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Subjects · Leaving Cert Biology

Leaving Cert Biology: Characteristics of life

How often Characteristics of life comes up on the Biology papers, every year it was asked, and questions to try.

HL Asked on 1 of the last 10 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2022.

June 2027 is the first exam on the new Biology course. These come from the 2016–2026 papers, so read them as a guide.

Characteristics of life, Higher Level(6 marks)

Quick ones on Characteristics of life.

(a)Sum of all chemical reactions in an organism?
  1. Excretion
  2. Metabolism
  3. Homeostasis
(b)Maintaining a constant internal environment?
  1. Nutrition
  2. Metabolism
  3. Homeostasis
(c)Removal of the waste products of metabolism?
  1. Excretion
  2. Secretion
  3. Egestion
Show the answers

(a) Metabolism

(b) Homeostasis

(c) Excretion

Your turn: Higher Level questions on Characteristics of life.

Higher Level

Asked on 1 of the last 10 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2022.

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2026Not asked
2025Not asked
2024Not asked
2023Not asked
2022Q5
2021Not asked
2019Not asked
2018Not asked
2017Not asked
2016Not asked

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

More Characteristics of life questions

Characteristics of life, 2 marks

Why do many biologists say viruses are not living?

  1. They contain DNA or RNA, not proteins
  2. They cause disease in living things
  3. They cannot reproduce outside a host cell
Show the answer

They cannot reproduce outside a host cell

Outside a host a virus shows no metabolism, growth or response. It uses the host cell to copy itself, so it sits on the edge of life.

Other Biology topics

All of Leaving Cert Biology