UIUC ANSC 221 Final Exam Questions
With 100% Correct/Verified Solutions
2026-2027 Updated.
Carl Woese - Answer Devised a system of classification based on the cellular organization of
organisms (three-domain system)
Cell Theory - Answer (Rudolph Virchow) The idea that all living organisms are comprised of
one or more cells, that cells are the smallest unit of life, and new cells can only come from pre-
existing cells.
Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) - Answer -beams of electrons transmitted through
sample
-thin slices stained with heavy metal
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) - Answer - sample coated with heavy metal
-Beam scans to make 3D image
Prokaryotic cells - Answer -lack a membrane-enclosed nucleus
- 2 categories
-Bacteria: abundant, most not harmful
-Archaea- less common, extreme environments
typical bacterial cell - Answer plasma membrane, cytoplasm, nucleoid, ribosomes
Structure of a prokaryotic cell - Answer
located outside plasma membrane - Answer cell wall- support and protection
Glycocalyx- traps water, protection
Appendages- pilli, flagella
Gram+ - thick peptidoglycan & teichoic acids
Gram- -thin peptidoglycan surrounded by 2nd lipid membrane of LPS and lipoproteins
Eukaryotic cells - Answer -DNA housed inside nucleus
-exhibit compartmentalization
-Organelle: membrane-bound compartment with its own unique structure and function
,-shape, size, and organization of cells vary considerably among different species and even
among different cell types of the same species
Translation - Answer (polypeptide synthesis) the process whereby genetic information coded
in messenger RNA directs the formation of a specific protein at a ribosome in the cytoplasm
Cytosol - Answer Region of a eukaryotic cell that is outside the cell organelles but inside the
plasma membrane
Metabolism - Answer Sum of all chemical reactions by cells
Catabolism - Answer breakdown of a molecule into smaller components
Anabolism - Answer synthesis of cellular molecules and macromolecules
Cytoskeleton - Answer network of 3 diff type of filaments:
Mictrotubules: long, hollow cylindrical structures
Intermediate filaments: twisted, rope like structure
Actin filaments: (microfilaments) long, thin fibers
Endomembrane system - Answer nuclear envelope, endoplasmic reticulum, golgi apparatus,
lysosomes, vacuoles and the plasma membrane.
Plasma Membrane - Answer Boundary between cell and extracellular environment
Functions: membrane transport, cell signaling using receptors, cell adhesion
nuclear envelope - Answer double membrane structure enclosing nucleus
functions: pores provide passageways
Nucleus - Answer Chromosomes
composed of DNA and protein= chromatin
Nuclear Matrix - Answer filamentous network, organizes chromosomes
, Golgi apparatus - Answer stack of flattened, membrane-bounded compartments
Functions: Vesicles transport materials between sacks, secretion, processing, and protein
sorting
Lysosomes - Answer contain acid hydrolases that perform hydrolysis
Autophagy - Answer lysosomes break down damaged organelles (endocytosis)
Peroxisomes - Answer -General function to catalyze certain reactions that break down
molecules by removing hydrogen or adding oxygen
-Typical cell contains 100s of them
-Detoxification
By-product of reaction is H2O2
Catalase breaks down H2O2 into water and oxygen
-Also metabolism of fats & amino acids
Semiautonomous organelles - Answer -Can grow and divide to reproduce themselves, but
they are not completely autonomous because they depend on other parts of the cell for their
internal components
-Mitochondria and chloroplasts
Mitochondria - Answer -Primary role is to make ATP
-Outer and inner membrane
-Intermembrane space and mitochondrial matrix
-Also involved in the synthesis, modification, and breakdown of several types of cellular
molecules
-Contain their own DNA, divide by binary fission
Protein sorting - Answer -Proteins are directed to their appropriate cellular location
-Signal sequences specific to destination
-Cytosol
-ER
Cotranslational - Answer -ER signal sequence recognized by SRP
-Vesicles from ER contain v-snare proteins that complement t-snare (receptors) on organelle
surface
With 100% Correct/Verified Solutions
2026-2027 Updated.
