UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2023

NST1501
NATURAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY FOR THE CLASSROOM 1
100 marks
4 hours
EXAMINERS:
FIRST: J BROADHURST
SECOND: K MUNASI

This paper consists of 11 pages.

Instructions:

1. Scan or enter the QR code before you start the examination (see page 3).

2. Please include your student number on your examination answer script.

3. You are allowed to access your prescribed works and the study material. You are however not allowed
to copy verbatim from your study material. You should provide answers in your own words. In the case
of any cheating or plagiarism, no mark will be allocated.

4. The examination can be downloaded on Wednesday 04 October at 7:45am and must be uploaded by
Wednesday 04 October at 12.00. Should you complete your examination before the official
completion time, please commence the uploading of your examination answer file immediately. Do not
wait for the session to conclude.

5. The system will close at 12:00 on 04 October 2023 (South African time) and all late submissions will
be rejected. NO LATE EXAMINATION ANSWER FILES WILL BE ACCEPTED.

6. We prefer that you type your examination answers and then upload your examination answer file as a
single PDF document on the myExams platform. Incorrect answer scripts and/or submissions
made on unofficial examinations platforms will not be marked and no opportunity will be
granted for resubmission.

7. The examination answer file must be uploaded as a PDF electronic document and not as a scanned
image. Do not password-protect your PDF file or upload it as a “read only” file. An incorrect file format
and uncollated answer scripts will not be considered.

8. See Annexure A at the end of the examination paper on how to upload your examination answer file on
myExams.

Additional student instructions:

1. NO e-mailed scripts will be accepted.

2. Students are advised to preview submissions (answer scripts) to ensure legibility and that the correct
answer script file has been uploaded.

3. Students are permitted to resubmit their answer scripts should their initial submission be
unsatisfactory.
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4. An incorrect file format and uncollated answer scripts will not be considered.
5. Incorrect answer scripts and/or submissions made on unofficial examinations platforms (including the
Invigilator cellphone application) will not be marked and no opportunity will be granted for
resubmission.
6. A mark awarded for an incomplete submission will be the student’s final mark. No opportunity for
resubmission will be granted.
7. A mark awarded for an illegible scanned submission will be the student’s final mark. No opportunity
for resubmission will be granted.
8. Submissions will only be accepted from registered student accounts.

9. Only the last file uploaded and submitted will be marked.

10. Students who have not utilised invigilation or proctoring tools will be deemed to have transgressed
Unisa’s examination rules and will have their marks withheld. If a student is found to have been
outside the invigilator application for a total of 10 minutes during his/her examination session, he/she
will be considered to have violated Unisa’s examination rules and his/her marks will be withheld.
11. Students have 48 hours from the day of their examination to upload their invigilator results from the
Invigilator App. Failure to do so will result in students deemed to not have participated in the online
invigilation.
12. Students must complete the online declaration of own work when submitting answer scripts. Students
suspected of dishonest conduct during the examinations will be subjected to disciplinary processes.
Students may not communicate with other students, or request assistance from other students,
during examinations. Plagiarism is a violation of academic integrity and students who do plagiarise or
copy verbatim from published works will be in violation of the Policy on Academic Integrity and the
Student Disciplinary Code and may be referred to a disciplinary hearing. Unisa has a zero tolerance
for plagiarism and/or any other forms of academic dishonesty.
13. Students are provided 30 minutes to submit their answer scripts after the official examination time.
Submissions made after the official examination time will be rejected by the examination regulations
and will not be marked.
14. Non-adherence to the processes for uploading examination responses will not qualify the student for
any special concessions or future assessments.

15. Queries that are beyond Unisa’s control include the following:
i. personal network or service provider issues
ii. load shedding/limited space on a personal computer
iii. a crashed computer
iv. using work computers that block access to the myExams site (work firewall challenges)
v. unlicensed software (e.g. the license expires during the examination)

Students experiencing the above challenges are advised to apply for an aegrotat examination and
must submit supporting evidence within ten days of the examination session. Students will not be
able to apply for an aegrotat for a third examination opportunity.

16. Students experiencing technical challenges must contact the SCSC at 080 000 1870, or e-mail
[email protected], or refer to Get-Help for the list of additional contact numbers.
Communication received from your myLife account will be considered.

