BMAT 2008-S1

Some Malgons are Zanders and all Zanders are Tvints.

Simplistic interpretations of traditional evolutionary theory suggest that animals are never altruistic (selfless). In other words their only compelling drive is for personal survival. There are, however, examples in the animal kingdom of “reciprocal altruism”, when an altruistic act is carried out, which may be returned at another time. Warning calls by a bird, for example, put the bird at higher personal risk, but the bird will benefit in the long run if others reciprocate. In this case, “altruism” has clear paybacks for the bird.

Jim has all his screws jumbled up in a big jar. The number of screws it contains is as follows:

It is often claimed that the use of animals in medical research is justified by the fact that such use has been involved in the major discoveries of drugs to treat serious and fatal illnesses. But the law requires that new drugs are tested on animals for effectiveness and safety, so, of course, every new wonder-drug involves the use of animals at some stage. Thus to claim that the very fact of animal testing proves the value of using animals in medical research is as nonsensical as claiming that wearing lab coats whilst doing experiments proves the value of lab coats in finding new cures. The important question in relation to animal experiments is, therefore, whether they are crucial in providing the necessary weight of evidence on effectiveness and safety of drugs, not ___________________________

I played a game at a friend’s house yesterday that involved throwing a pair of dice. When I threw them for my first turn they landed as follows:

It was clear they were not identical. On my second turn they landed like this:

Now I could see that there was something very odd about them. Closer inspection revealed that one of them was a conventional die (with opposite faces totalling seven), whilst the other one appeared to have had its faces numbered from one to six unconventionally.

1. 45 – 54 year old men might be using other digital applications.

2. Evidence from a single survey is insufficient to show that a gap is growing.

3. Surveys can be misleading if they are taken from unrepresentative samples.

My rectangular patio is 5 m long and 4 m wide. It is covered with white tiles, and some black tiles, of three different sizes (60 cm x 60 cm, 60 cm x 40 cm and 40 cm x 40 cm), giving it the following appearance:

12,178 women were questioned about their reproductive history, demography, lifestyle and innate hand preference, and their answers were recorded to provide a “baseline”. The same women were interviewed 16 years later, and the data was used to calculate total person-years lived in the sample.

The sample comprised 11.6 % left -handed women. Mean age at baseline was similar for left and non-left-handed women: 47.4 and 47.0 years respectively. These groups did not differ in anthropometry, socioeconomic status, smoking habits or family history of breast cancer. The only difference was in child bearing: 21.8 % of left-handed versus 10.9 % of non-left-handed women had borne no children. 426 women from the whole group had breast cancer.

The non-left-handed group was taken as the reference group. The relative risk for breast cancer in left-handed women compared with non-left-handed women was calculated and was 1.39 overall (see table).

* in 58 cases information on timing of menopause relative to incidence of breast cancer was not available.

12,178 women were questioned about their reproductive history, demography, lifestyle and innate hand preference, and their answers were recorded to provide a “baseline”. The same women were interviewed 16 years later, and the data was used to calculate total person-years lived in the sample.

The sample comprised 11.6 % left -handed women. Mean age at baseline was similar for left and non-left-handed women: 47.4 and 47.0 years respectively. These groups did not differ in anthropometry, socioeconomic status, smoking habits or family history of breast cancer. The only difference was in child bearing: 21.8 % of left-handed versus 10.9 % of non-left-handed women had borne no children. 426 women from the whole group had breast cancer.

The non-left-handed group was taken as the reference group. The relative risk for breast cancer in left-handed women compared with non-left-handed women was calculated and was 1.39 overall (see table).

* in 58 cases information on timing of menopause relative to incidence of breast cancer was not available.

12,178 women were questioned about their reproductive history, demography, lifestyle and innate hand preference, and their answers were recorded to provide a “baseline”. The same women were interviewed 16 years later, and the data was used to calculate total person-years lived in the sample.

The sample comprised 11.6 % left -handed women. Mean age at baseline was similar for left and non-left-handed women: 47.4 and 47.0 years respectively. These groups did not differ in anthropometry, socioeconomic status, smoking habits or family history of breast cancer. The only difference was in child bearing: 21.8 % of left-handed versus 10.9 % of non-left-handed women had borne no children. 426 women from the whole group had breast cancer.

