GCSE - General Certificate of Secondary Education Cell Biology Questions and Answers

Question 1

A student observes a bacterial cell and a plant cell under a microscope. Which of the following correctly identifies a structure absent in the bacterial cell but present in the plant cell?

Accepted Answer

Mitochondria

Answer

Plant cells are eukaryotic and contain membrane-bound organelles, including mitochondria, which are the site of aerobic respiration. Bacterial cells are prokaryotic and lack a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles such as mitochondria. Both cell types have a cell wall (though of different composition), ribosomes for protein synthesis, and cytoplasm.

Question 2

A red blood cell is placed in a solution with a much lower water concentration than its cytoplasm. What is the most likely outcome for the cell?

Accepted Answer

It will shrink and shrivel.

Answer

The solution has a lower water concentration (and higher solute concentration) than the cell's cytoplasm. Due to osmosis, water will move from a region of higher water concentration (inside the cell) to a region of lower water concentration (outside the cell) across the partially permeable cell membrane. This net loss of water will cause the cell to shrink and shrivel (crenate).

Question 3

A micrograph shows a plant cell that has a length of 50 mm in the image. The magnification used is x1000. What is the actual size of the cell in micrometres (µm)?

Accepted Answer

50 µm

Answer

First, rearrange the magnification formula: Actual Size = Image Size / Magnification. So, Actual Size = 50 mm / 1000 = 0.05 mm. To convert millimetres (mm) to micrometres (µm), you multiply by 1000 (since 1 mm = 1000 µm). Therefore, 0.05 mm * 1000 = 50 µm.

Question 4

Which of the following is the primary reason for mitosis in multicellular organisms?

Accepted Answer

Growth and repair of tissues

Answer

Mitosis is a type of cell division that results in two daughter cells each having the same number and kind of chromosomes as the parent nucleus, typical of ordinary tissue growth. Its main purposes in multicellular organisms are to produce new cells for growth, and to replace old, lost, or damaged cells (repair). The production of gametes occurs via meiosis, which creates genetic variation.

Question 5

A root hair cell is a specialised cell found in plants. Which adaptation allows it to maximise the absorption of water and minerals from the soil?

Accepted Answer

A large surface area to volume ratio

Answer

Root hair cells have a long, hair-like extension which dramatically increases their surface area to volume ratio. This large surface area provides more space for water to move into the cell by osmosis and for mineral ions to be absorbed by active transport, making absorption more efficient.

GCSE - General Certificate of Secondary Education Practice Test

GCSE - General Certificate of Secondary Education Practice Test

GCSE - General Certificate of Secondary Education Cell Biology Questions and Answers