Cells as the Basic Units of Living Organisms (CIE A Level Biology)

The photomicrograph shows a plant cell. A student was asked to identify three observable features from the micrograph.

Which of the following would be correct labels for this image?

The sentence below describes a process and a cellular structure.

 Cells which have a high rate of ….1…. will have many ….2….. .

Which row identifies a process and a structure that would fit correctly into the sentence?

	1	2
A	facilitated diffusion	mitochondria
B	DNA replication	lysosomes
C	exocytosis	vesicles
D	phospholipid production	ribosomes

 

The diagram shows a cell that secretes glycoproteins; proteins with attached molecules of carbohydrate. The cell is supplied with radioactively labelled sugar, which is first detected in the cytoplasm.

In which organelle would the radioactively-labelled glucose be detected after that?

Mucus is produced in the trachea by goblet cells. The following statements describe steps in the process of mucus production.

1	Fusion of the vesicle with the plasma membrane.
2	Secretion of a glycoprotein.
3	Separation of a vesicle from the Golgi apparatus.
4	Addition of carbohydrate to protein.

What is the correct order of these steps?

The list below contains structures that are found in eukaryotic cells.

1	Nucleus
2	Endoplasmic reticulum
3	Lysosome
4	Chloroplast
5	Mitochondria

 

Which of these structures has a double membrane?

Membrane bound sacs containing the products of metabolism are produced by the endoplasmic reticulum.

Where are these products used?

Which of the following structures are found in photosynthetic prokaryotes?

1	Cellulose wall
2	Circular chromosome
3	Ribosomes
4	Chloroplasts
5	Cell surface membrane

Which features would indicate that a student is observing a eukaryotic cell? 

	cytoplasm includes endoplasmic reticulum	protein molecules are associated with the DNA	ribosomes distributed through the cytoplasm
A	X	✓	X
B	X	X	X
C	✓	✓	✓
D	✓	X	✓

Key: ✓ = found in eukaryotes, X = not found in eukaryotes

The image below is a drawing of an electron micrograph.

Which structures are surrounded by a double membrane?

	lysosome	mitochondria	nucleus	Golgi apparatus	cytoplasm
A	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
B	X	✓	✓	✓	✓
C	X	✓	✓	X	X
D	✓	X	X	X	✓

Key: ✓ = surrounded by a double membrane, X = not surrounded by a double membrane

The diagram shows a typical plant cell.

Which of the cell components A, B, C or D would be present in prokaryotes?

The table below shows some of the structures found in four different types of cell.

	1	2	3	4
chloroplast centrioles cell wall Golgi apparatus large vacuole	✓ X ✓ ✓ ✓	X X ✓ ✓ ✓	X ✓ X ✓ X	X X ✓ X X

 Key: ✓ = present, X = absent

Which option (1, 2, 3 or 4) best matches the cell types below?

	1	2	3	4
A	ciliated epithelial cell	prokaryotic cell	root cortex cell	spongy mesophyll cell
B	spongy mesophyll cell	root cortex cell	ciliated epithelial cell	prokaryotic cell
C	root cortex cell	spongy mesophyll cell	prokaryotic cell	ciliated epithelial cell
D	prokaryotic cell	ciliated epithelial cell	spongy mesophyll cell	root cortex cell

Which row correctly describes the structure and function of a particular cellular feature?

	structure	function
A	a series of flattened, membrane-bound sacs	organises microtubules to produce the spindle
B	non membrane-bound cylindrical structures	packages hydrolytic enzymes used in cell
C	membrane-bound spherical structure	synthesizes polypeptides
D	membrane surrounding an enclosed inner cavity	synthesises lipids

 

The diagram shows similarities between chloroplasts, mitochondria and typical prokaryotes.

Which row shows the correct relationship between these structures?

	1	2	3	4	5
A	mitochondria	70S ribosomes	chloroplasts	80S ribosomes	prokaryotes
B	mitochondria	70S ribosomes	chloroplasts	80S ribosomes	prokaryotes
C	chloroplasts	70S ribosomes	prokaryotes	80S ribosomes	mitochondria
D	chloroplasts	70S ribosomes	prokaryotes	70S ribosomes	mitochondria

 

A giant bacterium, Epulopiscium fishelsoni was discovered in 1985.

Which cell structure(s) would enable biologists to classify E. fishelsoni as a prokaryote?

A cell which is actively growing is supplied with radioactively labelled amino acids.

 Which cell component will show an increase in radioactivity first?

The basic structure of a virus is made up of a protein coat and genetic material.

 What is the name given to the protein coat?

Which of the following identifies the type of molecule, or molecules, present in the genetic material of a virus.

The image below is an electron micrograph of an animal cell.

Public domain, via Flickr

Which one of the options A to D, would be the site of protein modification and packaging?

The image below is an electron micrograph of part of an animal cell.

CNX OpenStax, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Which of the following is likely to be produced in especially large quantities in this cell?

1	Glucose
2	RNA
3	ATP

Some mammalian tissue was homogenised and centrifuged.

• Homogenisation involves blending the contents of a mixture until they are evenly distributed
• Centrifugation involves spinning a mixture at very high speeds to separate components by mass

The biochemical activity of four tissue samples, A-D, was investigated.

Which graph shows a tissue with a high synthesis of messenger RNA?