MCAT® Biology Review 2023–2026 – Questions &
Answers | 100% Latest Update 2026 | Verified
1. What did Robert Hooke assemble and noticed?: In 1665, Robert Hooke assembled a crude
compound microscope and tested its properties on a piece of cork. He noticed a honeycomb-like structure and
compared the spaces within the cork to the small rooms of a monastery, known as cells. Because cork consists of
desiccated nonliving cells, Hooke was not able to see nuclei, organelles, or cell membranes.
2. What did Anton van Leeuwenhoek notice?: He was the first to view a livin g cell under a
microscope.
3. What did Rudolph Virchow conclude?: demonstrated that diseased cells could a rise from normal
cells in normal tissues
4. What is the cell theory and tenants?: 1. All living things are composed of cells.
2. The cell is the basic functional unit of life.
3. Cells arise only from preexisting cells.
Through advances in molecular biology, a fourth tenet has been added to the theory:
4. Cells carry genetic information in the form of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). This genetic material
parent to daughter cell.
5. What is the dilemma that cell theory creates with respect to viruses? Why?: The
dilemma is whether viruses are either living or non-living.
-Viruses are small structures that contain genetic material, but are unable to reproduce on their own. This violates the
third and fourth tenets of the cell theory because virions can only replicate by invading other organisms and because
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,MCAT® Biology Review 2023–2026 – Questions &
Answers | 100% Latest Update 2026 | Verified
they may use ribonucleic acid (RNA) as their genetic information.
Therefore, viruses are not considered living organisms.
6. MCAT Concept Check 1.1:
What are the four fundamental tenets of the cell theory?
-1.
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,MCAT® Biology Review 2023–2026 – Questions &
Answers | 100% Latest Update 2026 | Verified
-2.
-3.
-4.: MCAT Concept Check 1.1:
What are the four fundamental tenets of the cell theory?
1. All living things are composed of cells.
2. The cell is the basic functional unit of life.
3. Cells arise only from preexisting cells.
4. Cells carry genetic information in the form of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). This genetic material is passed on from
parent to daughter cell.
7. What are the differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic c ells?: Prokaryotic
organisms are always single celled, while eukaryotic organisms can be unicellular or multicellular.
Whereas eukaryotic cells contain a true nucleus enclosed in a membrane, prokaryotic cells do not c ontain a nucleus.
8. What are membrane-bound organelles? -This allows for:
-Components of the phospholipid bilayer:
-Cytosol:
-Nucleus:
-Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA):
-Chromosomes:
-Mitosis:: What are membrane-bound organelles membrane enclosing a semifluid cytosol in which the organelles
are suspended.
-This allows for: compartmentalization of functions
-Components of the phospholipid bilayer: Its surfaces are hydrophilic, electrostatically interacting w ith the aqueous
environments inside and outside of the cell, while its inner portion is hydrophobic, which helps to provide a highly
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,MCAT® Biology Review 2023–2026 – Questions &
Answers | 100% Latest Update 2026 | Verified
selective barrier between the interior of the cell and the external environment
-Cytosol: allows for the dittusion of molecules throughout the cell.
-Nucleus: where genetic material is stored
-Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA): where genetic material is encoded in
-Chromosomes: carry genetic information in the form of genes.
-Mitosis: How eukaryotic cells reproduce, allowing for the formation of two identical daughter cells.
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Answers | 100% Latest Update 2026 | Verified
1. What did Robert Hooke assemble and noticed?: In 1665, Robert Hooke assembled a crude
compound microscope and tested its properties on a piece of cork. He noticed a honeycomb-like structure and
compared the spaces within the cork to the small rooms of a monastery, known as cells. Because cork consists of
desiccated nonliving cells, Hooke was not able to see nuclei, organelles, or cell membranes.
2. What did Anton van Leeuwenhoek notice?: He was the first to view a livin g cell under a
microscope.
3. What did Rudolph Virchow conclude?: demonstrated that diseased cells could a rise from normal
cells in normal tissues
4. What is the cell theory and tenants?: 1. All living things are composed of cells.
2. The cell is the basic functional unit of life.
3. Cells arise only from preexisting cells.
Through advances in molecular biology, a fourth tenet has been added to the theory:
4. Cells carry genetic information in the form of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). This genetic material
parent to daughter cell.
5. What is the dilemma that cell theory creates with respect to viruses? Why?: The
dilemma is whether viruses are either living or non-living.
-Viruses are small structures that contain genetic material, but are unable to reproduce on their own. This violates the
third and fourth tenets of the cell theory because virions can only replicate by invading other organisms and because
https://www.stuvia.com/user/Edufiles
,MCAT® Biology Review 2023–2026 – Questions &
Answers | 100% Latest Update 2026 | Verified
they may use ribonucleic acid (RNA) as their genetic information.
Therefore, viruses are not considered living organisms.
6. MCAT Concept Check 1.1:
What are the four fundamental tenets of the cell theory?
-1.
https://www.stuvia.com/user/Edufiles
,MCAT® Biology Review 2023–2026 – Questions &
Answers | 100% Latest Update 2026 | Verified
-2.
-3.
-4.: MCAT Concept Check 1.1:
What are the four fundamental tenets of the cell theory?
1. All living things are composed of cells.
2. The cell is the basic functional unit of life.
3. Cells arise only from preexisting cells.
4. Cells carry genetic information in the form of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). This genetic material is passed on from
parent to daughter cell.
7. What are the differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic c ells?: Prokaryotic
organisms are always single celled, while eukaryotic organisms can be unicellular or multicellular.
Whereas eukaryotic cells contain a true nucleus enclosed in a membrane, prokaryotic cells do not c ontain a nucleus.
8. What are membrane-bound organelles? -This allows for:
-Components of the phospholipid bilayer:
-Cytosol:
-Nucleus:
-Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA):
-Chromosomes:
-Mitosis:: What are membrane-bound organelles membrane enclosing a semifluid cytosol in which the organelles
are suspended.
-This allows for: compartmentalization of functions
-Components of the phospholipid bilayer: Its surfaces are hydrophilic, electrostatically interacting w ith the aqueous
environments inside and outside of the cell, while its inner portion is hydrophobic, which helps to provide a highly
https://www.stuvia.com/user/Edufiles
,MCAT® Biology Review 2023–2026 – Questions &
Answers | 100% Latest Update 2026 | Verified
selective barrier between the interior of the cell and the external environment
-Cytosol: allows for the dittusion of molecules throughout the cell.
-Nucleus: where genetic material is stored
-Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA): where genetic material is encoded in
-Chromosomes: carry genetic information in the form of genes.
-Mitosis: How eukaryotic cells reproduce, allowing for the formation of two identical daughter cells.
https://www.stuvia.com/user/Edufiles
