Essential Cell Biology, 5th Edition Chapter 1-
20/All chapters.
Unity and Diversity of Cells
• Living systems are incredibly diverse in size, shape, environment, and behavior. It is
estimated that there are between 10 million and 100 million different species.
Despite this wide variety of organisms, it remains difficult to define what it means
to say something is alive. Which of the following can be described as the smallest
living unit?
• DNA
• cell
• organelle
• protein
• Indicate whether the following statements are true or false. If the statement
is false, explain why it is false.
• The Paramecium is a multicellular microorganism covered with hairlike cilia.
• Cells of different types can have different chemical requirements.
• The branchlike extensions that sprout from a single nerve cell in a
mammalian brain can extend over several hundred micrometers.
• For each of the following sentences, fill in the blanks with the best word or phrase
selected from the list below. Not all words or phrases will be used; each word or
phrase should be used only once.
Cells can be very diverse: superficially, they come in various sizes,
ranging from bacterial cells such as Lactobacillus, which is a few in length, to larger cells
. Despite the diversity, cells resemble each
other to an astonishing degree in their chemistry. For example, the
same 20
are used to make proteins. Similarly, the
genetic information of all cells is stored in their .
Although
contain the same types of molecules as cells, their
inability to reproduce themselves by their own efforts means that they are
not considered living matter.
, amino acids micrometer(s)
viruses DNA
millimeter(s) yeast
fatty acids plants
meter plasma membranes
• How does cellular specialization serve multicellular organisms and how might
a high degree of specialization be detrimental?
Page 1 of 21
• The flow of genetic information is controlled by a series of biochemical
reactions that result in the production of proteins, each with its own specific
order of amino acids. Choose the correct series of biochemical reactions
from the options presented here.
• replication, transcription, translation
• replication, translation, transcription
• translation, transcription, replication
• translation, replication, transcription
• Proteins are important architectural and catalytic components within the cell,
helping to determine its chemistry, its shape, and its ability to respond to
changes in the environment. Remarkably, all of the different proteins in a cell
are made from the same 20 . By linking them in different sequences, the cell
can make protein molecules with different conformations and surface
chemistries, and therefore different functions.
• nucleotides.
• sugars.
• amino
acids.
• fatty acids.
• Which statement is NOT true about mutations?
• A mutation is a change in the DNA that can generate offspring less fit for
survival than their parents.
• A mutation can be a result of imperfect DNA duplication.
• A mutation is a result of sexual reproduction.
• A mutation is a change in the DNA that can generate offspring that are as
fit for survival as their parents are.
,• Changes in DNA sequence from one generation to the next may result in offspring
that are altered in fitness compared with their parents. The process of change
and selection over the course of many generations is the basis of .
• mutation.
• evolution.
• heredity.
• reproduction.
• Select the option that best finishes the following statement: “Evolution is a process
.”
• that can be understood based on the principles of mutation and selection.
• that results from repeated cycles of adaptation over billions of years.
• by which all present-day cells arose from 4–5 different ancestral cells.
• that requires hundreds of thousands of years.
• Select the option that correctly finishes the following statement: “A cell’s genome
.”
• is defined as all the genes being used to make protein.
• contains all of a cell’s DNA.
Page 2 of 21
• constantly changes, depending upon the cell’s environment.
• is altered during embryonic development.
Cells Under the Microscope
• Which statement is NOT true about the events/conclusions from studies during
the mid- 1800s surrounding the discovery of cells?
• Cells came to be known as the smallest universal building block of
living organisms.
• Scientists came to the conclusion that new cells can form spontaneously
from the remnants of ruptured cells.
• Light microscopy was essential in demonstrating the commonalities
between plant and animal tissues.
• New cells arise from the growth and division of previously existing cells.
• What unit of length plant or animal cell?
would you generally use to measure atypical
• centimeters
• nanometers
• millimeters
, • micrometers
• Match the type of microscopy on the left with the corresponding description
provided below. There is one best match for each.
• confocal
• transmission electron
• fluorescence
• phase-contrast
• scanning electron
• bright-field
uses a light microscope with an optical component to take advantage of the
different refractive indices of light passing through different regions of the
cell.
employs a light microscope and requires that samples be fixed and stained
in order to reveal cellular details.
requires the use of two sets of filters. The first filter narrows the wavelength
range that reaches the specimen and the second blocks out all
wavelengths that pass back up to the eyepiece except for those emitted by
the dye in the sample.
scans the specimen with a focused laser beam to obtain a series of two-
dimensional optical sections, which can be used to reconstruct an image of
the specimen in three dimensions. The laser excites a fluorescent dye
molecule, and the emitted light from each illuminated point is captured
through a pinhole and recorded by a detector.
has the ability to resolve cellular components as small as 2 nm.
requires coating the sample with a thin layer of a heavy metal to produce
three- dimensional images of the surface of a sample.
Page 3 of 21
• Indicate whether the following statements are true or false. If the statement
is false, explain why it is false.
• The nucleus of an animal cell is round, small, and difficult to distinguish
using light microscopy.
• The presence of the plasma membrane can be inferred by the well-
defined boundary of the cell.
• The cytosol is fairly empty, containing a limited number of organelles,
which allows room for rapid movement via diffusion.
