NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION
NOVEMBER 2018
LIFE SCIENCES: PAPER I
Time: 3 hours 200 marks
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY
1. This question paper consists of 14 pages and a yellow Answer Booklet of 14 pages
(i–xiv). Please check that your question paper is complete. Detach the yellow
Answer Booklet from the middle of the question paper. Remember to write your
examination number in the blocks provided.
2. This question paper consists of four questions.
3. Question 1 must be answered in the yellow Answer Booklet provided. Questions 2,
3 and 4 must be answered in your Answer Book.
4. Start each question on a new page.
5. Read the questions carefully.
6. Number the answers exactly as the questions are numbered.
7. Use the total marks that can be awarded for each of Questions 1, 2, 3 and 4 as an
indication of the detail required.
8. It is in your own interest to write legibly and to present your work neatly.
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,NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE: LIFE SCIENCES: PAPER I Page 2 of 14
QUESTION 2
2.1 Read the article below. Use the information in the text and your own
knowledge to answer the questions that follow:
In 1924 Raymond Dart examined a fossil of a skull found in a limestone quarry at
Taung, a small town situated in the North West Province of South Africa. After
more than a month of patient chipping, he managed to reveal the skull's face. Its
cranial capacity was 405 cm3.
Dart with the Taung Child
[Source: <https://en.wikipedia.org>]
He judged the skull to be that of a juvenile (young) individual and it came to be
known as the Taung Child. Dart was convinced even then that he had made the
"early human find" of the century.
In a paper published in the journal Nature, he argued that the Taung Child
represented a missing link between apes and humans since it combined
humanlike teeth and upright posture with a small cranial capacity.
However, the global scientific community were very critical of Dart's theory due
to its belief that humans originated in Europe. The discovery in England of
another fossil known as Piltdown Man in 1912 supported this view that humans
originated in Europe. Its large braincase and apelike jaw and teeth were exactly
what these scientists expected to find from a "missing link".
Piltdown Man was revealed to be a hoax in 1953 when scientists at the
University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, using the then-new technique of
fluorine dating revealed that Piltdown Man's bones were not all the same age.
Further analysis revealed they were a combination of carefully carved and
stained human and ape bones.
[Adapted: <http://www.sciencemag.org> and <http://www.macroevolution.net>]
2.1.1 Provide the scientific name of the Taung Child. (1)
2.1.2 Dart was able to determine from the skull that it had an upright
posture. What feature of the skull would indicate it was bipedal? (2)
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,NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE: LIFE SCIENCES: PAPER I Page 3 of 14
2.1.3 Explain THREE advantages that bipedalism would provide for a
hominid such as the Taung Child. (3)
2.1.4 State TWO ways in which the teeth of an ape differ from the human-
like teeth of the Taung Child. (2)
2.1.5 Suggest how Dart was able to determine the cranial capacity of the
Taung Child. (2)
2.1.6 How did the discovery of Piltdown Man contradict Dart's theory that
the Taung Child was a missing link between apes and humans?
Provide TWO ways. (2)
2.1.7 The scientists made an error in not considering Dart's proposal.
Discuss how this example could lead to better practices in the
scientific community. (4)
2.2 The latest research suggests that modern humans, Homo sapiens,
originated in Africa. Homo sapiens then dispersed to other regions as
shown in the map below. This is known as the Out of Africa hypothesis.
Out of Africa hypothesis
[Source: <https://www.sciencenews.org>]
2.2.1 Explain TWO lines of evidence that scientists have used to support
this hypothesis. (4)
2.2.2 If Homo sapiens left Africa 200 000 years ago, calculate how long it
took them to migrate to Europe. Show all working. (2)
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2.2.3 Discuss TWO characteristic features of Homo sapiens that enabled
them to survive in new and unpredictable environments. (4)
2.2.4 Briefly outline the alternative hypothesis that describes how modern
humans spread across the world. (2)
2.3 Australopithecus sediba was discovered in August 2008 by Professor Lee
Berger and his son. The announcement of its discovery was only made to
the public in April 2010.
Image of the fossil skeleton of Australopithecus sediba
[Adapted: By Prof Berger – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0]
2.3.1 Where in South Africa was this fossil discovered? (1)
2.3.2 Suggest TWO possible reasons for the gap in time between the date
of discovery and the date on which its discovery was made public. (2)
2.3.3 Explain one significance of the discovery of Australopithecus sediba
to our understanding of human evolution. (2)
2.3.4 State one social or economic benefit to South Africa of the discovery
of this fossil. (1)
IEB Copyright © 2018
NOVEMBER 2018
LIFE SCIENCES: PAPER I
Time: 3 hours 200 marks
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY
1. This question paper consists of 14 pages and a yellow Answer Booklet of 14 pages
(i–xiv). Please check that your question paper is complete. Detach the yellow
Answer Booklet from the middle of the question paper. Remember to write your
examination number in the blocks provided.
