Past Papers, Decoded
The 2019 and 2020 papers question by question, the TMU homework list, and the format warning — with a link from every item to the unit that answers it.
The structure is identical in both modern papers
I. Explain the following terms — 8 × 4 = 32% · II. Fill in the blanks — 16 × 1 = 16% · III. Answer in brief — 6 × 7 = 42% · IV. Comprehensive — 1 × 10 = 10%. There is no multiple-choice section. Section III alone is 42%, the largest single block in any paper this semester; with the definitions it is 74% of the mark, and both are pure recall-and-organise.
⚠️ A DIFFERENT format may apply — ask before you revise
Slide 21 of the TMU Arbovirus deck announces a final exam of 20 best-choice questions × 1 · 20 blanks × 1 · 6 definitions × 4 · 6 questions × 6. That includes a multiple-choice section which the 2019 and 2020 papers do not have, and shifts the weights. The content examined is the same either way — but if there are MCQs, the questions printed on the lecture decks become far more valuable, and every one is reproduced with its answer inside the units. Full detail →
🎁 The 2019 paper comes with an inline answer key
PastPaper-2019_Microbiology_Past_Paper.txt carries model answers inline for the terms, the brief answers and the comprehensive question. It is the only genuine marking key in this whole project — Immunology's was image-only and never recoverable.
⭐ Note the SHAPE of Section IV — it repeats even though the topic does not
2019: list ≥6 sexually transmitted pathogens and their diseases; select one and explain its pathogenesis. 2020: list ≥5 tumour-related pathogens, the tumours they cause, and their transmission routes. Both are “list at least N pathogens, then go deep on one”. Practise that move on any topic and the question holds no surprises.
The 2020 paper
I. Explain the following terms8 × 4 = 32%
- BCG
- Staphylococcal Protein A (SPA)
- Negri body
- Transformation
- L-form
- Spirochetes
- Defective virus
- Chronic virus infections
II. Fill in the blanks16 × 1 = 16%
The blanks are not legibly recoverable from the scanned paper. Sixteen single-mark blanks are drawn from the numbers and named lists across the units — autoclave and pasteurisation conditions (Unit 7), generation times (Unit 3), serotype counts (Units 10, 16, 23), the CD4 threshold (Unit 26) and the LPS components (Unit 2) are the likeliest sources.
III. Answer the following questions in brief6 × 7 = 42%
- Classification and diseases of herpesviruses → Unit 25 §7
- Exotoxin vs endotoxin → Unit 6 §4
- Compare bacterium and virus, as a table → Unit 18 §6
- Types and characteristics of human enteroviruses → Unit 23 §8
- FOUR pathogenic Clostridium species and their diseases → Unit 11 §7
- Transmission routes and clinical features of HIV → Unit 26 §6
IV. Comprehensive question1 × 10 = 10%
- List ≥5 tumour-related pathogens, the tumours they cause, and their transmission routes. Draw on HBV and HCV → hepatocellular carcinoma (Unit 24), EBV → Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma and HHV-8 → Kaposi's sarcoma (Unit 25), HPV → cervical carcinoma, HTLV-1 → adult T-cell leukaemia (Unit 26), Helicobacter pylori → gastric carcinoma and MALT lymphoma, and Aspergillus flavus aflatoxin → hepatoma (Unit 28).
The 2019 paper
I. Explain the following terms8 × 4 = 32%
- Transduction
- Bacteriocin
- ASOT (anti-SLO test)
- Mycoplasma
- Weil-Felix reaction
- Vertical transmission
- Antigenic drift
- AIDS
II. Fill in the blanks16 × 1 = 16%
The blanks are not legibly recoverable from the scanned paper. Sixteen single-mark blanks are drawn from the numbers and named lists across the units — autoclave and pasteurisation conditions (Unit 7), generation times (Unit 3), serotype counts (Units 10, 16, 23), the CD4 threshold (Unit 26) and the LPS components (Unit 2) are the likeliest sources.
III. Answer the following questions in brief6 × 7 = 42%
- Differences of cell wall between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria → Unit 2 §4
- Virulence factors and diseases of Staphylococcus aureus → Unit 8 §6
- Viral interference and its application → Unit 19 §4
- Pathogenesis of viruses → Unit 20 §5
IV. Comprehensive question1 × 10 = 10%
- List ≥6 sexually transmitted pathogens and their diseases; select one and explain its pathogenesis. The paper's own model answer names HIV, HSV, TP and N. gonorrhoeae. → Unit 26 §9 assembles the full list and the HIV deep dive.
The TMU homework list — a published question bank in all but name
Page 2 of the Enterobacteriaceae deck sets ten homework questions, due 31 December 2024. Several are verbatim past-paper items, and all ten are Section III shape. Treat this as the single best predictor of the brief answers.
The ten questionsSection III shape
- List the differences between the G+ cell wall and the G− cell wall. → Unit 2 §4
- What is the difference between the general properties of endotoxins and exotoxins? → Unit 6 §4
- List the similarities and differences between mycoplasmas and L-form bacteria. → Unit 14 §3
- What are the principles of treatment and prevention for infection by Clostridium tetani? → Unit 11 §7
- Please describe the tuberculin test and explain the result. → Unit 13 §6
- Please list the common properties of rickettsia. → Unit 15 §2
- Please describe the types, routes of viral infection and the mechanism of viral pathogenesis. → Unit 20 §5
- List the main human herpes viruses and the associated diseases caused by them. → Unit 25 §7
- What diseases can be caused by EBV? → Unit 25 §5
- How can hepatitis B be diagnosed in a clinical laboratory? Describe the interpretation of the results. → Unit 24 §4
The review-question group work
The same deck sets group work of 10 best-choice, 5 multiple-choice and 5 questions across five topics: general bacteriology · individual bacteriology · general virology · individual virology · mycology. That confirms all five areas are examinable — including mycology, which students routinely skip.