Tissues and supporting systems: WAEC Biology Past Questions and Answers

What the WAEC syllabus covers in Tissues and supporting systems

Our summary: Skeletons and supporting tissues in animals and plants, and how they give strength and allow movement.

• Skeleton and supporting systems in animals: biological significance
• Skeletal materials, e.g. bone, cartilage and chitin
• Types of skeleton: exoskeleton, endoskeleton and hydrostatic skeleton
• Bones of the vertebral column, girdles and long bones of the appendicular skeleton (The location and arrangement of skeletal and supporting tissues in animals should be mentioned. Candidates should be familiar with the general plan of mammalian skeleton and the different types of joints. They should be able to identify, draw, label and state the functions of the individual bones listed in the content column. Detailed structure of the skull will not be required. Histological structure of bones and cartilages will also not be required.)
• Mechanism of support in animals
• Functions of skeleton in animals: protection, support, locomotion and respiratory movement (Candidates should be able to explain how these functions are performed. The relationship of skeleton and muscles during movement should be used to illustrate the different functions of the skeleton.)
• Different types of supporting tissues in plants (The different types of supporting tissues: turgid parenchyma, collenchyma, xylem (wood) sclerenchyma should be studied.)
• Main features of supporting tissues in plants
• Functions of supporting tissues in plants: strength, rigidity (resistance against the forces of the wind and water), flexibility and resilience (Candidates should be able to cut and draw the low power of the T.S. of stem and root of a herbaceous plant and label the different tissues; epidermis, cortex and stele.)

Syllabus content © The West African Examinations Council (WASSCE (harmonised West African syllabus)).