Pukeko struts way into biology paper

Rangitoto College students sitting the biology exam yesterday. Picture / Paul Estcourt

Those curious about why pukeko sometimes show off their rear ends would be well advised to read this year's NCEA biology level 3 exam paper, which also asked why male tortoiseshell cats were sterile and about the genetic modification of chickens.

A skip through the paper gives handy hints on how to know when a pukeko attack is imminent - it holds its red beak up. If it's feeling a bit more coquettish, it shows its white tail feathers in submission.

Yesterday students sat NCEA biology for all levels, as well as level 2 and 3 exams for media studies and level one in information management.

Baradene College student Rhea Van-Ross, 18, said the level 3 biology paper was easier than last years, which her class had done for practice.

"I remember looking at last year's paper and thinking 'I can't do this'. Last year's had a pretty high fail rate, but everyone said this year's was better. A couple of people said they hadn't had time to finish the last paper. But hopefully not so many will fail this time."

Ms Van-Ross' concerns have now shifted from pukeko to a different type of bird. She has an English exam on Thursday and was off to skim through her notes on Janet Frame's Owls Do Cry, confessing she hadn't studied for anything other than biology.

Miss Van-Ross plans to start a science degree at Auckland University next year. Chemistry is on her agenda for next Wednesday, and physics the Tuesday after that.

She is taking a scientific approach to studying, by heeding her teachers' advice: "They told me to eat lots of nuts, because the protein keeps you on to it."

The exam questions alone are informative.

Do not go swimming with a torch - box jellyfish head toward bright lights, according to the level 3 biology paper.

It also explains that the spots, stripes and colour of a cat's coat involve 10 genes.

Male cats are nearly always orange or black, and females more often tortoiseshell.

On the rare occasion a male cat is tortoiseshell, it is also sterile.

Level 1 biology paper notes that "even if the [influenza] vaccine was given to everyone, many thousands of people would still get the flu".

It also featured a diagram of a sewage treatment plant and questions on uses for "digested sludge" and methane.

Things were a bit more incomprehensible to those of little scientific nous at level 3 with a question on genetics, discussing how "a eukaryote synthesises mRNA as part of normal protein synthesis" and another asking "what makes up the nucleotides of codons?"

Test your knowledge on this year's questions

Level 3 Biology Question 3(c):

Aggressive behaviour between pukeko often involves the bird holding its red beak up ready for attack, while in submissive behaviour its beak is lowered and the tail raised, exposing white feathers beneath. Young pukeko are similar in colouring to the adults but lack the bright red beak of the adult birds. Analyse how the colouring of the young bird could benefit the young bird itself.

Rhea Van-Ross' answer: "I'm not really sure, but I said it would reduce aggression, because it meant it could not miscommunicate aggression with a red beak. Also it could do a surprise attack if it had to fight, because there would be no warning."

Level 1 Biology Plant Processes:

A child carved their initials deeply into the trunk, 1 metre above the ground, in 2005. Describe the probable position and appearance of the carved initials in 10 years' time.

Exam feedback

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* Tomorrow: level one English, level 2 art history and Te Reo rangatira, and level 3 in maths with calculus and art history.