biology critical thinking questions and answers

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2.1.12: Critical Thinking Questions

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In your everyday life, you have probably noticed that certain instruments are ideal for certain situations. For example, you would use a spoon rather than a fork to eat soup because a spoon is shaped for scooping, while soup would slip between the tines of a fork. The use of ideal instruments also applies in science. In what situation(s) would the use of a light microscope be ideal, and why?

In what situation(s) would the use of a scanning electron microscope be ideal, and why?

In what situation(s) would a transmission electron microscope be ideal, and why?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these types of microscopes?

Explain how the formation of an adult human follows the cell theory.

Antibiotics are medicines that are used to fight bacterial infections. These medicines kill prokaryotic cells without harming human cells. What part or parts of the bacterial cell do you think antibiotics target? Why?

Explain why not all microbes are harmful.

You already know that ribosomes are abundant in red blood cells. In what other cells of the body would you find them in great abundance? Why?

What are the structural and functional similarities and differences between mitochondria and chloroplasts?

Why are plasma membranes arranged as a bilayer rather than a monolayer?

In the context of cell biology, what do we mean by form follows function? What are at least two examples of this concept?

In your opinion, is the nuclear membrane part of the endomembrane system? Why or why not? Defend your answer.

What are the similarities and differences between the structures of centrioles and flagella?

How do cilia and flagella differ?

Describe how microfilaments and microtubules are involved in the phagocytosis and destruction of a pathogen by a macrophage.

Compare and contrast the boundaries that plant, animal, and bacteria cells use to separate themselves from their surrounding environment.

How does the structure of a plasmodesma differ from that of a gap junction?

Explain how the extracellular matrix functions.

Pathogenic E. coli have recently been shown to degrade tight junction proteins during infection. How would this provide an advantage to the bacteria?

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Critical Thinking Questions

28 . Compare and contrast a human somatic cell to a human gamete.

29 . What is the relationship between a genome, chromosomes, and genes?

30 . Eukaryotic chromosomes are thousands of times longer than a typical cell. Explain how chromosomes can fit inside a eukaryotic nucleus.

31 . Briefly describe the events that occur in each phase of interphase.

32 . Chemotherapy drugs such as vincristine (derived from Madagascar periwinkle plants) and colchicine (derived from autumn crocus plants) disrupt mitosis by binding to tubulin (the subunit of microtubules) and interfering with microtubule assembly and disassembly. Exactly what mitotic structure is targeted by these drugs and what effect would that have on cell division?

33 . Describe the similarities and differences between the cytokinesis mechanisms found in animal cells versus those in plant cells.

34 . List some reasons why a cell that has just completed cytokinesis might enter the G 0 phase instead of the G 1 phase.

35 . What cell-cycle events will be affected in a cell that produces mutated (non-functional) cohesin protein?

36 . Describe the general conditions that must be met at each of the three main cell-cycle checkpoints.

37 . Compare and contrast the roles of the positive cell-cycle regulators negative regulators.

38 . What steps are necessary for Cdk to become fully active?

39 . Rb is a negative regulator that blocks the cell cycle at the G 1 checkpoint until the cell achieves a requisite size. What molecular mechanism does Rb employ to halt the cell cycle?

40 . Outline the steps that lead to a cell becoming cancerous.

41 . Explain the difference between a proto-oncogene and a tumor-suppressor gene.

42 . List the regulatory mechanisms that might be lost in a cell producing faulty p53.

43 . p53 can trigger apoptosis if certain cell-cycle events fail. How does this regulatory outcome benefit a multicellular organism?

44 . Name the common components of eukaryotic cell division and binary fission.

45 . Describe how the duplicated bacterial chromosomes are distributed into new daughter cells without the direction of the mitotic spindle.

Biology 2e for Biol 111 and Biol 112 Copyright © by Mary Ann Clark; Jung Choi; and Matthew Douglas is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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112 Critical Thinking Questions

19. Describe the process that results in the formation of a tetrad.

20. Explain how the random alignment of homologous chromosomes during metaphase I contributes to the variation in gametes produced by meiosis.

21. What is the function of the fused kinetochore found on sister chromatids in prometaphase I?

22. In a comparison of the stages of meiosis to the stages of mitosis, which stages are unique to meiosis and which stages have the same events in both meiosis and mitosis?

23. Why would an individual with a mutation that prevented the formation of recombination nodules be considered less fit than other members of its species?

24. Does crossing over occur during prophase II? From an evolutionary perspective, why is this advantageous?

25. List and briefly describe the three processes that lead to variation in offspring with the same parents.

26. Animals and plants both have diploid and haploid cells. How does the animal life cycle differ from the alternation of generations exhibited by plants?

27. Explain why sexual reproduction is beneficial to a population but can be detrimental to an individual offspring.

28. How does the role of meiosis in gamete production differ between organisms with a diploid-dominant life cycle and organisms with an alternation of generations life cycle?

29. How do organisms with haploid-dominant life cycles ensure continued genetic diversification in offspring without using a meiotic process to make gametes?

Biology Part I Copyright © 2022 by LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Critical Thinking Questions

Does physical exercise to increase muscle mass involve anabolic and/or catabolic processes? Give evidence for your answer.

Explain in your own terms the difference between a spontaneous reaction and one that occurs instantaneously, and what causes this difference.

With regard to enzymes, why are vitamins and minerals necessary for good health? Give examples.

Both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms carry out some form of glycolysis. How does that fact support or not support the assertion that glycolysis is one of the oldest metabolic pathways?

We inhale oxygen when we breathe and exhale carbon dioxide. What is the oxygen used for and where does the carbon dioxide come from?

When muscle cells run out of oxygen, what happens to the potential for energy extraction from sugars and what pathways do the cell use?

Would you describe metabolic pathways as inherently wasteful or inherently economical, and why?

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Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/concepts-biology/pages/1-introduction

• Authors: Samantha Fowler, Rebecca Roush, James Wise
• Publisher/website: OpenStax
• Book title: Concepts of Biology
• Publication date: Apr 25, 2013
• Location: Houston, Texas
• Book URL: https://openstax.org/books/concepts-biology/pages/1-introduction
• Section URL: https://openstax.org/books/concepts-biology/pages/4-critical-thinking-questions

© Jan 8, 2024 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License . The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.