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INSTRUCTIONS ON THE DAY OF ASSESSMENT:

Ensure you are connected to the internet in order to log into the Invigilator App and
scan this QR code.
If you encounter difficulty in scanning the QR code, you can alternatively enter the
Exam Access Code below the QR code to start the invigilation.
Unless otherwise specified by your institution, note that you can only scan this QR
code once. If your assessment has multiple online sections, tests or attempts, you
should NOT finish the invigilation until your entire assessment has been completed.
Only scan the QR code when the assessment formally commences.
The QR code is only scannable for a limited time and it should therefore be
scanned as soon as possible to start the invigilation.
Once the QR code is scanned, ensure your media volume Is turned up and place your
smartphone next to you. The Invigilator App will notify you with a notification beep
when you are required to action a request, which you should then perform.
We recommend that you keep your smartphone on charge for the duration of the assessment.
If you only have one device you may access your assessment in the application by pressing
the ‘Access Exam’ button in the top right
corner of your app.
Keep the Invigilator App open on your cell phone for the full duration of the
assessment. You are not allowed to minimise or
leave the app.
Ensure you are connected to the internet in order to commence the invigilation as well as at
the end of the assessment. No internet
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connection is required during the assessment.

You have to adhere to the assessment time limit communicated to you by your
institution as the time displayed in the Invigilator
App could differ from the time allocated to complete your assessment.
You can click the "Finish Assessment" button in the app if you finish your assessment early.
If you are performing a written or Scan-and-Upload assessment:
The Invigilator App may request you to take a picture of every page of your answer sheet at
the end of the assessment. Unless
otherwise specified by your institution, this does NOT replace the normal upload of
your script to your institutions online
portal
After completing invigilation and following all app instructions, you must upload your
Invigilation App data. If however there is a delay in
the upload of the app data at the end of the assessment, you should prioritise the upload of
your script to your university portal and you
can temporarily minimise the app to do so. Uploading of app data is not time sensitive and
you can come back and do it after you have
successfully uploaded your script to the exam portal.
Should you encounter any technical difficulty, please WhatsApp The Invigilator Helpdesk on
073 505 8273

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QUESTION 1

Complete this question by writing only the letter of the correct answer, for example: 1.1(b).
QUESTION OPTIONS
1.1. What are the three particles that make up (a) protons, neutrons, electrons
an atom?
(b) protons, photons, electrons
(c) positrons, neutrons, electrons
(d) protons, neutrinos, electrons
1.2. Which particle in an atom carries a positive (a) protons
electrical charge?
(b) electrons
(c) neutrons
(d) photons
1.3. The isotopes of an element have the same (a) protons
number of … .
(b) neutrons
(c) electrons
(d) both protons and neutrons
1.4. Which type of bond involves the sharing of (a) an ionic bond
electrons between two atoms?
(b) a covalent bond
(c) a hydrogen bond
(d) a polar bond
1.5. Which type of bond involves an electrostatic (a) an ionic bond
attraction between a hydrogen atom and another
(b) a covalent bond
electronegative atom?
(c) a hydrogen bond
(d) a non-polar bond
1.6. Compounds are formed when … . (a) elements are joined together
through chemical bonds
(b) elements are mixed together
without forming bonds
(c) elements lose their electrons

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(d) elements gain protons

1.7. The pH scale ranges from … . (a) 0 to 7
(b) 0 to 14
(c) 1 to 10
(d) 1 to 100
1.8. A solution with a pH value below 7 is (a) neutral
considered … .
(b) acidic
(c) basic
(d) alkaline
1.9. Everything that has atoms and is regarded (a) the environment
as matter, including distant stars, can be
(b) the universe
considered part of … .
(c) the system
(d) the galaxy
1.10. What is the technical meaning of the term (a) the portion of the physical universe
“system” in scientific analysis? chosen for analysis
(b) the environment beyond our
universe system
(c) the entire universe
(d) the portion of matter containing only
carbon atoms
1.11. What are the two types of compounds (a) heterogeneous and homogeneous
found in nature?
(b) organic and inorganic
(c) ionic and covalent
(d) polar and non-polar
1.12. Which element is NOT present in organic (a) hydrogen
compounds?
(b) carbon
(c) oxygen
(d) nitrogen

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1.13. When the atoms of an element gain or lose (a) mixtures

electrons, they form … .
(b) compounds
(c) isotopes
(d) bonds
1.14. What is the atomic number of an element? (a) the number of protons
(b) the number of neutrons
(c) the number of electrons
(d) the number of isotopes
1.15. Which one of the following statements (a) They have a nucleus.
about prokaryotic cells is correct?
(b) They are multicellular organisms.
(c) Their DNA is found in a single
circular chromosome.
(d) They are only found in plants.
1.16. Eukaryotic cells differ from prokaryotic (a) they lack organelles
cells in that … .
(b) they have a nucleus
(c) they are always multicellular
(d) their DNA is in multiple circular
chromosomes
1.17. Which organelle is responsible for the (a) the nucleus
extraction of energy from carbohydrates?
(b) the mitochondria
(c) the endoplasmic reticulum
(d) the cell membrane
1.18. What is the main function of the cell (a) It regulates communication
membrane? between cells.
(b) It extracts energy from nutrients.
(c) It synthesises proteins and lipids.
(d) It defines the cell’s border and
controls what moves in and out of the

