Questions and Answers
What are the two general types of membranes that eukaryotic cells have? - ANSW-Plasma Membranes
and organelle membranes
What are the two main function of the cell/plasma membrane? - ANSW-Provides a barrier between
water inside and outside the cell.
Transport: decides what goes in and out of the cell.
Where is the cytosol found? - ANSW-Is the jelly like substance located inside the cell and around the
organelle.Organelles are submersed in this jelly like substance.
Where are chromosomes located in Eukaryotic cells? - ANSW-They are located in the nucleus inside the
cell.
What is the function of ribosomes and where are they located in eukaryotic cells(there are up to four
locations)? - ANSW-Their function is to use genetic information to make proteins.
They are located in the mitochondria, bound to other organelles, free in the cytosol, and in the rough
endoplasmic reticulum.
For ribosomes in the cytosol, what is the difference in types of proteins made by free and membrane-
bound ribosomes? - ANSW-Organelle bound ribosomes make regular cell proteins while free ribosomes
make either membrane proteins or proteins in which the cell will excrete/export.
Describe the overall function(s) of the endomembrane system. - ANSW-Produces all cell
membranes(plasma membrane + organelle membranes)
Produces any substances the cell will secrete/export such as protein or lipid
Give three examples of specialized animal cells and their unique endomembrane products. - ANSW-
Pancreas produces insulin.
Testes produce testosterone in males.
Ovaries produce estrogen in females.
What do the plant cell central vacuole and the cell wall do together for the cell? - ANSW-They provide
central pressure, maintain cell shape, and rigidity to plant cells.
What other function does the central vacuole? - ANSW-It functions as a storage area where it stores
water, waste, nutrients, and starch.
What is the function of the mitochondria? - ANSW-It carries out cellular respiration by using Oxygen to
extract energy from food and packaging it into ATP packets.
What part of the mitochondrion is important for carrying out its function? - ANSW-Specialized
membranes are required.
How do aerobic prokaryotes carry out the function as the mitochondria do in eukaryotes? - ANSW-They
use a specialized region of their plasma membrane to carry out respiration.
What is the function of chloroplasts? - ANSW-They convert sun light energy to chemical energy and
produce food molecules using (CO2) carbon dioxide.
Which of the following organelles do your cells need to stay alive this minute: chloroplasts or
mitochondria? - ANSW-Mitochondria
, Explain how the other organelles is completely useless to your individual cells this minute, but vital to
you in general. - ANSW-Chloroplasts are useless for us due to our lack of these inside our cells.
However, chloroplasts are vital due to being the energy and food factory for plants who provide all of our
food.
Describe the evolutionary origin of the mitochondria and chloroplasts. - ANSW-They both evolved from
specialized prokaryote cells being engulfed by ancient eukaryotes cells.
What types of organisms first did respiration and photosynthesis? - ANSW-Prokaryotes cells called
cyanobacteria were the first photo-synthesizers.
What are the functions of the cytoskeleton? - ANSW-Moving the cell, moving parts of the cell, change
shape, and dividing the cell.
What type of molecule is the cystoskeleton composed of? - ANSW-Protein
Explain why the following statement is true or false: Since plants cells have cells walls they do not have
plasma membranes. - ANSW-It's false.
Plant cells do have plasma membranes. It's the second out most layer before the plant cell wall and is
responsible for transport.
Explain why the following statement is true or false: Animal cells have something outside their plasma
membranes, and it is the same thing that plants have. - ANSW-It's false.
Animal cells have an extra cellular matrix outside their plasma membranes that plant cells do not have.
Plants outer layer is the cell wall.
What is the function of the plant cell wall? - ANSW-The cell wall provides structural strength, limits water
intake, and protects it from the outside environment.
What is the general function of animals' extra-cellular matrix? - ANSW-It provides mechanical support,
communication and binds cells together.
What is the name of the main protein in animals' extra-cellular matrix? - ANSW-Collagen
Approximately how old is Earth? - ANSW-4.6 bya
What are our sources of information about early earth's environment? - ANSW-Geologists
Astronomers
Explain overall what is meant by the phrase "chemical evolution," and list two steps in the process. -
ANSW-Elements form molecules and those molecules form simple organic molecules.
Then, those organic molecules form more complex organic molecules.
If we cannot observe the origin of life going on today, what experiments suggest how it might have
happened? - ANSW-We can setup experiments where it replicates the Earth's ancient environment
where simple molecules are able to form organic molecules, which then form other complex organic
molecules such as amino acids.
Fill in the blanks below to describe the carbon cycle. Give molecules, names of processes, and direction
of energy flow, form of energy. - ANSW-Glucose + O2
Photosynthesis, energy flow Respiration, energy flow
CO2 + H2O
What organelles in eukaryotes perform each process? - ANSW-Mitochondria: respiration
Chloroplasts: photosynthesis