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Grade 12 Biology entrance exam, 2018 E.C. (2026), version 1

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. The 2018 E.C. exam went out in several versions. This page holds version 1; the others are listed further down.

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  • Natural science stream

    Who sits it

  • 2018 E.C. (2026), version 1

    Exam year

  • 96 questions with answers

    In this set

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

Question 1

Which of the following renowned Ethiopian biologists is known for developing and growing locally adapted native seeds without the use of commercial fertilizers or chemicals?

  1. A.Professor Tilahun Yilma
  2. B.Professor Gebisa Ejeta
  3. C.Professor Sebebe Demissew
  4. D.Dr. Melaku Worede
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: D Dr. Melaku Worede

Why

Dr. Melaku Worede built and ran Ethiopia's national gene bank, and his work was to collect, store and multiply the seeds farmers had already been growing for generations. Those landraces are adapted to the local soil, rainfall and pests, so they give a harvest without bought fertiliser or chemical sprays. He received the Right Livelihood Award for protecting that seed heritage. Professor Gebisa Ejeta is the tempting choice because he is also a famous Ethiopian plant scientist, but his work was breeding new sorghum varieties that resist drought and the Striga weed, which is a different kind of research.

Question 2

What is the limit of resolution for a standard optical light microscope compared to an electron microscope?

  1. A.Light microscope: 0.1mm ; Electron microscope: 200nm
  2. B.Light microscope: 200nm ; Electron microscope: 0.3nm
  3. C.Light microscope: 2000nm ; Electron microscope: 2,000,000nm
  4. D.Light microscope: 0.3nm ; Electron microscope: 200nm
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B Light microscope: 200nm ; Electron microscope: 0.3nm

Why

Resolution means the smallest gap between two points that still appear as two separate points. A light microscope is limited by the wavelength of visible light, so it cannot separate anything closer than about 200 nm. Electrons have a far shorter wavelength, so an electron microscope reaches about 0.2 to 0.3 nm, roughly a thousand times finer. Option D carries the same two numbers but swapped, which would make the light microscope the sharper instrument, and the physics of wavelength does not allow that.

Question 3

A plant cell is unable to regulate the movement of materials into and out of its interior. As a result, waste enters the cell and vital nutrients leak out. Which of the following structures is failing to function?

  1. A.Cell wall
  2. B.Cell membrane
  3. C.Endoplasmic reticulum
  4. D.Vacuole
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B Cell membrane

Why

The cell membrane is the layer that decides what enters and leaves. It is selectively permeable, so it lets in nutrients, holds them inside and pushes waste out. If it stops working, that control is lost and materials move both ways freely, exactly as described. The cell wall is the tempting answer because a plant has one, but the wall is fully permeable to water and small dissolved substances and its job is shape and support, not selection.

Question 5

A laboratory investigation was conducted using three distinct food samples. The samples were treated as follows: Test Tube 1: Biuret reagent was added. Test Tube 2: Benedict's solution was added (and heated). Test Tube 3: Iodine solution was added. All three test tubes showed a positive result. Which of the following correctly matches the test tube, the organic compound it contains, and the observable positive result?

  1. A.Test tube 1, protein, Orangey or red precipitate appears
  2. B.Test tube 2, reducing sugar, A purple (mauve) color appears
  3. C.Test tube 3, starch, A blue-black color appears
  4. D.Test tube 2, protein, Orangey or red precipitate appears
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: C Test tube 3, starch, A blue-black color appears

Why

Iodine solution is the test for starch and it turns blue-black, so test tube 3 with a positive result holds starch. The other two are matched wrongly in the options: Biuret reagent tests for protein and turns purple, and Benedict's solution heated with a reducing sugar gives an orange to brick-red precipitate. Option A is tempting because test tube 1 really does contain protein, but the colour given there belongs to Benedict's test, not to Biuret.

Question 6

How does bile assist the enzymes found in the small intestine to work most effectively?

  1. A.It increases the acidity of the food coming from the stomach.
  2. B.It neutralizes stomach acid to create an alkaline environment.
  3. C.It breaks down lipids into fatty acids and glycerol.
  4. D.It cools the temperature of the semi-digested food.
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B It neutralizes stomach acid to create an alkaline environment.

Why

Food leaving the stomach is soaked in hydrochloric acid, with a pH near 2. Bile from the liver is alkaline because it carries hydrogen carbonate, and it neutralises that acid so the small intestine sits at about pH 7 to 8. Pancreatic and intestinal enzymes such as amylase, trypsin and lipase work fastest at that pH, so they can now act. Option C is tempting because bile really does act on fat, but bile is not an enzyme: it breaks large fat drops into tiny ones, and lipase does the chemical splitting into fatty acids and glycerol.

Question 7

In the human respiratory system, the actual site of gas exchange is the:

  1. A.Trachea
  2. B.Bronchi
  3. C.Alveoli
  4. D.Larynx
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: C Alveoli

Why

The alveoli are millions of tiny air sacs at the end of the airways. Their walls are one cell thick, they are moist, they are wrapped in capillaries and together they give a huge surface area, so oxygen and carbon dioxide diffuse across quickly. The bronchi are the tempting answer because air passes through them on the way in, but their walls are thick and held open by cartilage and they have no capillary network, so they only conduct air.

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The other Biology papers of 2018 E.C.

2018 E.C. (2026)2018 E.C. (2026), round 1

Biology papers from other years

2017 E.C. (2025)2017 E.C. (2025), version 12017 E.C. (2025), version 22016 E.C. (2024)2016 E.C. model exam2015 E.C. (2023)2014 E.C. (2022)2013 E.C. (2021)2012 E.C. (2020)2011 E.C. (2019)2010 E.C. (2018)2009 E.C. (2017)2008 E.C. (2016)2007 E.C. (2015)2006 E.C. (2014)2005 E.C. (2013)1996 E.C. (2004)

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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 96 of its questions, each with its answer and an explanation that points back to the textbook.

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Can I download the Biology 2018 E.C. paper as a PDF?

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