Question 17N.3.HL.TZ0.02a
| Date | November 2017 | Marks available | [Maximum mark: 3] | Reference code | 17N.3.HL.TZ0.02a |
| Level | HL | Paper | 3 | Time zone | TZ0 |
| Command term | Evaluate | Question number | a | Adapted from | N/A |
Concerns have been raised about the effect of rising pollution levels on sperm production in men. To investigate the possible effects of pollution on spermatogenesis, sperm samples from men of similar ages were collected in Kolkata in the 1980s and 2000s. The box plot represents the mean and range of sperm counts in the 1980s and 2000s.
[Source: Republished with permission of Elsevier Science and Technology Journals, from ‘Semen quality and age-specific changes: A study between two decades on 3729 male partners of couples with normal sperm count and attending an andrology laboratory for infertility-related problems in an Indian city’, Dyutiman Mukhopadhyay, Alex C. Varghese, Manisha Pal, Sudip K. Banerjee, Asok K. Bhattacharyya, Rakesh K. Sharma, and Ashok Agarwal, Fertility and Sterility, 93 (7), 2009; permission conveyed through Copyright Clearance Center, Inc]
A hypothesis has been suggested that pollution may have a negative effect on spermatogenesis. Evaluate whether the data support this hypothesis.
[3]
a. hypothesis not supported as there is a «slight» increase/not much difference in sperm count between the 1980s and the 2000s
OR
hypothesis not supported as similar means/values for both groups
b. no information on sample size
c. no information/data provided on pollution levels/types of pollution
d. other factors affecting sperm count not considered
OR
other elements than sperm count could be affected
e. data limited to Kolkata/one country/one city
OR
pollution may affect spermatogenesis elsewhere
[Max 3 Marks]
