MATSEC SEC Biology case studies
MATSEC SEC Biology · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) is one of four examination levels administered by the MATSEC Examinations Board at the University of Malta, alongside the Secondary Education Applied Certificate (SEAC), Intermediate Matriculation (IM) and Advanced Matriculation (AM). SEC Biology is the secondary-school leaving qualification in biology, taken by candidates who need a science subject for further study, for employment, or as a matriculation-related requirement. The MATSEC SEC Biology case studies are 5 cases and about 3,812 words.
1Estimating the isotonic point of potato tissue after a fire alarm
A student is asked to estimate the sucrose concentration that is isotonic with potato tissue. Six cylinders, each 4.0 cm long, are cut from the same potato with a cork borer, blotted dry, weighed, and each placed in a labelled beaker containing 20 cm³ of sucrose solution of a different concentration.
758 words, about 4 min2Testing the effect of pH on potato catalase: what the boiled control reveals
A student investigates the effect of pH on the enzyme catalase. 5 g of potato is ground with 20 cm³ of distilled water and filtered to make an extract.
762 words, about 4 min3Counselling a family after a recessive condition appears in a healthy couple's child
Both parents in a family are healthy, but their first child, a girl, is born with a condition caused by a fault in a single gene. Neither parent has any symptoms and neither has been tested.
760 words, about 4 min4Reading a stream survey: nutrients, algae and a dawn fish kill
A valley in Malta runs from a hillside down to the sea. For 20 years a pig farm has discharged nutrient-rich waste into the stream 50 m below a spring.
774 words, about 4 min5A footballer who drank too much water on a hot tournament day
During a one-day football tournament in July, with the shade temperature at 32 °C and humidity high, a 19-year-old midfielder plays three 40-minute matches. He weighs 70.0 kg at 08:00.
758 words, about 4 min