20/All chapters.
Unity and Diversity of Cells
• Living systems are incredibly diverse in size, shape, environment, and behavior. It is
estimated that there are between 10 million and 100 million different species.
Despite this wide variety of organisms, it remains difficult to define what it means
to say something is alive. Which of the following can be described as the smallest
living unit?
• DNA
• cell
• organelle
• protein
• Indicate whether the following statements are true or false. If the statement
is false, explain why it is false.
• The Paramecium is a multicellular microorganism covered with hairlike cilia.
• Cells of different types can have different chemical requirements.
• The branchlike extensions that sprout from a single nerve cell in a
mammalian brain can extend over several hundred micrometers.
• For each of the following sentences, fill in the blanks with the best word or phrase
selected from the list below. Not all words or phrases will be used; each word or
phrase should be used only once.
Cells can be very diverse: superficially, they come in various sizes,
ranging from bacterial cells such as Lactobacillus, which is a few in length, to larger cells
. Despite the diversity, cells resemble each
other to an astonishing degree in their chemistry. For example, the
same 20
are used to make proteins. Similarly, the
genetic information of all cells is stored in their .
Although
contain the same types of molecules as cells, their
inability to reproduce themselves by their own efforts means that they are
not considered living matter.
, amino acids micrometer(s)
viruses DNA
millimeter(s) yeast
fatty acids plants
meter plasma membranes
• How does cellular specialization serve multicellular organisms and how might
a high degree of specialization be detrimental?
Page 1 of 21
• The flow of genetic information is controlled by a series of biochemical
reactions that result in the production of proteins, each with its own specific
order of amino acids. Choose the correct series of biochemical reactions
from the options presented here.
• replication, transcription, translation
• replication, translation, transcription
• translation, transcription, replication
• translation, replication, transcription
• Proteins are important architectural and catalytic components within the cell,
helping to determine its chemistry, its shape, and its ability to respond to
changes in the environment. Remarkably, all of the different proteins in a cell
are made from the same 20 . By linking them in different sequences, the cell
can make protein molecules with different conformations and surface
chemistries, and therefore different functions.
• nucleotides.
• sugars.
• amino
acids.
• fatty acids.
• Which statement is NOT true about mutations?
• A mutation is a change in the DNA that can generate offspring less fit for
survival than their parents.
• A mutation can be a result of imperfect DNA duplication.
• A mutation is a result of sexual reproduction.
• A mutation is a change in the DNA that can generate offspring that are as
fit for survival as their parents are.
,• Changes in DNA sequence from one generation to the next may result in offspring
that are altered in fitness compared with their parents. The process of change
and selection over the course of many generations is the basis of .
• mutation.
• evolution.
• heredity.
• reproduction.
• Select the option that best finishes the following statement: “Evolution is a process
.”
• that can be understood based on the principles of mutation and selection.
• that results from repeated cycles of adaptation over billions of years.
• by which all present-day cells arose from 4–5 different ancestral cells.
• that requires hundreds of thousands of years.
• Select the option that correctly finishes the following statement: “A cell’s genome
.”
• is defined as all the genes being used to make protein.
• contains all of a cell’s DNA.
Page 2 of 21
• constantly changes, depending upon the cell’s environment.
• is altered during embryonic development.
Cells Under the Microscope
• Which statement is NOT true about the events/conclusions from studies during
the mid- 1800s surrounding the discovery of cells?
• Cells came to be known as the smallest universal building block of
living organisms.
• Scientists came to the conclusion that new cells can form spontaneously
from the remnants of ruptured cells.
• Light microscopy was essential in demonstrating the commonalities
between plant and animal tissues.
• New cells arise from the growth and division of previously existing cells.
• What unit of length plant or animal cell?
would you generally use to measure atypical
• centimeters
• nanometers
• millimeters
, • micrometers
• Match the type of microscopy on the left with the corresponding description
provided below. There is one best match for each.
• confocal
• transmission electron
• fluorescence
• phase-contrast
• scanning electron
• bright-field
uses a light microscope with an optical component to take advantage of the
different refractive indices of light passing through different regions of the
cell.
employs a light microscope and requires that samples be fixed and stained
in order to reveal cellular details.
requires the use of two sets of filters. The first filter narrows the wavelength
range that reaches the specimen and the second blocks out all
wavelengths that pass back up to the eyepiece except for those emitted by
the dye in the sample.
scans the specimen with a focused laser beam to obtain a series of two-
dimensional optical sections, which can be used to reconstruct an image of
the specimen in three dimensions. The laser excites a fluorescent dye
molecule, and the emitted light from each illuminated point is captured
through a pinhole and recorded by a detector.
has the ability to resolve cellular components as small as 2 nm.
requires coating the sample with a thin layer of a heavy metal to produce
three- dimensional images of the surface of a sample.
Page 3 of 21
• Indicate whether the following statements are true or false. If the statement
is false, explain why it is false.
• The nucleus of an animal cell is round, small, and difficult to distinguish
using light microscopy.
• The presence of the plasma membrane can be inferred by the well-
defined boundary of the cell.
• The cytosol is fairly empty, containing a limited number of organelles,
which allows room for rapid movement via diffusion.
