CAIE A Level Biology 9700 · Enzymes

Enzymes: explain question

Explain4 marksStandard

A researcher is investigating an enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of a specific disaccharide. The enzyme's active site appears to have a rigid, pre-formed shape that exactly matches the shape of its substrate. However, when the substrate binds, the active site undergoes a slight conformational change. This observation appears to support one of the two main hypotheses of enzyme-substrate binding.

Explain the difference between the lock-and-key hypothesis and the induced-fit hypothesis of enzyme action, referring to the observations above.

0 words · 4 marks

No account needed for your first marks. Your answer is used only to mark it.

How this question is marked

4 marks, so the mark scheme is looking for about 4 separate creditworthy points. Making the same point twice in different words earns it once.

Explain means: Give the reasons or the mechanism: why or how something happens. Link each point to the next with because, so or which means. A list of facts with no links usually loses the reasoning marks.

More Enzymes questions

All Enzymes questions

Written by Markquill to follow the Cambridge International syllabus. Markquill is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge International.