IMAT Preparation

Biology - The cell as the basis of life

(Cell theory, prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, animal and plant cells, viruses, cellular
structures and their specific functions)

1. Which one of the following would not normally diffuse through the lipid bilayer of a plasma
membrane?
A. CO2
B. amino acid
C. starch
D. water

2. The cytoplasmic channels between plant cells are called

A. desmosomes
B. middle lamellae
C. plasmodesmata
D. tight junctions

3. Which of the following best characterises the structure of plasma membrane?

A. rigid and unchanging
B. rigid but varying from cell to cell
C. fluid but unorganised
D. very active

4. An animal cell in a hypertonic solution would

A. swell
B. swell and exhibit turgor
C. exhibit plasmolysis
D. shrink and then swell

5. What is the approximate size of a human red blood cell?

A. 0.01 micrometer
B. 8 micrometers
C. 80 micrometers
D. 8 nanometers

Questions 6-8
The following questions refer to the figure below, which shows the plasma membrane.
6. Identify the hydrophilic portion of a lipid molecule
7. Identify the proteins involved in transport
8. Identify the molecule with a steroid backbone, and name it.

9.Which of the following is present in a prokaryote cell?

A. mitochondria
B. ribosomes
C. endoplasmic reticulum
D. chloroplasts

10. Membranes are components of all of the following except a

A. microtubule
B. nucleus
C. Golgi apparatus
D. mitochondrion

11. Which cell organelle

A. produces ATP
B. produces proteins
C. packages and secretes substances
D. contains hydrolytic enzymes
E. directly assists with cell division

12. What are the most abundant molecules in the cell surface membranes of plant cells?
A. cholesterol
B. glycolipids
C. phospholipids
D. proteins

13. Where are the carbohydrate portions of glycolipids and glycoproteins located in cell surface
membrane?
A. the inside and outside surface of the membrane
B. the inside surface of the membrane
C. the interior of the membrane
D. the outside surface of the membrane

14. Which of the following uses energy in the form of ATP?

A. diffusion
B. osmosis
C. facilitated diffusion
D. pinocytosis

15. Which of the following uses proteins?

A. diffusion
B. osmosis
C. active transport
16. List three organelles lacking a boundary membrane
17. List three organelles each bounded by a single membrane
18. List three organelles each bounded by two membranes (an envelope)

19. Identify each cell structure or organelle from its description below.
A. manufactures lysosomes
B. manufactures ribosomes
C. site of protein synthesis
D. can bud off vesicles which form the Golgi body
E. can transport newly synthesised protein round the cell
F. manufactures ATP in animal and plant cells
G. controls the activity of the cell
H. carries out photosynthesis
I. can act as a starting point for the growth of spindle microtubules during cell division
J. contains chromatin
K. partially permeable barrier only about 7 nm thick
L. organelle about 25 nm in diameter

[The following question is a difficult lab question. I don't think you should waste time answering it,
or even reading it, but in case you are really interested go on]

20. One technique used to investigate the activity of cell organelles is called differential
centrifugation. In this technique, a tissue is homogenised (ground in a blender), placed in tubes
and spun in a centrifuge. This makes organelles sediment (settle) to the bottom of the tubes. The
larger the organelles, the faster they sediment. By repeating the process at faster and faster
speeds, the organelles can be separated from each other according to size. Some liver tissue
was treated in this way to separate ribosomes, nuclei and mitochondria. The centrifuge was
spun at 1 000g, 10 000g or 100 000g (‘g’ is gravitational force)
A. In which of the three sediments -1 000g, 10 000g or 100 000g - would you expect to
find the following:
i. ribosomes | ii. nuclei | iii. mitochondria
B. Liver tissue contains many lysosomes. Suggest why this makes it difficult to study
mitochondria using the differential centrifugation technique.

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