AP Biology : Cellular Biology

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Biology

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #651 : Cellular Biology

What is the cellular compartment responsible for the assembly of proteins?

Possible Answers:

Centrioles

Golgi apparatus

Endoplasmic reticulum

Ribosome

Mitochondria

Correct answer:

Ribosome

Explanation:

The ribosomes are responsible for the assembly of proteins. These structures link amino acids together to form a polypeptide chain which gets folded into a functional protein. Note that ribosomes are not membrane-bound organelles.

Example Question #652 : Cellular Biology

The loss of which organelle would cripple the process of cellular division? 

Possible Answers:

ribosomes

microfilaments

nucleus

microtubules

mitochondria

Correct answer:

microtubules

Explanation:

Microtubules make up the spindle apparatus and is responsible for the separation of homologous chromosomes in cell division. Microfilaments make up of actin which is responsible for muscle contraction. Ribosomes help make repairs in the cell and aid in protein synthesis. Nucleus stores DNA and the mitochondria produces ATP. Although all of these play a role in cell division, without microtubules cell division will not occur.  

Example Question #653 : Cellular Biology

Which of the following cellular organelles generates ATP for the cell?

Possible Answers:

Peroxisome

Nucleus

Lysosome

Golgi

Mitochondria

Correct answer:

Mitochondria

Explanation:

The mitochondria is often referred to as the powerhouse of the cell because it is the location of cellular respiration cycles (Krebs cycle and electron transport chain). Thus, mitochondria is responsible for providing most of the energy for the cell in the form of ATP.

Example Question #654 : Cellular Biology

Which of the following is not a characteristic of the cell membrane?

Possible Answers:

Contains integral proteins

Contains parts of the Golgi apparatus

Made of a lipid bilayer

Contains peripheral proteins

It is amphipathic

Correct answer:

Contains parts of the Golgi apparatus

Explanation:

The Golgi apparatus is located within the cell cytoplasm, not the cell membrane. All other options are true characteristics of the cell membrane.

Example Question #655 : Cellular Biology

Which cellular structure is involved in producing ATP during aerobic respiration?

Possible Answers:

mitochondrion

endoplasmic Reticulum

nucleolus

nucleus

chloroplast

Correct answer:

mitochondrion

Explanation:

The mitochondrion is known as the powerhouse of the cell, because it creates so much of the energy needed for cellular processes. ATP is another source of energy. The mitochondrion would be responsible for producing the mitochondrion. The other structures are responsible for other processes, like storing DNA or photosynthesis.

Example Question #656 : Cellular Biology

Which of the following statements correctly characterizes microtubules?

Possible Answers:

They are involved in providing motility.

They are organized by centrosomes.

They develop from the endoplasmic reticulum.

None of these statements are correct.

They are mode of the protein actin.

Correct answer:

They are involved in providing motility.

Explanation:

Microtubules are involved in providing motility, because they are essentially conveyer belts that move things like vesicles, granules, and organelles like mitochondria via special attachment proteins. They are a component of the cytoskeleton. They are composed of the protein known as tubulin, are made of centrioles, and they develop from the plasma membrane.

Example Question #657 : Cellular Biology

A smooth endoplasmic reticulum is involved in all of the following activities except which one? 

Possible Answers:

breaking down toxic cellular by-products

breaking down toxins

assembling amino acids to make proteins

manufacturing lipids

manufacturing hormones

Correct answer:

assembling amino acids to make proteins

Explanation:

This is because ribosomes assemble amino acids into proteins. Such activity would be found associated with rough endoplasmic reticulum and not the smooth ER. The smooth ER is majorly responsible for breaking down toxins and manufacturing things such as lipids and hormones.

Example Question #658 : Cellular Biology

What are processes in respiration are lysosomes involved in?

Possible Answers:

the production of fats

the production of proteins

the production of polysaccharides

the production of ATP

the degradation of cellular substances

Correct answer:

the degradation of cellular substances

Explanation:

Lysosomes are largely involved in breaking things down, because they contain acid hydrolase enzymes that break down waste materials and cellular debris. They can be described as the stomach of the cell. Lysosomes do not produce these other things. Things like ribosomes, Golgi apparatus, and the mitochondria are involved in these other processes.

Example Question #173 : Cell Structures

Which of the following is a correct description of an organelle's function?

Possible Answers:

Chloroplast is the location of photosynthesis, and the process that turns light energy into chemical energy.

Mitochondria is the location of respiration and the exchange of gases. 

Nucleolus is the site of mRNA production for protein synthesis. 

The smooth ER contains metobolic enzymes for digestion of food. 

Perixisome produces lipids and gets rid of toxins

Correct answer:

Chloroplast is the location of photosynthesis, and the process that turns light energy into chemical energy.

Explanation:

Chloroplast is the location of photosynthesis, which is the conversion of sunlight energy into chemical energy (in form of chemical bonds). Mitochondria is the site of cellular respiration which is the conversion of chemical energy into ATP. Respiration, or otherwise known as breathing, occurs in the respiratory system. Lysosomes or peroxisomes contain digestive enzyme not the Smooth ER. The Smooth ER is responsible for breaking down of toxins and creation of lipids. The nucleolus is the site of rRNA production for the synthesis of ribosomes which make proteins. 

Example Question #1 : Understanding Specialized Cell Structures

The shape of an animal cell is determined by which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Plasma membrane

Cytoskeleton

None of these answers

Cholesterol

Cell wall

Correct answer:

Cytoskeleton

Explanation:

The cytoskeletion determines cell shape. The cytoskeleton consists of three different types of filamentous proteins: microfilaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Elements of the cytoskeleton can interact with the cell membrane and cell junctions to alter the cell's overall structure.

There are no cell walls in animal cells, although the cell wall does play a large part in determining cell shape in organisms that possess them (plants, bacteria, fungi).

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors