Basic Cell Quiz

Answer: Chloroplast

The chloroplast is where photosynthesis occurs. This process creates food in the form of glucose for the plant. Chloroplasts absorb light from the sun with a pigment called chlorophyll. They look green because they reflect green light. This gives plants their green color.

Answer: Cytokinesis

Cells divide because they perform better when they are smaller. The smaller the cell the more easily it is to move objects in and out of the cell. Division creates two identical new cells.

Answer: Mitochondria

Cellular respiration creates energy in the form of ATP to be used by the cell. It requires oxygen so it is called aerobic. This is where we get the energy we need during physical activity.

Answer: Cancer

Scientists are not sure what causes a cell to lose control of its own division. Cancer can cause cells to divide too rapidly and out of control. Cells that do not divide can form large tissues called tumors. Cancer is a very serious disease and causes many deaths each year.

Answer: Osmosis

The opposite of diffusion is known as active transport. This occurs when objects move across the membrane from an area where there are fewer of them to an area where there are more of them. This requires the cell to use energy.

Answer: Cellular Respiration

If oxygen is not present then glycolysis is followed by fermentation. This process does not create any energy but it creates electron carriers that allow glycolysis to continue over and over again.

Answer: Carbon Dioxide

Another substance that would have fit this description is oxygen, but it's an element, not a compound. Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are opposite processes because their chemical equations are reversed. Also, one stores energy while the other releases it.

Answer: Cell Wall

Having no bones, plants are more fragile than animals which is why their cells need extra protection. The cell wall protects the plant cell and gives it its shape. Under a microscope, plant cells look like small boxes. Isolated animal cells usually look circular.

Answer: Chromosomes

The nucleus is the complex organelle that contains DNA and controls the cell. A special active center of the nucleus is called the nucleolus. The entire nucleus is surrounded by a structure called the nuclear envelope. The rest of the cell's organelles are located outside of the nuclear envelope in the cytoplasm.

Answer: Chromatids

During the second phase of cell division, known as metaphase, the chromosomes line up at the center of the cell. During the next phase, known as anaphase, the two chromatids separate becoming individual chromosomes. The attachment point itself is called the centromere.