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IB Biology A1.1: Water — Practice Questions & Answers
IB Biology A1.1 Water study notes: polarity and hydrogen bonding explain water's cohesion, solvent and thermal properties, and transport in blood.
Here are 10 practice questions with full answers and explanations.
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Practice questions with answers
1
Multiple choice
What is the primary medium for life on Earth?
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Why Water is the primary medium in which the processes of life occur on Earth.
2
Multiple choice
What type of bond is responsible for the polarity of water molecules?
Polar covalent bonds
Ionic bonds
Nonpolar covalent bonds
Hydrogen bonds
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Why Polar covalent bonds, from unequal electron sharing, give the water molecule its polarity.
3
Multiple choice
What type of bond occurs between water molecules due to their polarity?
Hydrogen bonds
Covalent bonds
Ionic bonds
Metallic bonds
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Why The polarity of water molecules lets them form hydrogen bonds with one another.
4
Multiple choice
What property of water is responsible for the transport of water in xylem?
Cohesion
Adhesion
Solvency
Viscosity
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Why Cohesion keeps water molecules in a continuous column, allowing transport up the xylem.
5
Multiple choice
What property of water helps aquatic animals maintain a stable internal temperature?
Specific heat capacity
Viscosity
Buoyancy
Thermal conductivity
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Why Water's high specific heat capacity resists temperature change, helping aquatic animals stay thermally stable.
6
Multiple choice
What property of water allows aquatic animals to float?
Buoyancy
Viscosity
Thermal conductivity
Specific heat capacity
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Why Buoyancy provides an upward force in water that lets aquatic animals float.
7
Multiple choice
What property of water affects an aquatic animal's movement?
Viscosity
Buoyancy
Thermal conductivity
Specific heat capacity
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Why Viscosity, water's resistance to flow, creates drag that affects how aquatic animals move.
8
Multiple choice
What property of water allows it to transfer heat efficiently?
Thermal conductivity
Buoyancy
Viscosity
Specific heat capacity
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Why Water's high thermal conductivity allows it to transfer heat efficiently.
9
Multiple choice
How are hydrogen bonds represented between water molecules?
Dotted lines indicating polarity
Solid lines indicating covalent bonds
Arrows indicating ionic bonds
Circles indicating nonpolar bonds
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Why Hydrogen bonds are drawn as dotted lines between the polar regions of neighbouring water molecules.
10
Multiple choice
What is a consequence of water's high cohesion?
Transport of water in xylem
Lack of surface tension
Low capillary action
Reduced solvent properties
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Why High cohesion keeps water in a continuous column, enabling its transport up the xylem.
Key terms in Water
Electronegativity: The tendency of an atom to attract shared (bonding) electrons. Oxygen is more electronegative than hydrogen.
Polar molecule: A molecule with an uneven distribution of charge, giving partially positive and partially negative regions, while remaining neutral overall.
Hydrogen bond: A weak intermolecular attraction between a δ+ hydrogen of one molecule and a δ− atom (here, oxygen) of another.
Cohesion: Attraction between molecules of the same substance (water to water), responsible for surface tension and unbroken water columns.
Adhesion: Attraction between water and a different polar or charged surface, such as a xylem wall.
Hydrophilic: "Water-loving"; polar or charged substances that dissolve readily in water.
Hydrophobic: "Water-fearing"; non-polar substances such as fats that do not dissolve in water.
Specific heat capacity: The energy needed to raise the temperature of a given mass by 1 °C; high for water due to hydrogen bonding.
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