Carl Woese - Answer Devised a system of classification based on the cellular organization of
organisms (three-domain system)
Cell Theory - Answer (Rudolph Virchow) The idea that all living organisms are comprised of
one or more cells, that cells are the smallest unit of life, and new cells can only come from pre-
existing cells.
Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) - Answer -beams of electrons transmitted through
sample
-thin slices stained with heavy metal
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) - Answer - sample coated with heavy metal
-Beam scans to make 3D image
Prokaryotic cells - Answer -lack a membrane-enclosed nucleus
- 2 categories
-Bacteria: abundant, most not harmful
-Archaea- less common, extreme environments
typical bacterial cell - Answer plasma membrane, cytoplasm, nucleoid, ribosomes
Structure of a prokaryotic cell - Answer
located outside plasma membrane - Answer cell wall- support and protection
Glycocalyx- traps water, protection
Appendages- pilli, flagella
Gram+ - thick peptidoglycan & teichoic acids
Gram- -thin peptidoglycan surrounded by 2nd lipid membrane of LPS and lipoproteins
Eukaryotic cells - Answer -DNA housed inside nucleus
-exhibit compartmentalization
-Organelle: membrane-bound compartment with its own unique structure and function
,-shape, size, and organization of cells vary considerably among different species and even
among different cell types of the same species
Translation - Answer (polypeptide synthesis) the process whereby genetic information coded
in messenger RNA directs the formation of a specific protein at a ribosome in the cytoplasm
Cytosol - Answer Region of a eukaryotic cell that is outside the cell organelles but inside the
plasma membrane
Metabolism - Answer Sum of all chemical reactions by cells
Catabolism - Answer breakdown of a molecule into smaller components
Anabolism - Answer synthesis of cellular molecules and macromolecules
Cytoskeleton - Answer network of 3 diff type of filaments:
Mictrotubules: long, hollow cylindrical structures
Intermediate filaments: twisted, rope like structure
Actin filaments: (microfilaments) long, thin fibers
Endomembrane system - Answer nuclear envelope, endoplasmic reticulum, golgi apparatus,
lysosomes, vacuoles and the plasma membrane.
Plasma Membrane - Answer Boundary between cell and extracellular environment
Functions: membrane transport, cell signaling using receptors, cell adhesion
nuclear envelope - Answer double membrane structure enclosing nucleus
functions: pores provide passageways
Nucleus - Answer Chromosomes
composed of DNA and protein= chromatin
Nuclear Matrix - Answer filamentous network, organizes chromosomes
, Golgi apparatus - Answer stack of flattened, membrane-bounded compartments
Functions: Vesicles transport materials between sacks, secretion, processing, and protein
sorting
Lysosomes - Answer contain acid hydrolases that perform hydrolysis
Autophagy - Answer lysosomes break down damaged organelles (endocytosis)
Peroxisomes - Answer -General function to catalyze certain reactions that break down
molecules by removing hydrogen or adding oxygen
-Typical cell contains 100s of them
-Detoxification
By-product of reaction is H2O2
Catalase breaks down H2O2 into water and oxygen
-Also metabolism of fats & amino acids
Semiautonomous organelles - Answer -Can grow and divide to reproduce themselves, but
they are not completely autonomous because they depend on other parts of the cell for their
internal components
-Mitochondria and chloroplasts
Mitochondria - Answer -Primary role is to make ATP
-Outer and inner membrane
-Intermembrane space and mitochondrial matrix
-Also involved in the synthesis, modification, and breakdown of several types of cellular
molecules
-Contain their own DNA, divide by binary fission
Protein sorting - Answer -Proteins are directed to their appropriate cellular location
-Signal sequences specific to destination
-Cytosol
-ER
Cotranslational - Answer -ER signal sequence recognized by SRP
-Vesicles from ER contain v-snare proteins that complement t-snare (receptors) on organelle
surface
