©EMILLYCHARLOTTE 2024-2025 September 14, 2024 12:27 PM
Honors Biology Cancer Exam Study
Guide with Complete Solutions
Mitosis - Answer✔️✔️-The process by which cells divide, creating two identical daughter
cells.
Prophase - Answer✔️✔️-The first phase of mitosis in which chromosomes condense and
become visible.
Anaphase - Answer✔️✔️-The third stage of mitosis in which chromosome pairs are split
up equally and pulled to separate sides of the cell.
Telophase - Answer✔️✔️-The fourth (and last) stage of mitosis in which chromosomes
bunch up at either end of the cell and begin to unravel into their original state.
Cytokinesis - Answer✔️✔️-When the cytoplasm divides after mitosis, creating two
identical cells.
Metaphase - Answer✔️✔️-The second stage of mitosis in which chromosomes line up in
pairs along the center of the cell.
Why does an onion root tip have more cells undergoing mitosis than an elodea leaf? -
Answer✔️✔️-The leaf's job is to perform photosynthesis, so it does not need to grow. The
onion root tip's function is to grow, so many of the cells are dividing.
What is the purpose of mitosis? - Answer✔️✔️-Growth and repair.
Normal cells are in mitosis for _____% of their life and in interphase for ____% of their
life. - Answer✔️✔️-10, 90
Page 1 of 17
, ©EMILLYCHARLOTTE 2024-2025 September 14, 2024 12:27 PM
Chromosome - Answer✔️✔️-DNA and proteins coiled around each other found in the
nucleus of the cell.
How many chromosomes do humans have? - Answer✔️✔️-46
How are cancerous cells different from normal cells? - Answer✔️✔️-Cancerous cells
spend more time in mitosis than interphase, have a higher density in a given area, have
many different sizes and shapes, disorganized DNA, an abnormal number of
chromosomes, a larger and darker nucleus, no clear boundaries, clump together in a
tumor, do not have contact inhibition, and undergo mitosis without a purpose.
Do cancerous cells or normal cells spend less time in mitosis and interphase? Why? -
Answer✔️✔️-Cancerous cells spend less time in mitosis and interphase because
oncogenes have accelerated their cell cycle or there are no tumor suppressor genes.
Why is an increased rate of mitosis in cancerous cells different than an increased rate of
mitosis in an onion root tip? - Answer✔️✔️-In an onion root tip, the root's purpose is to
continue to grow to seek water and nutrients. This kind of growth is planned and
necessary for the plant's survival, so the increased rate of mitosis makes sense. In
cancerous cells, there is no purpose for the mitosis. It is not planned or necessary.
Do cancerous cells or normal cells have a higher density in a given space? Why? -
Answer✔️✔️-Cancerous cells increase exponentially in cell density, so there are many
more of them packed into a given space. Normal cells recognize when a space has
been filled and stop dividing (contact inhibition), but cancerous cells have lost their
ability to receive the signal that the space is filled, so they continue to divide.
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, ©EMILLYCHARLOTTE 2024-2025 September 14, 2024 12:27 PM
Apoptosis - Answer✔️✔️-Programmed cell death that eliminates unnecessary cells during
development and removes unhealthy/damaged cells.
Explain the relationship between normal cell division and apoptosis. - Answer✔️✔️-In
normal cells, when there is DNA damage that the cell cannot fix, it undergoes apoptosis.
This prevents the damaged DNA from being passed on to daughter cells during mitosis.
Explain the relationship between cancerous cells and apoptosis. - Answer✔️✔️-In
cancerous cells, when there is DNA damage that the cell cannot fix, it does not undergo
apoptosis. Instead, it continues to divide even though it isn't supposed to, and the cells
overgrow the area and clump together, making more cells with damaged DNA.
What is the difference between normal skin tissue and melanoma? - Answer✔️✔️-Normal
skin tissue is well organized with boundaries between each layer. The cells are uniform
in size and shape. The tissues of melanoma do not have clear boundaries. The
melanocytes are clumped together in nests and migrating into other areas.
If you fall and scrape you knee, will you have a hole in your knee for the rest of your
life? Explain. - Answer✔️✔️-No. Inflammatory chemicals enter the blood supply, which tell
the body that there is an injury. The blood supply brings the necessary components to
the injury to heal it, like white blood cells and clotting and plasma proteins. Epithelial
cells undergo mitosis to fill in the wound.
How is the mitosis that takes place in a wound different from cancerous tumor cells? -
Answer✔️✔️-If there is a wound, epithelial cells undergo mitosis to fill in the wound. This
is a normal and necessary use of mitosis. The tumor cells divide on their own, not in
response to growth or injury.