2. This question paper consists of four questions.
3. Question 1 must be answered in the yellow Answer Booklet provided. Questions 2,
3 and 4 must be answered in your Answer Book.
4. Start each question on a new page.
5. Read the questions carefully.
6. Number the answers exactly as the questions are numbered.
7. Use the total marks that can be awarded for each of Questions 1, 2, 3 and 4 as an
indication of the detail required.
8. It is in your own interest to write legibly and to present your work neatly.
IEB Copyright © 2018 PLEASE TURN OVER
,NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE: LIFE SCIENCES: PAPER I Page 2 of 14
QUESTION 2
2.1 Read the article below. Use the information in the text and your own
knowledge to answer the questions that follow:
In 1924 Raymond Dart examined a fossil of a skull found in a limestone quarry at
Taung, a small town situated in the North West Province of South Africa. After
more than a month of patient chipping, he managed to reveal the skull's face. Its
cranial capacity was 405 cm3.
Dart with the Taung Child
[Source: <https://en.wikipedia.org>]
He judged the skull to be that of a juvenile (young) individual and it came to be
known as the Taung Child. Dart was convinced even then that he had made the
"early human find" of the century.
In a paper published in the journal Nature, he argued that the Taung Child
represented a missing link between apes and humans since it combined
humanlike teeth and upright posture with a small cranial capacity.
However, the global scientific community were very critical of Dart's theory due
to its belief that humans originated in Europe. The discovery in England of
another fossil known as Piltdown Man in 1912 supported this view that humans
originated in Europe. Its large braincase and apelike jaw and teeth were exactly
what these scientists expected to find from a "missing link".
Piltdown Man was revealed to be a hoax in 1953 when scientists at the
University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, using the then-new technique of
fluorine dating revealed that Piltdown Man's bones were not all the same age.
Further analysis revealed they were a combination of carefully carved and
stained human and ape bones.
[Adapted: <http://www.sciencemag.org> and <http://www.macroevolution.net>]
2.1.1 Provide the scientific name of the Taung Child. (1)
2.1.2 Dart was able to determine from the skull that it had an upright
posture. What feature of the skull would indicate it was bipedal? (2)
IEB Copyright © 2018
,NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE: LIFE SCIENCES: PAPER I Page 3 of 14
2.1.3 Explain THREE advantages that bipedalism would provide for a
hominid such as the Taung Child. (3)
2.1.4 State TWO ways in which the teeth of an ape differ from the human-
like teeth of the Taung Child. (2)
2.1.5 Suggest how Dart was able to determine the cranial capacity of the
Taung Child. (2)
2.1.6 How did the discovery of Piltdown Man contradict Dart's theory that
the Taung Child was a missing link between apes and humans?
Provide TWO ways. (2)
2.1.7 The scientists made an error in not considering Dart's proposal.
Discuss how this example could lead to better practices in the
scientific community. (4)
2.2 The latest research suggests that modern humans, Homo sapiens,
originated in Africa. Homo sapiens then dispersed to other regions as
shown in the map below. This is known as the Out of Africa hypothesis.
Out of Africa hypothesis
[Source: <https://www.sciencenews.org>]
2.2.1 Explain TWO lines of evidence that scientists have used to support
this hypothesis. (4)
2.2.2 If Homo sapiens left Africa 200 000 years ago, calculate how long it
took them to migrate to Europe. Show all working. (2)
IEB Copyright © 2018 PLEASE TURN OVER
, NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE: LIFE SCIENCES: PAPER I Page 4 of 14
2.2.3 Discuss TWO characteristic features of Homo sapiens that enabled
them to survive in new and unpredictable environments. (4)
2.2.4 Briefly outline the alternative hypothesis that describes how modern
humans spread across the world. (2)
2.3 Australopithecus sediba was discovered in August 2008 by Professor Lee
Berger and his son. The announcement of its discovery was only made to
the public in April 2010.
Image of the fossil skeleton of Australopithecus sediba
[Adapted: By Prof Berger – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0]
2.3.1 Where in South Africa was this fossil discovered? (1)
2.3.2 Suggest TWO possible reasons for the gap in time between the date
of discovery and the date on which its discovery was made public. (2)
2.3.3 Explain one significance of the discovery of Australopithecus sediba
to our understanding of human evolution. (2)
2.3.4 State one social or economic benefit to South Africa of the discovery
of this fossil. (1)
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