Question 1

Which of the following best explains why penicillin is effective against Gram-positive bacteria but not Gram-negative bacteria?

Accepted Answer

Gram-positive bacteria have a thick peptidoglycan layer that penicillin targets, while Gram-negative bacteria have an outer membrane that blocks penicillin.

Question 2

A patient is prescribed an antibiotic that specifically targets 70S ribosomes. Which type of cells will be most affected by this drug?

Accepted Answer

Prokaryotic cells, because they have 70S ribosomes, unlike eukaryotic cells which have 80S ribosomes.

Question 3

Why are human cells generally unaffected by antibiotics that target bacterial cell walls?

Accepted Answer

Human cells lack peptidoglycan cell walls, so antibiotics targeting this structure do not harm them.

Question 4

A scientist is studying a cell with the following characteristics: circular DNA, no membrane-bound organelles, and a cell wall made of peptidoglycan. What type of cell is this?

Accepted Answer

A prokaryotic cell

Question 5

Which organelle would you expect to find in abundance in the liver, and why?

Accepted Answer

Smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER), because it is involved in detoxification processes.

Question 6

A patient with a muscle disorder is found to have cells with defective mitochondria. Which cellular process is most likely impaired?

Accepted Answer

ATP production for muscle contraction

Question 7

Which of the following best describes the main structural difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic DNA?

Accepted Answer

Prokaryotic DNA is circular, while eukaryotic DNA is linear.

Question 8

A white blood cell is observed engulfing and digesting bacteria. Which organelle is most directly involved in this process?

Accepted Answer

Lysosome

Question 9

Which of the following is a similarity between prokaryotic cells and animal cells?

Accepted Answer

Both have a plasma membrane.

Question 10

A sperm cell is able to swim toward the egg due to the presence of which structure?

Accepted Answer

Flagellum

Question 11

Which organelle would you expect to be most abundant in pancreatic cells that produce digestive enzymes?

Accepted Answer

Rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER)

Question 12

A researcher is developing a new antibiotic that targets the synthesis of peptidoglycan. Which type of organism will this drug most likely affect?

Accepted Answer

Bacteria

Question 13

Which of the following best explains why cilia are abundant in the cells lining the fallopian tubes?

Accepted Answer

Cilia help sweep and propel the egg toward the uterus.

Question 14

Which of the following is a key reason why antibiotics that target bacterial ribosomes do not harm human cells?

Accepted Answer

Bacterial ribosomes are structurally different from eukaryotic ribosomes.

Question 15

A mutation causes a loss of function in the actin cytoskeleton of lung epithelial cells. Which process would be most directly affected?

Accepted Answer

The ability to sweep debris out of the lungs

Question 16

Which of the following statements about the plasma membrane is true for both prokaryotic and animal cells?

Accepted Answer

It acts as a selective barrier regulating the movement of substances in and out of the cell.

Question 17

A patient is infected with a Gram-negative bacterium. Which structural feature makes this bacterium more resistant to certain antibiotics?

Accepted Answer

The presence of an outer membrane outside the peptidoglycan layer

Question 18

Which of the following best describes the function of lysosomes in immune (white blood) cells?

Accepted Answer

They digest engulfed bacteria and foreign invaders.

Question 19

Which of the following is a major difference between the cell wall of plant cells and that of Gram-positive bacteria?

Accepted Answer

Plant cell walls are made of cellulose, while Gram-positive bacterial cell walls are made of peptidoglycan.

Question 20

A patient is given a drug that inhibits the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) in liver cells. Which process will be most directly affected?

Accepted Answer

Detoxification of drugs and toxins

Comparative Cell Biology: Prokaryotes, Eukaryotes, and Specialized Cell Functions

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