Page 3 of 17
Honors Biology Cancer Exam Study
Guide with Complete Solutions
Mitosis - Answer✔️✔️-The process by which cells divide, creating two identical daughter
cells.
Prophase - Answer✔️✔️-The first phase of mitosis in which chromosomes condense and
become visible.
Anaphase - Answer✔️✔️-The third stage of mitosis in which chromosome pairs are split
up equally and pulled to separate sides of the cell.
Telophase - Answer✔️✔️-The fourth (and last) stage of mitosis in which chromosomes
bunch up at either end of the cell and begin to unravel into their original state.
Cytokinesis - Answer✔️✔️-When the cytoplasm divides after mitosis, creating two
identical cells.
Metaphase - Answer✔️✔️-The second stage of mitosis in which chromosomes line up in
pairs along the center of the cell.
Why does an onion root tip have more cells undergoing mitosis than an elodea leaf? -
Answer✔️✔️-The leaf's job is to perform photosynthesis, so it does not need to grow. The
onion root tip's function is to grow, so many of the cells are dividing.
What is the purpose of mitosis? - Answer✔️✔️-Growth and repair.
Normal cells are in mitosis for _____% of their life and in interphase for ____% of their
life. - Answer✔️✔️-10, 90
Page 1 of 17
, ©EMILLYCHARLOTTE 2024-2025 September 14, 2024 12:27 PM
Chromosome - Answer✔️✔️-DNA and proteins coiled around each other found in the
nucleus of the cell.
How many chromosomes do humans have? - Answer✔️✔️-46
How are cancerous cells different from normal cells? - Answer✔️✔️-Cancerous cells
spend more time in mitosis than interphase, have a higher density in a given area, have
many different sizes and shapes, disorganized DNA, an abnormal number of
chromosomes, a larger and darker nucleus, no clear boundaries, clump together in a
tumor, do not have contact inhibition, and undergo mitosis without a purpose.
Do cancerous cells or normal cells spend less time in mitosis and interphase? Why? -
Answer✔️✔️-Cancerous cells spend less time in mitosis and interphase because
oncogenes have accelerated their cell cycle or there are no tumor suppressor genes.
Why is an increased rate of mitosis in cancerous cells different than an increased rate of
mitosis in an onion root tip? - Answer✔️✔️-In an onion root tip, the root's purpose is to
continue to grow to seek water and nutrients. This kind of growth is planned and
necessary for the plant's survival, so the increased rate of mitosis makes sense. In
cancerous cells, there is no purpose for the mitosis. It is not planned or necessary.
Do cancerous cells or normal cells have a higher density in a given space? Why? -
Answer✔️✔️-Cancerous cells increase exponentially in cell density, so there are many
more of them packed into a given space. Normal cells recognize when a space has
been filled and stop dividing (contact inhibition), but cancerous cells have lost their
ability to receive the signal that the space is filled, so they continue to divide.
Page 2 of 17
, ©EMILLYCHARLOTTE 2024-2025 September 14, 2024 12:27 PM
Apoptosis - Answer✔️✔️-Programmed cell death that eliminates unnecessary cells during
development and removes unhealthy/damaged cells.
Explain the relationship between normal cell division and apoptosis. - Answer✔️✔️-In
normal cells, when there is DNA damage that the cell cannot fix, it undergoes apoptosis.
This prevents the damaged DNA from being passed on to daughter cells during mitosis.
Explain the relationship between cancerous cells and apoptosis. - Answer✔️✔️-In
cancerous cells, when there is DNA damage that the cell cannot fix, it does not undergo
apoptosis. Instead, it continues to divide even though it isn't supposed to, and the cells
overgrow the area and clump together, making more cells with damaged DNA.
What is the difference between normal skin tissue and melanoma? - Answer✔️✔️-Normal
skin tissue is well organized with boundaries between each layer. The cells are uniform
in size and shape. The tissues of melanoma do not have clear boundaries. The
melanocytes are clumped together in nests and migrating into other areas.
If you fall and scrape you knee, will you have a hole in your knee for the rest of your
life? Explain. - Answer✔️✔️-No. Inflammatory chemicals enter the blood supply, which tell
the body that there is an injury. The blood supply brings the necessary components to
the injury to heal it, like white blood cells and clotting and plasma proteins. Epithelial
cells undergo mitosis to fill in the wound.
How is the mitosis that takes place in a wound different from cancerous tumor cells? -
Answer✔️✔️-If there is a wound, epithelial cells undergo mitosis to fill in the wound. This
is a normal and necessary use of mitosis. The tumor cells divide on their own, not in
response to growth or injury.
Page 3 of 17