The non-left-handed group was taken as the reference group. The relative risk for breast cancer in left-handed women compared with non-left-handed women was calculated and was 1.39 overall (see table).

* in 58 cases information on timing of menopause relative to incidence of breast cancer was not available.

12,178 women were questioned about their reproductive history, demography, lifestyle and innate hand preference, and their answers were recorded to provide a “baseline”. The same women were interviewed 16 years later, and the data was used to calculate total person-years lived in the sample.

The sample comprised 11.6 % left -handed women. Mean age at baseline was similar for left and non-left-handed women: 47.4 and 47.0 years respectively. These groups did not differ in anthropometry, socioeconomic status, smoking habits or family history of breast cancer. The only difference was in child bearing: 21.8 % of left-handed versus 10.9 % of non-left-handed women had borne no children. 426 women from the whole group had breast cancer.

The non-left-handed group was taken as the reference group. The relative risk for breast cancer in left-handed women compared with non-left-handed women was calculated and was 1.39 overall (see table).

* in 58 cases information on timing of menopause relative to incidence of breast cancer was not available.

Adults all pay the same admission price to watch a football match. There is no charge for children under 16.

Following record low takings of £1560 at the last match it was decided to reduce the admission price by 25 % this week in an attempt to increase the attendance figures. As a result, exactly 40 % more adults than last time have paid to watch today’s match.

Figures show that, during the course of a year, cars in the UK emit 69.9 million tonnes of CO₂, whereas domestic and international flights from the UK emit 37.5 million tonnes. Even though emissions of CO₂ at high altitude can be more environmentally damaging than at ground level, cars still make a greater contribution to climate change than do planes. However, the number of people who think that flying is the bigger contributor has risen rapidly in the past eighteen months, a period during which there has been an increase in activity by pressure groups opposed to any growth in air travel. In a National Statistics survey 34 % of those questioned thought that cars contributed more than planes to climate change, while 40 % thought planes contributed more than cars. 47 % thought that air travel should be limited, but only 15 % were willing to fly less often.

1.Some people’s opinions about the impact of flying on climate change have been influenced by pressure groups.

2.Some people in the UK are mistaken about the relative contributions of aviation and car travel to climate change.

3.Some people in the UK who believe that air travel should be limited are not willing to fly less often.

The table below shows the all-time top 14 ranked men at 1500m running on the track as at February 2008. When Steve Cram set his time in July 1985, he broke the World Record.

Radiation from mobile phones is not strong enough to heat biological tissue or break chemical bonds in cells. However, it may affect cell behaviour. Researchers exposed ten female volunteers to radiation at 900 MHz from mobile phones to simulate an hour long phone call. They screened 580 different proteins in their skin cells. They found that the numbers of one protein increased by 89 % in all volunteers. Numbers of a second protein decreased by 32 % in all volunteers. This is the first study to show molecular effects of phone radiation on humans.

A farmer has a tank for storing diesel of the form shown below, buried in his farmyard.

He calculates the volume remaining in the tank using a dipstick which measures the depth of diesel and then referring to a chart. Unfortunately he has calibration charts for several different tanks and is not sure which is his.

“As one of the millions around the world watching the much anticipated Live Earth concerts, I found myself increasingly irritated by the artists chosen to make us all more aware of the damage we are doing to the environment. Fly less, drive less, waste less, recycle more. Yet these pop stars rack up thousands of miles a year on increasingly large world tours, leading to higher sales of CDs, which in turn produce thousands of tonnes of waste in plastic packaging. They own private jets, fleets of cars, and heat and light huge mansions that are empty for half the year. They then go and pocket extra cash and exposure advertising cars and soft drinks. By taking part, the artists increase their public profile and gain exposure to new audiences, thereby landing bigger tours, selling more CDs and being able to buy more planes, cars and houses, all whilst encouraging me to give up my holidays and cycle to work. Rather than let these people lecture me about what I could do, I left my TV on standby and went for a drive.” If true, which of the following present effective challenges to the position taken by the writer? 

