Q1. [3] medium initial-understanding
Even when an organism appears to be completely still, certain processes must keep going on inside its body. Name any two such processes and state why they cannot be stopped as long as the organism is alive.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 00:58 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Two processes that must continue as long as an organism is alive:
- Nutrition – It is the process of taking in food (energy source) from outside the body. It cannot be stopped because the body constantly needs energy to repair and maintain its living structures. Without nutrition, cells would have no raw material or energy source.
- Respiration – It is the process of breaking down food molecules using oxygen to release energy. It cannot be stopped because this energy is required continuously to carry out all molecular movements that maintain the ordered, living structure of the organism. If respiration stops, cells break down and the organism dies.
Source: Life Processes, Section 5.1
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Explanation
- The question tests whether you understand why life processes are non-stop, not just what they are.
- The key idea from the passage: living structures constantly break down due to the environment, so energy is always needed to repair and maintain them — that's why nutrition and respiration can never pause.
- Other valid answers include excretion (waste removal is continuous) or transportation, but nutrition and respiration are the most directly supported by the passage.
- For 3 marks: name two processes (1 mark each) + reason why they can't stop (1 mark for the explanation). Keep it concise.