Cells Quiz 1 Study Guide
Learning Goal #1: I understand that all organisms are composed of
cells and can compare and contrast single-celled and multicellular
organisms.
1. What are the three main principals of the cell theory?
1. All living things are made out of cells.
2. Cells are the most basic unit of life.
3. All cells come from other cells.
2. List 5 things that are made out of cells.
Anything that is living or was once living would work here.
3. List 5 things that are not made out of cells.
Anything that is not currently nor never was living would work
here.
4. Define Unicellular Organism: An organism made up of only one cell.
5. Define Multicellular Organism: An organism made up of more than one
cell.
6. Compare and contrast a unicellular and multicellular organism (example:
an amoeba and a tree).
Unicellular organisms (like the amoeba) are made out of only one
cell while multicellular organisms (like trees) are made out of more
than one cell. Unicellular organisms are simple and do not have any
organ-like structures while multicellular organisms are able to
develop organs. Multicellular organisms are also usually larger than
unicellular organisms.
7. If something is living and made out of cells, what 6 characteristics does it
have that are true of all living things?
1. All living things are made out of cells.
2. Living things use energy.
3. Living things grow and develop.
4. Living things respond to their environment.
5. Living things reproduce.
6. Living things are adapted to their environment.
Learning Goal #2: I can differentiate between levels of organization in
organisms including cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems.
8. What are three things that plant and animal cells have in common?
They both have a cell membrane, mitochondria, cytoskeleton, endoplasmic
reticulum, golgi apparatus, and lysosome.
9. What are three ways that plant and animal cells are different?
The plant cell has a cell wall and chloroplasts while animal cells do not. Also,
plant cells have one large vacuole while animal cells have multiple small
vacuoles.
10. What is the job of the nucleus of the cell?
It stores the DNA of the cell and acts as the “command center”.
11. What is the job of the cell membrane?
It acts like a skin and protects and encases the cell. It allows substances to pass
in and out of the cell.
12. List the levels of organization of living things in order from most simple to
most complex.
Cell  tissue  organ  organ system
13. Give two examples of each level of organization.
1. Organ: heart, flower, stem, liver, stomach, brain, lungs, intestine
2. Cell: nerve cell, blood cell, amoeba, paramecium, muscle cell
3. Tissue: muscle tissue, skin (epithelial) tissue, nervous tissue,
connective tissue
4. Organ System: digestive system, circulatory system, respiratory
system
Learning Goal #3: I can explain how nutrients pass in and out of the
cell membrane through diffusion, osmosis, and active transport.
14. Below is a drawing of the cell. The
represents a CO2 Using arrows,
indicate where molecules would move via diffusion.
Arrows should be moving some of the molecules from the outside
of the cell to the inside of the cell.
15. Describe what osmosis is.
Osmosis is the diffusion of water
16. If someone drank saltwater they would die within hours. Explain why this
happens using the word “cell” in your explanation.
The water would move out of the cell due to osmosis. The cells in
the body would shrivel and the person would die. The salt in the
water created a lower concentration of water on the outside of the
cell. The water inside of the cell moved from a high concentration
to an area of lower concentration.
17. How is active transport different than passive transport (osmosis and
diffusion)?
Active transport requires the cell’s energy and moves against the
concentration gradient (from an area of low to high concentration)
18. The cell membrane is “selectively permeable”. Describe what that means
in your own words.
The cell membrane only allows certain substances to pass in and
out of the cell freely.
Learning Goal #4: I can describe how an organism grows and develops
through cell growth, cell division, and specialization.
19. Compare and contrast how unicellular and multicellular organisms grow
and develop.
Multicellular organisms can grow and develop using cell growth, cell
division, and cell specialization.
Unicellular organisms can only grow and develop using cell growth.
20. Describe what “cell specialization” is. How is this an advantage to
multicellular organisms?
Cell specialization is the ability of an organism to have different
types of cells each with a unique job. This is an advantage to
multicellular organisms because they can perform more efficiently
and have complex levels of organization such as tissues, organs,
and organ systems.
21. Below are two different cells. Describe how they are each specialized to
perform a specific job.
Nerve Cell
Blood Cell
The nerve cell is long and spread out so it can send messages
throughout the body. The blood cell is shaped like a disk so it can squeeze into
the smallest arteries. Each cell has a different shape because it’s specialized to
do a different job.