| Date | May 2010 | Marks available | 1 | Reference code | 10M.1.HL.TZ2.24 |
| Level | Higher level | Paper | Paper 1 | Time zone | Time zone 2 |
| Command term | State | Question number | 24 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
The diagram below shows water in the human body.
Where in the digestive system is the largest volume of water absorbed from?
A. Colon
B. Pancreas
C. Small intestine
D. Liver
Markscheme
C
Examiners report
This was the most controversial question on the exam and it also proved to be a very poor discriminator with statistics showing little relationship between success in answering correctly and the overall strength of the candidate. This was another question that involved data analysis but in this case the question was not excessively easy. The data was presented in a novel way that needed to be studied carefully.
The candidate first had to deduce which part of the digestive system was the small intestine and which the large, and then deduce that the greatest reduction in volume and therefore the greatest volume of water absorption was in the small intestine. Instead many candidates, including those with good knowledge, immediately looked at the possible answers and chose A because they understood that the colon was the part of the intestine responsible for water absorption. The lesson for candidates is that when data is presented it must be carefully considered before choosing an answer and the lesson for examiners is that data questions should not be constructed in such a way that candidates with knowledge are disadvantaged!