1.Pop stars and celebrities have a broader appeal than politicians and environmentalists and are more likely to influence the public.

2.By becoming more aware of themselves, the artists will start to do more to raise awareness of environmental issues.

3.The artists weren’t paid to perform and therefore did not gain financially from the concert.

It is known that droplets of a certain chemical have a volume of 0.02 cm^³ (rounded to the nearest 0.01 cm^³).

Even moderate exercise boosts longevity, study says

Sorry, couch potatoes – the verdict is in: people who exercise regularly really do live longer.

In fact, people who get a good workout almost daily can add nearly four years to their lives, according to the first study to quantify the impact of physical activity this way.

The researchers looked at records of more than 5,000 middle aged and elderly Americans and found that those who had moderate to high levels of activity lived 1.4 to 3.6 years longer than those who got little exercise, largely because they put off developing heart disease – the nation’s leading killer. Men and women benefited about equally.

Previous studies have found that being physically active has a host of health benefits. It reduces the risk of being overweight and of developing many illnesses and improves overall quality of life. But the new study is the first to directly calculate the effect on how long people live.

Oscar Franco, of the Erasmus M.C. University Medical Center in Rotterdam, and his colleagues analysed the data from the Framingham Heart Study, a well-known research project that has followed 5,209 residents of one Massachusetts town for more than 40 years, collecting detailed information about their lifestyles and health.

People who engaged in moderate activity – the equivalent of walking for 30 minutes a day – lived on average 1.4 years longer than those who were less active. Those who took on more intense exercise – the equivalent of running half an hour a day – extended their lives on average by 3.6 years, the researchers found.

Franco and others noted that this and other studies show that people do not have to be exercise fanatics to reap the benefits. “What we’re talking about is small changes,” said James Hill of the University of Colorado in Denver. “We’re telling people to get out and walk more. Fifteen, 20 or 30 minutes of walking each day is probably enough.”

Even moderate exercise boosts longevity, study says

Sorry, couch potatoes – the verdict is in: people who exercise regularly really do live longer.

In fact, people who get a good workout almost daily can add nearly four years to their lives, according to the first study to quantify the impact of physical activity this way.

The researchers looked at records of more than 5,000 middle aged and elderly Americans and found that those who had moderate to high levels of activity lived 1.4 to 3.6 years longer than those who got little exercise, largely because they put off developing heart disease – the nation’s leading killer. Men and women benefited about equally.

Previous studies have found that being physically active has a host of health benefits. It reduces the risk of being overweight and of developing many illnesses and improves overall quality of life. But the new study is the first to directly calculate the effect on how long people live.

Oscar Franco, of the Erasmus M.C. University Medical Center in Rotterdam, and his colleagues analysed the data from the Framingham Heart Study, a well-known research project that has followed 5,209 residents of one Massachusetts town for more than 40 years, collecting detailed information about their lifestyles and health.

People who engaged in moderate activity – the equivalent of walking for 30 minutes a day – lived on average 1.4 years longer than those who were less active. Those who took on more intense exercise – the equivalent of running half an hour a day – extended their lives on average by 3.6 years, the researchers found.

Franco and others noted that this and other studies show that people do not have to be exercise fanatics to reap the benefits. “What we’re talking about is small changes,” said James Hill of the University of Colorado in Denver. “We’re telling people to get out and walk more. Fifteen, 20 or 30 minutes of walking each day is probably enough.”

Even moderate exercise boosts longevity, study says

Sorry, couch potatoes – the verdict is in: people who exercise regularly really do live longer.

In fact, people who get a good workout almost daily can add nearly four years to their lives, according to the first study to quantify the impact of physical activity this way.

The researchers looked at records of more than 5,000 middle aged and elderly Americans and found that those who had moderate to high levels of activity lived 1.4 to 3.6 years longer than those who got little exercise, largely because they put off developing heart disease – the nation’s leading killer. Men and women benefited about equally.

Previous studies have found that being physically active has a host of health benefits. It reduces the risk of being overweight and of developing many illnesses and improves overall quality of life. But the new study is the first to directly calculate the effect on how long people live.

