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.
The 64 codons in the genetic code give rise to the same amino acids in nearly all organisms.
There is very little variaion. This is evidence for a single common origin of life.
Differences in the frequency of amino acid use reflects the different genes in the two organisms.
Which cells are produced when a diploid human cell divides by mitosis?
Mitosis is division of the nucleus into two genetically identical daughter nuclei in eukaryote cells.
A diploid cell will produce two diploid daughter cells in one division of mitosis.
The DNA of eukaryote cells is organised into chromosomes
What happens to the DNA at prophase in the beginning of mitosis?
Chromosomes condense by supercoiling during mitosis. This makes the chromosomes visible.
The DNA replicates during interphase, not prophase.
This box contains a lung waiting for a transplant operation.

What is special about the solution inside the box which surrounds the tissue?
Tissues and organs must be kept in a solution with the same osmolarity as the cytoplasm of the cells to prevent osmosis. If they were kept in pure water, osmosis would carry water into the cells and they would burst, causing damage to the cells. If the solution was hypertonic, the tissue would lose water (and gain ions).
The electron microscope image below shows an organelle found in both animal and plant cells.

What is the name of the organelle?
The rER has parallel membranes covered in dots, which are ribosomes, used for making proteins, for secretion from the cell.
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.
How does compartmentalisation by their internal membranes benefit eukaryotic cells?
Eukaryote cells (approx. 100µm in diameter) are much larger than prokaryote cells (approx 1µm) and so the concentration of reactants in the cytoplasm would be more dilute if all the metabolism happened in the cytoplasm.
Specialist organelles, like mitochondria keep the enzymes for aerobic respiration in one place, which increases their concentration, and increases the rate of reactions.
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.
Stargardt's disease is vision loss caused by the death of both cone cells and rod cells in the part of the retina around the fovea, gradually leading to blindness. 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?
Totipotent tem cells can divide and differentiate into all cell types this help researchers to grow them in the lab.
They can differentiate along different pathways which makes stem cells useful for therapeutic uses (e.g. Stargart's disease) because they can be grown into many different tissues.
Which of the structures listed below are involved in membrane transport?
Many transmembrane proteins are involved in transport of molecules across membranes. These can either provide a sort of molecular pore through which ions or molecules can pass (facilitated diffusion), or they can use ATP to actively move molecules, even against the concentration gradient (active transport).These are just two examples, transport can also occur by simple diffusion through the phospholipid bilayer, or by endocytosis.
Cells are often stored in isotonic conditions because they can be damaged in other concentrations, hypertonic, or hypotonic. Which of the descriptions of hypertonic is the most accurate?
Hypertonic solutions have a higher concentration of solutes, and lower water potentials than cells.
Which two processes are involved in cell differentiation?
Comment: During differentiation genes may be activated or repressed causing the formation of different proteins by the ribosomes but other organelles such as mitochondria continue to function in the same way
Which is the best definition of a tissue?
Comment:Tissues may have one or several cell types and one or more functions
Which of the following could be used to distinguish a living from a non- living object
Comment: Inanimate objects can move, produce and utilise energy but the process of respiration is exclusive to living systems
The width of this field of view taken at 100x magnification on the screen of a digital microscope is 250 μm.
The image below shows Dracaena leaf upper epidermis cells.
Which is the best estimate of the width (from left to right) of an epidermal cell?

Comment: There are approximately 19 cells across the image so 250/19 = 13 μm.
The magnification is not needed to be used as you are given the true width of the image on the screen.
The image below is of Dracaena leaf upper epidermis cells.
Which of the following is the best estimate of the length (from top to bottom) of an epidermal cell?
Comment: The cells are approximately the same length as the scale bar.
This would make 70µm the closest estimate as they vary in dimensions.
What best describes the organism in the light microscope image?

It is unicellular (one cell) and a eukaryote (has a nucleus) and not autotrophic.
The diagram shows a typical eukaryotic plant cell. Which organelles are involved in supporting the cell and plant?
I Cell wall
II Cytoplasm
III Nucleus
IV Vacuole.

The cell and plant are supported by the turgor pressure of water in the vacuole acting on the rigid cell wall.
Identify the stage of mitosis of cells 1 and 2

In cell 2, the chromatids are aligned on the equator (seen from above) - Metaphase. In cell 1, the chromatids are moving towards the poles - Anaphase.
The theory of spontaneous generation has been disproved by Pasteur's experiment. Is there a point in evolution when spontaneous generation did occur?
The first cells must have arisen spontaneously from non-living matter, probably in volcanic vents, but the universal nature of cell ultrastructure and of the genetic code makes it likely that this only happened once.
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