Chapter 1 Questions

Many of the mechanisms that cells use for maintenance and reproduction were first studied at the molecular level in bacteria. Which bacterial species had a central role in advancing the field of molecular biology? (a) E. coli (b) D. melanogaster (c) S. pombe (d) C. elegans

(a) E. coli

By definition, prokaryotic cells do not possess __________. (a) a nucleus. (b) replication machinery. (c) ribosomes. (d) membrane bilayers.

(a) a nucleus.

Choose the phrase that best completes this sentence: Microtubules ____________ and are required to pull duplicated chromosomes to opposite poles of dividing cells. (a) generate contractile forces (b) are intermediate in thickness (c) can rapidly reorganize (d) are found in especially large numbers in muscle cells

(a) generate contractile forces

The mitochondrial proteins found in the inner membrane are involved in the conversion of ADP to ATP, a source of energy for the cell. This process consumes which of the following substances? (a) oxygen (b) nitrogen (c) sulfur (d) carbon dioxide

(a) oxygen

Some prokaryotes can live by utilizing entirely inorganic materials. Which of the following inorganic molecules would you predict to be the predominant building block for fats, sugars, and proteins? (a) O2 (b) N2 (c) CO2 (d) H2

(b) N2

Living systems are incredibly diverse in size, shape, environment, and behavior. It is estimated that there are between 10 million and 100 million different species. Despite this wide variety of organisms, it remains difficult to define what it means to say something is alive. Which of the following can be described as the smallest living unit? (a) DNA (b) cell (c) organelle (d) protein

(b) cell

The nucleus, an organelle found in eukaryotic cells, confines the __________, keeping them separated from other components of the cell. (a) lysosomes (b) chromosomes (c) peroxisomes (d) ribosomes

(b) chromosomes

Select the option that correctly finishes the following statement: "A cell's genome _________________." (a) is defined as all the genes being used to make protein. (b) contains all of a cell's DNA. (c) constantly changes, depending upon the cell's environment. (d) is altered during embryonic development.

(b) contains all of a cell's DNA.

Changes in DNA sequence from one generation to the next may result in offspring that are altered in fitness compared with their parents. The process of change and selection over the course of many generations is the basis of __________. (a) mutation. (b) evolution. (c) heredity. (d) reproduction.

(b) evolution.

You wish to explore how mutations in specific genes affecting sugar metabolism might alter tooth development. Which organism is likely to provide the best model system for your studies, and why? (a) horses (b) mice (c) E. coli (d) Arabidopsis

(b) mice

Which statement is NOT true about mutations? (a) A mutation is a change in the DNA that can generate offspring less fit for survival than their parents. (b) A mutation can be a result of imperfect DNA duplication. (c) A mutation is a result of sexual reproduction. (d) A mutation is a change in the DNA that can generate offspring that are as fit for survival as their parents are.

(c) A mutation is a result of sexual reproduction.

__________ are fairly small organelles that provide a safe place within the cell to carry out certain biochemical reactions that generate harmful, highly reactive oxygen species. These chemicals are both generated and broken down in the same location. (a) Nucleosomes (b) Lysosomes (c) Peroxisomes (d) Endosomes

(c) Peroxisomes

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are especially useful in the study of early development because their embryos ______________. (a) are exceptionally large. (b) develop slowly. (c) are transparent. (d) are pigmented.

(c) are transparent.

Mitochondria perform cellular respiration, a process that uses oxygen, generates carbon dioxide, and produces chemical energy for the cell. Which answer below indicates a correct pairing of material "burned" and the form of energy produced during cellular respiration? (a) fat, ADP (b) sugar, fat (c) sugar, ATP (d) fat, protein

(c) sugar, ATP

A. thaliana, or Arabidopsis, is a common weed. Biologists have selected it over hundreds of thousands of other flowering plant species to serve as an experimental model organism because __________________. (a) it can withstand extremely cold climates. (b) it can reproduce in 8-10 weeks. (c) it produces thousands of offspring per plant. (d) Both (b) and (c) are true.

(d) Both (b) and (c) are true.

Biologists cannot possibly study all living species. Instead, they try to understand cell behavior by studying a select subset of them. Which of the following characteristics are useful in an organism chosen for use as a model in laboratory studies? (a) amenability to genetic manipulation (b) ability to grow under controlled conditions (c) rapid rate of reproduction (d) all of the above

(d) all of the above

The cell constantly exchanges materials by bringing nutrients in from the external environment and shuttling unwanted by-products back out. Which term describes the process by which external materials are captured inside vesicles and brought into the cell? (a) degradation (b) exocytosis (c) phagocytosis (d) endocytosis

(d) endocytosis

Match each biological process with the model organism that is best suited or most specifically useful for its study, based on information provided in your textbook. You may list individual processes more than once. A.cell division B.development (multicellular) C.programmed cell death D. photosynthesis E. immunology _1.____ A. thaliana (Arabidopsis) _2.____ M. musculus (mouse) _3.____ S. pombe_____ 4. C. elegans ___5.__ S. cerevisiae ___6..__ D. rerio (zebrafish) ____7. _ D. melanogaster

1.. B,D 2.A,E 3. A 4. C 5. A 6. B 7. B

Indicate whether the following statements are true or false. If the statement is false, explain why it is false. A.The terms "prokaryote" and "bacterium" are synonyms. B.Prokaryotes can adopt several different basic shapes, including spherical, rod- shaped, and spiral. C. Some prokaryotes have cell walls surrounding the plasma membrane.

