Science (086) — AI-generated practice question

Bread mould (Rhizopus) breaks down food outside its body by secreting enzymes onto the food material, then absorbing the digested simpler substances. This is called saprotrophic/external digestion.

Amoeba engulfs food particles using temporary finger-like extensions called pseudopodia, which fuse to form a food vacuole. Digestion occurs inside the body, and undigested material is expelled.

For a food source that cannot be engulfed whole, bread mould's strategy is better suited — it secretes enzymes externally to break down large or complex material and then absorbs the products, without needing to take the food in first.

Source: Chapter 5, Sections 5.2.2 and 5.2.3

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• The key contrast examiners look for: external digestion (fungi) vs. internal digestion via phagocytosis (Amoeba).
• Use the correct terms: pseudopodia, food vacuole, enzyme secretion, absorption.
• The application part (which is better for large/non-engulfable food) must be answered explicitly — don't leave it implied. It's worth 1 mark and students often skip it.
• Keep the two organisms clearly separated; don't blend them in one paragraph.