Biology 1406: Exam 2 Review
(chapters 6,7,8) Test Questions Fully
Solved 2026 Updated.
Name the scientists who first studied cells and mention their contributions. - Answer Robert
Hooke: first person to view cells, first person to build a microscope. Antonie van leeuwenhoek:
first person to view living cells (bacteria, pond water) .Matthias Schleiden and Theodore
Schwann (1830): proposed the cell theory (all living things are composed of cells) still true
except for viruses.
Who was the first scientist to view cells/build a microscope? - Answer Robert Hooke
Who was the first person to view living cells (bacteria)? - Answer Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
Which two people proposed the cell theory (all living things are composed of cells)? - Answer
Matthias Schleiden and Theodore Schwann.
What are the techniques used to study cell structure? - Answer staining (so they are more
visible, cell fractionation (takes the cells apart & separates the major organelles by size in order
to study things individually) and microscopy (using a microscope to see the cells)
3. Describe cell fractionation. What is this technique used for? - Answer the method of taking
cells apart and separating the major organelles by size in order to study the organelles
individually
4. Compare and contrast the light microscope and electron microscope. - Answer the light
microscope uses light and stain to examine cells and is 1000x better than the human eye. The
electron microscope uses magnets and electrons to magnify images and is 1,000,000x better
than the human eye.
5. Why are multicellular organisms made up of numerous small cells rather than a few large
ones? - Answer because its easier to move waste and nutrients between lots of small cells,
and they don't let go of as much waste as larger cells.
6. What is the endosymbiosis theory? - Answer the theory that eukaryotic cells evolved from
prokaryotic cells by a prokaryotic cell living inside another prokaryotic cell in a symbiotic
relationship. Mitochondria and chloroplasts were once free living cells but one day a prokaryotic
cell must have eaten a mitochondria, and instead of dying, the mitochondria benefitted both
itself and the other cell by living inside it.
, Distinguish between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells - Answer prokaryotic has no nucleus or
membrane bound organelles, eukaryotic cells do have membrane bound organelles and a
nucleus.
a. Nucleus & nucleolus - Answer these are only in eurkaryotic cells, but they are in both
plants and animals. They contain DNA, genetic material.
b. Ribosomes - Answer ribosomes synthesize proteins (make proteins)
c. endoplasmic reticulum (smooth and rough) - Answer the rough endoplasmic reticulum is
embedded with ribosomes and is responsible for transporting proteins; the smooth ER is
responsible for lipid & steroid synthesis, the breakdown of toxins, and calcium ion release.
d. Golgi apparatus - Answer the golgi apparatus is responsible for packaging and transporting
proteins and other macromolecules to other locations within or outside the cell.
e. Lysosomes - Answer lysosomes contain enzymes that are needed to digest food, damaged
organelles, or invading bacteria. Only in animals
f. Vacuoles (3 types) - Answer - central vacuole (only in plants, maintains plant shape and
water pressure by storing water), contractile vacuole (pumps water out of cells to maintain a
suitable concentration), and food vacuole (stores molecules that are a food source to the cell).
g. Mitochondria - Answer the mitochondria breaks down food to provide cells with a usable
form of energy (ATP)
h. Plastids (chloroplast, chromoplast & leucoplast) - Answer only found in plants, aid in plant
things. Chloroplast converts sunlight to energy using photosynthesis, chromoplasts have
pigments that give fruits and flowers their colors, and leucoplasts are colorless organelles that
store starch for support.
i. Peroxisome - Answer found in the cytoplasm of all cells , they create hydrogen peroxide by
oxidizing certain molecules. They break down fatty acids in the cells.
j. Cytoskeleton (microtubules, microfilaments and intermediate filaments) - Answer network
of filaments that maintain cell shape and mobility. (microfilaments are the thinnest and are
attached to the cell membrane, facilitate muscle contraction) (microtubules are the largest and
are used by vesicles to get from one place to another within the cell)(intermediate filaments
anchor organelles in place)
(chapters 6,7,8) Test Questions Fully
Solved 2026 Updated.
