, and it forms the floor of the thoracic cavity above the abdomen. When it contracts it flattens, the chest volume rises, the pressure inside falls below atmospheric pressure and air flows in. The trachea tempts because it is central to breathing too, but it is the tube that carries air, not the partition between the two cavities.

Question 7

What is the main product of anaerobic respiration in muscle cells during vigorous exercise?

A.Lactic acid
B.Ethanol
C.Oxygen
D.Carbon dioxide

Show the answer and explanation

Answer: A Lactic acid

Why

When exercise outruns the oxygen supply, muscle cells keep making ATP by glycolysis alone. The pyruvate that piles up is reduced to lactic acid, and that step regenerates the \( \text{NAD}^+ \) glycolysis needs to keep going. The acid builds up and contributes to muscle fatigue. Ethanol is the wrong choice because alcoholic fermentation belongs to yeast and some plant tissue, not to animal muscle.

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Biology papers from other years

2017 E.C. (2025)2016 E.C. (2024)2015 E.C. (2023)2014 E.C. (2022)2013 E.C. (2021)2012 E.C. (2020)2005 E.C. (2013)

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Are these the real 2018 E.C. Biology entrance exam questions?

Yes. They come from the national university entrance exam in Biology that students sat in 2018 E.C. (2026). Our set holds 98 of its questions, each with its answer and an explanation that points back to the textbook.

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