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cell.
1.19. The fluid mosaic model describes the (a) prokaryotic cells
structure of … .
(b) the nucleus
(c) the cell membrane
(d) mitochondria
1.20. Which transport mechanism involves the (a) diffusion
movement of molecules from a region of high
(b) facilitated diffusion
concentration to a region of … .
(c) active transport
(d) endocytosis
1.21. What does “semipermeable” mean in the (a) The membrane allows all
context of the cell membrane? substances to pass through it.
(b) The membrane allows only water to
pass through it.
(c) The membrane allows certain
substances to pass through, but not
others.
(d) The membrane allows only ions to
pass through.
1.22. Which type of cells are almost always (a) eukaryotic cells
single-celled microscopic organisms like
(b) prokaryotic cells
bacteria?
(c) plant cells
(d) animal cells
1.23. In active transport, the movement of ions (a) from a region of low concentration
or molecules across a cell membrane occurs … to a region of high concentration
.
(b) without the assistance of enzymes
(c) by simple diffusion
(d) into a region of higher
concentration and requires energy
1.24. What is endocytosis? (a) the release of cell vacuole contents
to the exterior

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(b) the diffusion of molecules through

specific transmembrane proteins
(c) the process of taking in matter by a
living cell through membrane
invagination
(d) the spread of molecules from a
region of high concentration to a region
of low concentration

(24)

QUESTION 2

Answer the following short questions:

2.1 Name the four (4) main kinds of tissues in the human body. (4)
2.2 Define the role of connective tissue in the body. (2)
2.3 List any four (4) kingdoms. (4)
2.4 Describe the two (2) stages of photosynthesis and where they occur. (2)
2.5 Identify the organelle where cellular respiration takes place. (1)
2.6 List three (3) characteristics of Arthropods. (3)
(16)
QUESTION 3

3.1 Describe the role of epithelial tissue in lining surfaces and its protective function. (2)
3.2 Elaborate on the primary purpose of the circulatory system in the body. (2)
3.3 Differentiate between B cells and T cells and their respective roles in immunity. (2)
3.4 Provide an overview of the immune response’s significance and mechanism. (4)
3.5 Illustrate how the respiratory system collaborates with the circulatory system. (4)
3.6 Outline the concept of innate immunity and its mechanisms. (2)
3.7 Clearly differentiate between the four (4) mechanisms of evolution. (12)
3.8 Draw and label a diagram of the vascular tissue that transports water and
dissolved minerals in plants. (6)
3.9 Explain the process of blood flow from the left atrium to the right atrium. There should
be no mention of the lungs in your answer. (6)
(40)

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QUESTION 4

The Africanisation of our curriculum incorporates indigenous knowledge in such a way that
learners may apply new knowledge to their current contexts so that it is meaningful. Using a
topic from this module, design a classroom activity which incorporates Africanised
knowledge. Describe both the roles and activities of the
- teachers (10); and
- learners (10).

Marking breakdown
- introduction of the topic with at least three (3) learning outcomes to be understood by
the end of the lesson/activities (5)
- teacher activities (5)
- learner activities (5)
- creativity/relevance of example taught (5)

NOTE: This is not a lesson plan. (20)

TOTAL MARKS=100

©
Unisa 2023

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ANNEXURE A

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR ANSWER FILE

Take-home (assignments) assessments are conducted offline within a specific time period.

You must visit the module’s examination site to download the question paper and upload your
answer script once it is completed.

You might already be familiar with the take-home type of assessments as they are the same
as upload assignments.

Follow these steps to submit your examination file:

1. When you are ready to submit, open the Take-Home (Assignment) assessment again
and click on the Add Submission button.

2. Note the file requirements such as

a. the file size limit
b. the number of files that can be submitted
c. the file formats allowed
Note: MS Word documents need to be saved as PDF documents, and paper-based
answers must be scanned into a combined PDF document.

3. Check the acknowledgment checkbox and upload your answers document and then
click on the Save changes button.

4. Review your submission information regarding the status and click on your submission
file link to check if it is correct.

5. If you need to resubmit a file, you can click on the Edit Submission button.
Note: You will need to delete any existing files.

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