DP Biology (first assessment 2025)

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Question 22N.2.HL.TZ0.1c

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Date November 2022 Marks available [Maximum mark: 1] Reference code 22N.2.HL.TZ0.1c
Level HL Paper 2 Time zone TZ0
Command term Suggest Question number c Adapted from N/A
c.
[Maximum mark: 1]
22N.2.HL.TZ0.1c
(c)

Suggest a reason that researchers use BCH rather than brain mass to indicate brain size.

 

[1]

Markscheme

easier to measure/doesn’t require dissection/non-invasive / shrew not harmed/killed/more ethical;

The mark can be awarded for one of these reasons even if it is not the first reason given in the answer.

Examiners report

Many candidates came up with unlikely reasons for using BCH as a measure, rather than that it was easier to measure and less harmful to the shrew. A common misconception was that brain mass was an inaccurate measure of brain size because brain density might be variable. It was surprising that so many candidates thought the height of the brain case would give a better measure of brain size, especially as the scatter graph showed that BCH is not directly proportional to brain mass.

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