Waec Model Questions Vol1 2023 Biology Question 2

Practice practical question 2 from the 2023 Waec Model Questions Vol1 Biology examination. This question covers Cell Division .

Waec Model Questions Vol1 2023 Biology Practical
Topic: Cell Division
Question 2 WAEC_MODEL_QUESTIONS_VOL1 • 2023 • BIOLOGY • practical

A healthy mung bean (Vigna radiata) seedling is used to study mitotic activity in the root tip. The root tip is fixed in Carnoy's solution, stained with 1% aceto‑orcein, and a squash preparation is made. Under the microscope, 500 cells are examined and the number of cells in each stage of mitosis is recorded in the table below. Stage | Number of cells --- | --- Prophase | 120 Metaphase | 80 Anaphase | 50 Telophase | 30 Interphase | 220

Question Parts

( a )
Outline the step‑by‑step procedure for preparing the root‑tip squash slide, stating the purpose of each major step.
( b )
Calculate the mitotic index of the root‑tip sample. (Mitotic index = (Number of cells in mitosis / Total cells observed) × 100).
( c )
Which phase of mitosis is most frequently observed in this sample? Explain how you determined this from the data.
( d )
The mitotic index obtained is lower than that typically recorded for a rapidly growing shoot tip (15‑20 %). Discuss two biological or experimental reasons that could account for the lower index observed here.

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About This Question

This is Waec Model Questions Vol1 2023 Biology Question 2. It is one of the practical questions from the 2023 Waec Model Questions Vol1 Biology examination.

The question covers Cell Division .

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