A. False B. True C. False

Indicate whether the following statements are true or false. If the statement is false, explain why it is false. A. Plants do not require a cytoskeleton because they have a cell wall that lends structure and support to the cell. B. The cytoskeleton is used as a transportation grid for the efficient, directional movement of cytosolic components. C. Thermal energy promotes random movement of proteins, vesicles, and small molecules in the cytosol.

A. False B. True C. True

Indicate whether the following statements are true or false. If the statement is false, explain why it is false. A. With respect to cellular respiration, the only organelles used by animal cells are mitochondria, while plant cells use both mitochondria and chloroplasts. B. The number of mitochondria inside a cell remains constant over the life of the cell.

A. True B. False

Given what you know about the differences between prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells, rate the following things as "good" or "bad" processes to study in the model organism E. coli. A. Formation of the endoplasmic reticulum B. DNA replication C. how the actin cytoskeleton contributes to cell shape D. how cells decode their genetic instructions to make proteins E. how mitochondria get distributed to cells during cell division

A.Bad B. Good C. Bad D. Good E.Bad

Indicate whether the following statements are true or false. If the statement is false, explain why it is false. A.Membrane components in the cell are made in the endoplasmic reticulum. B. The Golgi apparatus is made up of a series of membrane-enclosed compartments through which materials destined for secretion must pass. C. Lysosomes are small organelles where fatty acid synthesis occurs.

A.True B.True C.False

You fertilize egg cells from a healthy plant with pollen (which contains the male germ cells) that has been treated with DNA-damaging agents. You find that some of the offspring have defective chloroplasts, and that this characteristic can be passed on to future generations. This surprises you at first because you happen to know that the male germ cell in the pollen grain contributes no chloroplasts to the fertilized egg cell and thus to the offspring. What can you deduce from these results?

X linked trait

The flow of genetic information is controlled by a series of biochemical reactions that result in the production of proteins, each with its own specific order of amino acids. Choose the correct series of biochemical reactions from the options presented here. (a) replication, transcription, translation (b) replication, translation, transcription (c) translation, transcription, replication (d) translation, replication, transcription

a. replication, transcription, translation

Scientists learned that cell death is a normal and even important part of life by studying the development of the nematode worm C. elegans. What was the most important feature of C. elegans for the study of programmed cell death? (a) The nematode is smaller and simpler than the fruit fly. (b) 70% of C. elegans genes have homologs in humans. (c) The developmental pathway of each cell in the adult worm was known. (d) Its genome was partially sequenced.

c) The developmental pathway of each cell in the adult worm was known.

Proteins are important architectural and catalytic components within the cell, helping to determine its chemistry, its shape, and its ability to respond to changes in the environment. Remarkably, all of the different proteins in a cell are made from the same 20 __________. By linking them in different sequences, the cell can make protein molecules with different conformations and surface chemistries, and therefore different functions. (a) nucleotides. (b) sugars. (c) amino acids. (d) fatty acids.

c) amino acids.

Cells can be very diverse: superficially, they come in various sizes, ranging from bacterial cells such as Lactobacillus, which is a few __________________ in length, to larger cells such as a frog's egg, which has a diameter of about one __________________. Despite the diversity, cells resemble each other to an astonishing degree in their chemistry. For example, the same 20 __________________ are used to make proteins. Similarly, the genetic information of all cells is stored in their __________________. Although __________________ contain the same types of molecules as cells, their inability to reproduce themselves by their own efforts means that they are not considered living matter.

micrometer millimeter amino acids DNA viruses

Eukaryotic cells are bigger and more elaborate than prokaryotic cells. By definition, all eukaryotic cells have a __________________, usually the most prominent organelle. Another organelle found in essentially all eukaryotic cells is the __________________, which generates the chemical energy for the cell. In contrast, the __________________ is a type of organelle found only in the cells of plants and algae, and performs photosynthesis. If we were to strip away the plasma membrane from a eukaryotic cell and remove all of its membrane- enclosed organelles, we would be left with the __________________, which contains many long, fine filaments of protein that are responsible for cell shape and structure and thereby form the cell's __________________.

nucleus mitochondria chloroplast cytosol cytoskeleton