Oscar Franco, of the Erasmus M.C. University Medical Center in Rotterdam, and his colleagues analysed the data from the Framingham Heart Study, a well-known research project that has followed 5,209 residents of one Massachusetts town for more than 40 years, collecting detailed information about their lifestyles and health.

People who engaged in moderate activity – the equivalent of walking for 30 minutes a day – lived on average 1.4 years longer than those who were less active. Those who took on more intense exercise – the equivalent of running half an hour a day – extended their lives on average by 3.6 years, the researchers found.

Franco and others noted that this and other studies show that people do not have to be exercise fanatics to reap the benefits. “What we’re talking about is small changes,” said James Hill of the University of Colorado in Denver. “We’re telling people to get out and walk more. Fifteen, 20 or 30 minutes of walking each day is probably enough.”

“Franco’s findings show that even for people who are already middle-aged, exercising more can add years to their lives.”

Even moderate exercise boosts longevity, study says

Sorry, couch potatoes – the verdict is in: people who exercise regularly really do live longer.

In fact, people who get a good workout almost daily can add nearly four years to their lives, according to the first study to quantify the impact of physical activity this way.

The researchers looked at records of more than 5,000 middle aged and elderly Americans and found that those who had moderate to high levels of activity lived 1.4 to 3.6 years longer than those who got little exercise, largely because they put off developing heart disease – the nation’s leading killer. Men and women benefited about equally.

Previous studies have found that being physically active has a host of health benefits. It reduces the risk of being overweight and of developing many illnesses and improves overall quality of life. But the new study is the first to directly calculate the effect on how long people live.

Oscar Franco, of the Erasmus M.C. University Medical Center in Rotterdam, and his colleagues analysed the data from the Framingham Heart Study, a well-known research project that has followed 5,209 residents of one Massachusetts town for more than 40 years, collecting detailed information about their lifestyles and health.

People who engaged in moderate activity – the equivalent of walking for 30 minutes a day – lived on average 1.4 years longer than those who were less active. Those who took on more intense exercise – the equivalent of running half an hour a day – extended their lives on average by 3.6 years, the researchers found.

Franco and others noted that this and other studies show that people do not have to be exercise fanatics to reap the benefits. “What we’re talking about is small changes,” said James Hill of the University of Colorado in Denver. “We’re telling people to get out and walk more. Fifteen, 20 or 30 minutes of walking each day is probably enough.”

A code for transmitting binary signals at night is devised which assigns an ordered combination of red and blue flashes to each letter of the alphabet. In order to keep transmissions short, the shortest possible ‘strings’ of red and blue flashes are assigned first:

 One red flash for A

One blue flash for B

Two red flashes for C

One red followed by one blue flash for D

 And so on, introducing longer strings as necessary.

“Young British competitors today are too friendly, and this is affecting their chances of winning major championships. They are all too close, all the current generation are having lunch together and then going off to play for a million dollars.

In the past competitors had to win over and over again to become well known and create a future and a pension plan. These guys now have a future in a year. You can be a millionaire now in six months without even winning. They’ve got their own clothing lines, they advertise drinks and sportswear, and even have management companies guaranteeing them a signing-on fee for playing in a tournament. In the past it was necessary to play well just to be invited to top events. They started out with little or nothing and were lucky to receive £100 as expenses in one week. But look at what they achieved!”

In a particular country there are two political parties, the Red Party and the Blue Party. Prior to last week’s General Election the Red Party had 2½ times as many representatives in the parliament as the Blue Party. The Red Party’s lead has been reduced by 56 as a result of the General Election, but it now has 1½ times as many representatives as the Blue Party.

Suggestions that there should be a national database storing DNA samples from all citizens should be resisted. At present the police take DNA samples from everyone who has been arrested, and they store the samples regardless of whether the suspect is subsequently convicted. This database has provided evidence for the arrest and conviction of rapists and murderers. However, the database should contain the DNA only of those convicted of a sexual or violent crime. To store the DNA of innocent people is an infringement of the right to privacy of those who have never committed a crime. Moreover it is unnecessary, since the police need access to the DNA only of those convicted of a serious offence in order to solve cases of sexual and violent crime.

1.Some cases of sexual and violent crime are first offences.

2.Some people who are found not guilty of a crime may have committed it.

3.Some cases of sexual and violent crime are solved without DNA evidence.

An army convoy is 1 km long. The General at the front wants to send a message to the rearmost vehicle, so he tells a motorcycle courier to go to the back, hand over the message and return. The courier hands over the message while the rearmost vehicle is moving, and returns immediately. It takes him half a minute to get to the back and 3 minutes to return to the front.

Many areas of Britain have been subject to serious flooding in recent years. People who own homes in flooded areas already find it very difficult to sell their houses. With the pace of climate change set to increase, more areas will be at risk of flooding. We are, therefore, facing a future of limited geographic mobility which will have social and economic consequences.

1.Climate change is the cause of flooding.

2.No effective action will be taken to prevent homes being flooded.

3.People will not want to move to areas at risk of flooding.

In the main draw of the National Lottery six different numbers between 1 and 49 inclusive are selected at random live on television. My sister and I both buy a ticket every week. Whenever one of us is not able to watch the draw the other texts the numbers the instant the sixth one is revealed.

e.g. 15, 46, 20, 31, 5, 22

One week however, my sister forgot to leave gaps between the numbers and I received the following:

3437427337

Luckily, upon closer scrutiny, I could see that there was only one arrangement possible.

The implementation this year of more random speed traps to prevent accidents is absurd. Figures published earlier this year showed that only 6 % of accidents are caused by speeding. But half the deaths on the roads are caused by drivers under 25. The road safety campaigners should turn their attention to finding ways of helping young people to drive safely while they are gaining experience, instead of advocating the pursuit of safe and responsible drivers for technical infringements of arbitrary limits.

1.The writer ignores the fact that the introduction of more random speed traps, though not focusing on the most common cause of accidents, is still designed to prevent them.

2.The writer ignores the fact that a percentage of deaths caused by drivers under the age of 25 will be due to speeding.

3.The writer fails to appreciate the fact that safe and responsible driving includes obeying the speed limit.

The picture below shows the pieces of a puzzle called the Soma Cube which may be assembled to make a 3 x 3 x 3 cube.

Section 1: Cycling level – facts

According to the 2005 National Travel Survey (NTS) cycling is a relatively rare means of travel in the UK, and is declining.

• Cycling accounts for 1% of all trips*, and 2% of trips of less than 2 miles, including those that are made on foot.
• The average person makes 14 cycle trips per year and cycles a distance of 36 miles.
• When asked how often they ride a bike, 15% of the population say at least once a week, and a further 8% say at least once a month. Over two thirds (69%) of people say they cycle less than once a year or never.
• Those who do cycle average 5 trips a week by bicycle and travel 13 miles in a week. Cycling accounts for a fifth (22%) of all trips by cyclists.

*For the purposes of the survey a ‘trip’ is a one-way journey having a single main purpose – e.g. going to work.

^†A ‘cyclist’ is someone who cycles once a week or more.

Section 2: Charts

Chart 1: Cycle trips per person per year, by sex and age:

Chart 2: Distance travelled by bicycle per person per year, by sex and age:

Section 3: Cycling, income and car-ownership

People living in households with lower levels of income make, on average, fewer bicycle trips and travel shorter distances by bicycle than those in higher income households. Those in the highest income quintile (top 20%) cycle 49 miles per person per year compared with 29 miles among people in the lowest income quintile. The poorest fifth, despite being the least likely to own a car, are also the least likely to cycle.

Chart 3: Cycle trips, by car ownership

Section 1: Cycling level – facts

According to the 2005 National Travel Survey (NTS) cycling is a relatively rare means of travel in the UK, and is declining.

• Cycling accounts for 1% of all trips*, and 2% of trips of less than 2 miles, including those that are made on foot.
• The average person makes 14 cycle trips per year and cycles a distance of 36 miles.
• When asked how often they ride a bike, 15% of the population say at least once a week, and a further 8% say at least once a month. Over two thirds (69%) of people say they cycle less than once a year or never.
• Those who do cycle average 5 trips a week by bicycle and travel 13 miles in a week. Cycling accounts for a fifth (22%) of all trips by cyclists.

*For the purposes of the survey a ‘trip’ is a one-way journey having a single main purpose – e.g. going to work.

^†A ‘cyclist’ is someone who cycles once a week or more.

Section 2: Charts

Chart 1: Cycle trips per person per year, by sex and age:

Chart 2: Distance travelled by bicycle per person per year, by sex and age:

Section 3: Cycling, income and car-ownership

People living in households with lower levels of income make, on average, fewer bicycle trips and travel shorter distances by bicycle than those in higher income households. Those in the highest income quintile (top 20%) cycle 49 miles per person per year compared with 29 miles among people in the lowest income quintile. The poorest fifth, despite being the least likely to own a car, are also the least likely to cycle.

Chart 3: Cycle trips, by car ownership

Section 1: Cycling level – facts

According to the 2005 National Travel Survey (NTS) cycling is a relatively rare means of travel in the UK, and is declining.

• Cycling accounts for 1% of all trips*, and 2% of trips of less than 2 miles, including those that are made on foot.
• The average person makes 14 cycle trips per year and cycles a distance of 36 miles.
• When asked how often they ride a bike, 15% of the population say at least once a week, and a further 8% say at least once a month. Over two thirds (69%) of people say they cycle less than once a year or never.
• Those who do cycle average 5 trips a week by bicycle and travel 13 miles in a week. Cycling accounts for a fifth (22%) of all trips by cyclists.

*For the purposes of the survey a ‘trip’ is a one-way journey having a single main purpose – e.g. going to work.

^†A ‘cyclist’ is someone who cycles once a week or more.

Section 2: Charts

Chart 1: Cycle trips per person per year, by sex and age:

Chart 2: Distance travelled by bicycle per person per year, by sex and age:

Section 3: Cycling, income and car-ownership

People living in households with lower levels of income make, on average, fewer bicycle trips and travel shorter distances by bicycle than those in higher income households. Those in the highest income quintile (top 20%) cycle 49 miles per person per year compared with 29 miles among people in the lowest income quintile. The poorest fifth, despite being the least likely to own a car, are also the least likely to cycle.

Chart 3: Cycle trips, by car ownership

Referring to Section 3 “Those in the highest income quintile (top 20 %) cycle 49 miles per person per year compared with 29 miles among people in the lowest quintile.”

The relationship shown in Chart 3 between car ownership and cycling seems to contradict the data on cycling and income.

Section 1: Cycling level – facts

According to the 2005 National Travel Survey (NTS) cycling is a relatively rare means of travel in the UK, and is declining.

• Cycling accounts for 1% of all trips*, and 2% of trips of less than 2 miles, including those that are made on foot.
• The average person makes 14 cycle trips per year and cycles a distance of 36 miles.
• When asked how often they ride a bike, 15% of the population say at least once a week, and a further 8% say at least once a month. Over two thirds (69%) of people say they cycle less than once a year or never.
• Those who do cycle average 5 trips a week by bicycle and travel 13 miles in a week. Cycling accounts for a fifth (22%) of all trips by cyclists.

*For the purposes of the survey a ‘trip’ is a one-way journey having a single main purpose – e.g. going to work.

^†A ‘cyclist’ is someone who cycles once a week or more.

Section 2: Charts

Chart 1: Cycle trips per person per year, by sex and age:

Chart 2: Distance travelled by bicycle per person per year, by sex and age:

Section 3: Cycling, income and car-ownership

People living in households with lower levels of income make, on average, fewer bicycle trips and travel shorter distances by bicycle than those in higher income households. Those in the highest income quintile (top 20%) cycle 49 miles per person per year compared with 29 miles among people in the lowest income quintile. The poorest fifth, despite being the least likely to own a car, are also the least likely to cycle.

Chart 3: Cycle trips, by car ownership

1.Males between 21 and 29 cycle more than twice as far per trip as males between 11 and 16

2.Males between 11 and 16 cycle more often than males between 17 and 20 but average fewer miles per trip