Topic 1 Cell Biology Paper 1 questions

Topic 1: Cell biology

This page contains multiple choice questions in the style of Paper 1 of the Biology exams.
They test the breadth of your knowledge of the understandings and skills about cell biology.

To spend more time reviewing the topic before answering these questions, use the revision resources.

 

Cell biology revision resources

This page lists the understandings and skills expected for Topic 1 and links to the sub-topic pages which contain detailed revision notes, activities and past paper style questions. Great for revision.

Learn from any mistakes. Every question has an examiner's explanation that appears when you check your answers.

1

Pasteur's experiment with 'swan neck' flasks showed that a sterile nutrient medium exposed to the air would not show any signs of bacterial growth under his conditions.

What prevented the growth of bacteria?

Pasteur's famous experiments with swan neck flasks showed that broth kept in a flask where no dust could settle in the nutrient medium, and thus no living cells could get in, would not go mouldy.

This disproved the theory of spontaeous generation.

2

What is the best definition of endosymbiosis?

Endosymbiosis is where a cell engulfs another cell and it continues to live inside the cell.

The engulfed cell provides something for the host cell, and gets something in return. Both cells benefit.

3

During interphase of the cell cycle what happens to the DNA in the nucleus?

Under the microscope there is little change during interphase.
However interphase is a very active phase of the cell cycle with many processes occurring in the nucleus and cytoplasm. (It is subdivided into G1, S, G2 phases of the cell cycle)
DNA replication occurs during the S-phase.

4

The illustration shown below is of a protein (green) attached to a membrane.

What is the most likely function of this membrane protein?

This protein is found in the human liver, where the hormone adrenaline indirectly stimulates it to mobilise stored energy inside liver cells in the "fight or flight" response.

The fact that it is a transmembrane protein is essential for this function.

It is interesting to note that this protein is also secreted by Anthrax bacteria as a toxin.
It upsets the metabolism of host cells when it enters them.

5

The electron microscope image below shows a cell.

What are the organelles shown by the labels X & Y?

If you look closely at X, it points to the cell wall, outside the plasma membrane, it is close to the plasma membrane, but not touching the chloroplast.

The pale area below Y is the vacuole.

Organelle Y is a mitochondrion, you can tell this by its size, and the presence of membranes inside.

6

The 'Cell theory' explains the nature of living things.
Which statement best describes Cell theory?

According to cell theory, living organisms are composed of cells.
Cells come from pre-existing cells and cells are the smallest using of life.

7

Stargardts disease is vision loss caused by the death of both cone cells and rod cells in the part of the retina around the fovea. One potential treatment for Stargardts disease is the use of human embryonic stem cells.
What are the properties of these stem cells, which other cells don't have, that makes them so useful for this treatment?

Stem cells can divide and this help researchers to grow them in the lab.

They can differentiate along different pathways in embryonic development which makes stem cells useful for therapeutic uses (e.g. Stargart's disease) because they can be grown into many different tissues.

8

If you know someone with a disease that might be cured by stem cell therapy then you might be a supporter of this research. You probably also know that some other people have deep concerns.

Which of the following is not a potential benefit of the use of stem cells?

There are ethical concerns about the use of embryo stem cells.

The research is expensive, and potential treatments are also likely to be expensive, and probably not available to all.

Many people who are against stem cells say that it is because cells are taken from human embryos, which have the potential for human live, and should be protected. There are other sources of stem cells, they argue.

9

Which phrases most accurately describe a multicellular organism?

Comment: The multicellular condition allows for differentiation into cells of different types and also replacement of cells when injured or damaged.

10

What best describes the organism in the light microscope image?

It is unicellular (one cell) and a eukaryote (has a nucleus) and not autotrophic.

11

The image is of a prokaryotic cell. Which feature defines the cell as prokaryotic?

The lack of a membrane bound nucleus (nucleoid) classifies a cell as prokaryotic.

12

The diagram is of a plasma membrane. Which label corresponds to the hydrophilic area of an amphipathic molecule?

Protein (5) has both hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas to act as an integral protein. The central channel is hydrophilic.

13

The image is a ribbon model of a channel protein. Where would this be found in a plasma membrane?

Channel proteins penetrate the membrane and have a central hydrophilic area (yellow in the diagram which is shown from above).

14

The image is of a channel protein. What is the function of a membrane channel protein?

Channel proteins are used for facilitated diffusion down the concentration gradient.

15

What is the sequence of events that occur in a cell that is secreting a protein hormone?

1 Exocytosis

2 Vesicle formed by Golgi Body

3 Fusion of vesicle to plasma membrane

4 RER manufactures protein.

Ribosomes on the RER manufacture protein. This is packaged in vesicles by the Golgi Body and moves to the surface of the cell where the vesicle and plasma membrane fuse and exocytosis of the protein occurs.

16

Louis Pasteur used sterile broth and swan necked flasks to disprove which theory?

Pasteur demonstrated that broth would go cloudy only when air was allowed to contact the broth, bringing microbes. He disproved Spontaneous Generation.

17

Which property of stem cells is important for embryonic development?

Stem cells can divide and differentiate along different pathways. For a single fertilised egg cell to grow into an embryo both these processes are necessary.

18

All eukaryote cells have differing combinations of the same types of organelles. How can this be explained?

Similarity in structure and function are taken as evidence of a common ancestor. All of the other statements are partially true but do not provide an explanation.

19

Which of the following contributed to the acceptance of the fluid mosaic model of membrane structure of Singer and Nicholson in place of the original Davison-Danielli model?

I Hydrophobic membrane proteins

II Irregular sizes of membrane proteins

III Increased magnification of light microscopes.

IV Fluorescent antibody tagging.

The irregular sizes and insolubility of hydrophobic membrane proteins indicated that they could not be a surface layer as proposed by Davison-Danielli. This was confirmed by fluoresecent antibodies showing that proteins were both within and on the membrane.

20

The image below was taken in 1825 and shows part of the cell cycle.

What is shown in the image?

Cytokinesis occurs after mitosis in plant and animal cells.
Animal cells form a cleavage furrow (looks like a wasps waist) as they don't have cell walls.

The two daughter cells are the same size, so cytokinesis is equal.


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