Name the scientists who first studied cells and mention their contributions. - Answer Robert
Hooke: first person to view cells, first person to build a microscope. Antonie van leeuwenhoek:
first person to view living cells (bacteria, pond water) .Matthias Schleiden and Theodore
Schwann (1830): proposed the cell theory (all living things are composed of cells) still true
except for viruses.
Who was the first scientist to view cells/build a microscope? - Answer Robert Hooke
Who was the first person to view living cells (bacteria)? - Answer Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
Which two people proposed the cell theory (all living things are composed of cells)? - Answer
Matthias Schleiden and Theodore Schwann.
What are the techniques used to study cell structure? - Answer staining (so they are more
visible, cell fractionation (takes the cells apart & separates the major organelles by size in order
to study things individually) and microscopy (using a microscope to see the cells)
3. Describe cell fractionation. What is this technique used for? - Answer the method of taking
cells apart and separating the major organelles by size in order to study the organelles
individually
4. Compare and contrast the light microscope and electron microscope. - Answer the light
microscope uses light and stain to examine cells and is 1000x better than the human eye. The
electron microscope uses magnets and electrons to magnify images and is 1,000,000x better
than the human eye.
5. Why are multicellular organisms made up of numerous small cells rather than a few large
ones? - Answer because its easier to move waste and nutrients between lots of small cells,
and they don't let go of as much waste as larger cells.
6. What is the endosymbiosis theory? - Answer the theory that eukaryotic cells evolved from
prokaryotic cells by a prokaryotic cell living inside another prokaryotic cell in a symbiotic
relationship. Mitochondria and chloroplasts were once free living cells but one day a prokaryotic
cell must have eaten a mitochondria, and instead of dying, the mitochondria benefitted both
itself and the other cell by living inside it.
, Distinguish between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells - Answer prokaryotic has no nucleus or
membrane bound organelles, eukaryotic cells do have membrane bound organelles and a
nucleus.
a. Nucleus & nucleolus - Answer these are only in eurkaryotic cells, but they are in both
plants and animals. They contain DNA, genetic material.
b. Ribosomes - Answer ribosomes synthesize proteins (make proteins)
c. endoplasmic reticulum (smooth and rough) - Answer the rough endoplasmic reticulum is
embedded with ribosomes and is responsible for transporting proteins; the smooth ER is
responsible for lipid & steroid synthesis, the breakdown of toxins, and calcium ion release.
d. Golgi apparatus - Answer the golgi apparatus is responsible for packaging and transporting
proteins and other macromolecules to other locations within or outside the cell.
e. Lysosomes - Answer lysosomes contain enzymes that are needed to digest food, damaged
organelles, or invading bacteria. Only in animals
f. Vacuoles (3 types) - Answer - central vacuole (only in plants, maintains plant shape and
water pressure by storing water), contractile vacuole (pumps water out of cells to maintain a
suitable concentration), and food vacuole (stores molecules that are a food source to the cell).
g. Mitochondria - Answer the mitochondria breaks down food to provide cells with a usable
form of energy (ATP)
h. Plastids (chloroplast, chromoplast & leucoplast) - Answer only found in plants, aid in plant
things. Chloroplast converts sunlight to energy using photosynthesis, chromoplasts have
pigments that give fruits and flowers their colors, and leucoplasts are colorless organelles that
store starch for support.
i. Peroxisome - Answer found in the cytoplasm of all cells , they create hydrogen peroxide by
oxidizing certain molecules. They break down fatty acids in the cells.
j. Cytoskeleton (microtubules, microfilaments and intermediate filaments) - Answer network
of filaments that maintain cell shape and mobility. (microfilaments are the thinnest and are
attached to the cell membrane, facilitate muscle contraction) (microtubules are the largest and
are used by vesicles to get from one place to another within the cell)(intermediate filaments
anchor organelles in place)
