Q1. A student has access to four dyes that stain different components of cells, as shown in the following table:
Dye
Component of Cells Stained
Nile red
Lipids
Hoechst 33342
Nuclei
DRAQ9
Cytosol
Coomassie blue
Proteins
Which dye would be the best choice to use to distinguish prokaryotic cells from eukaryotic cells?
Correct Answer: (b)
Eukaryotic cells have nuclei; prokaryotic cells do not. Thus, Hoechst 33342 could distinguish between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells contain lipids, cytosol, and proteins. Therefore, the dyes that stain these (Nile red, DRAQ9, and Coomassie blue, respectively) would not distinguish between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, making choices (A), (C), and (D) incorrect.
Q2. A cell is not able to modify and package proteins for secretion from the cell. Which of the following organelles is most likely not functioning correctly?
Correct Answer: (d)
The function of the Golgi complex is to modify and package proteins. Ribosomes synthesize proteins, so choice (A) is incorrect. Choice (B) is incorrect because lysosomes contain hydrolytic enzymes, which break down macromolecules and cell parts. Vacuoles store water and other molecules in the cell, so choice (C) is incorrect.
Q3. Which types of molecules pass through the cell membrane unassisted most easily?
Correct Answer: (b)
Small, hydrophobic molecules can slide between the phospholipids in the cell membrane and therefore can cross the cell membrane most easily. Choice (A) is incorrect because hydrophilic molecules could not get past the long hydrophobic lipid tails of the phospholipids that make up the cell membrane’s bilayer. Large molecules cannot pass through the cell membrane unassisted, so choices (C) and (D) are incorrect.
Q4. Niemann-Pick disease is caused by the cell’s inability to break down large lipid molecules. Which cellular organelle is most likely not functioning properly in an individual with Niemann-Pick disease?
Correct Answer: (c)
Lysosomes help break down large molecules, so a defect in the lysosomes could be a likely cause of Niemann-Pick disease. The rough endoplasmic reticulum and the ribosomes serve functions in protein synthesis; they do not break down molecules. So choices (A) and (D) are incorrect. Choice (B) is incorrect because the Golgi complex modifies and packages proteins.
Q5. When some bacteria are exposed to antibiotics, the bacteria use ATP to try to pump the antibiotics out of their cells. Which of the following processes is most likely used to do this?
Correct Answer: (c)
Processes that require the use of ATP to move molecules in or out of a cell are called active transport. Choices (A) and (B) are incorrect because osmosis and diffusion are both forms of passive transport. Endocytosis does use energy and is a form of active transport, but that process moves molecules into the cell, not out of the cell. So choice (D) is incorrect.
Q6. Muscle cells require large amounts of energy to function. Which cellular organelle is most likely found in high concentrations in muscle cells?
Correct Answer: (d)
Mitochondria are the site of ATP production for the cell. Muscle cells require large amounts of energy, so muscle cells would be expected to have a higher concentration of mitochondria. Choice (A) is incorrect because lysosomes break down macromolecules and cell parts; they do not produce energy. The Golgi complex modifies and packages proteins but is not involved in energy production, so choice (B) is incorrect. Amyloplasts store starches in plant cells, so choice (C) is incorrect.
Q7. An animal cell that lacks glycolipids and glycoproteins in its plasma membrane would likely be unable to carry out which of the following functions?
Correct Answer: (a)
Glycolipids and glycoproteins are involved in cell recognition, so if a cell lacked these molecules, cell recognition functions would be impaired. Choice (B) is incorrect because cholesterol, not glycoproteins or glycolipids, is involved in maintaining membrane fluidity. Endocytosis is a process that requires energy to bring material into the cell, so choice (C) is incorrect. The Na+/K+ pump uses active transport to create the membrane potential, so choice (D) is also incorrect.
Q8. Which of the following is NOT a component of the cell membrane?
Correct Answer: (b)
Cellulose is a component of cell walls; it is not a component of the cell membrane. Phospholipids, proteins, and glycolipids are all components of cell membranes, so choices (A), (C), and (D) are all incorrect.
Q9. A molecule is moving from an area of higher concentration outside of a cell to an area of lower concentration inside the cell. Which process best describes the movement of this molecule?
Correct Answer: (b)
Movement of molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration is diffusion, a passive transport process. Choices (A), (C), and (D) all involve active transport and are therefore incorrect.
Q10. Which of the following is NOT evidence that supports the endosymbiosis hypothesis?
Correct Answer: (d)
Mitochondria and chloroplasts are not found in all eukaryotic cells; chloroplasts are only found in eukaryotic cells that perform photosynthesis. Mitochondria and chloroplasts do have their own circular DNA as well as their own ribosomes, and they both reproduce by binary fission, which are all characteristics they share with prokaryotes. Thus, choices (A), (B), and (C) are all evidence of the endosymbiosis hypothesis.
Continue in App
For the best quiz experience and detailed performance analytics, download the Master Biology App.