FSc Part 1 Biology chapter 4: The cell MCQs with answers

By Team Megalecture · Updated 4 Nov 2026

31 exam-style questions on The cell, each with the answer and a short explanation. Ten of them are below to try. The chapter test draws ten fresh questions each time and is marked the moment you finish, with your score by topic.

31 questions · 3 topics · 10 per test

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What chapter 4 covers

Ten The cell questions with answers

Try each one, then open the answer. These ten stay the same; the test draws new ones every time.

1. In a lysosomal storage disease such as Pompe's disease (glycogenosis type II), glycogen builds up in the liver and muscles because

  1. A
    the cells make far more glycogen than the muscles can use
  2. B
    a lysosomal enzyme that breaks down glycogen is missing
  3. C
    the lysosomes burst and release glycogen into the blood
  4. D
    the Golgi apparatus packages glycogen but cannot release it
Show answer

Answer: B. Storage diseases are inherited lack of a lysosomal enzyme, so its substrate accumulates inside the lysosomes.

2. Mitochondria and chloroplasts are called semi-autonomous organelles because they

  1. A
    can survive outside the cell if given nutrients
  2. B
    contain their own DNA and 70S ribosomes
  3. C
    divide only at the same time as the nucleus
  4. D
    have no membranes around them
Show answer

Answer: B. Having their own circular DNA and 70S ribosomes, they can make some of their own proteins and divide by themselves.

3. The middle lamella that cements adjacent plant cells together is made mainly of

  1. A
    cellulose
  2. B
    calcium and magnesium pectates
  3. C
    lignin
  4. D
    suberin
Show answer

Answer: B. The middle lamella is the first layer formed and contains pectates of calcium and magnesium. The primary wall is mostly cellulose.

4. Which process moves ions across the plasma membrane against their concentration gradient?

  1. A
    diffusion
  2. B
    osmosis
  3. C
    facilitated diffusion
  4. D
    active transport
Show answer

Answer: D. Active transport uses carrier proteins and ATP to move substances from low to high concentration. Facilitated diffusion uses carriers but only down the gradient.

5. Potato cylinders with a starting mass of 5.0 g were left in a solution for one hour and then weighed at 5.6 g. What was the percentage change in mass, and what does it show about the solution?

  1. A
    a gain of 12%; the solution was hypotonic to the cells
  2. B
    a gain of 12%; the solution was hypertonic to the cells
  3. C
    a gain of 10.7%; the solution was hypotonic to the cells
  4. D
    a loss of 12%; the solution was hypertonic to the cells
Show answer

Answer: A. (5.6 − 5.0) ÷ 5.0 × 100 = 12% gain, calculated on the starting mass (dividing by 5.6 gives the wrong 10.7%). Water entered by osmosis, so the surrounding solution had a higher water potential than the cells: it was hypotonic.

6. A potato tuber is pale inside but turns green near the surface when left in the light. This happens because its colourless

  1. A
    leucoplasts develop into chloroplasts
  2. B
    chromoplasts lose their carotenoids
  3. C
    mitochondria absorb light
  4. D
    glyoxysomes make chlorophyll
Show answer

Answer: A. Leucoplasts are colourless storage plastids that can develop into chloroplasts when exposed to light, so chlorophyll appears. Chromoplasts contain yellow, orange or red carotenoids and do not make chlorophyll.

7. Lysosomes contain

  1. A
    oxidative enzymes that make hydrogen peroxide
  2. B
    ribosomal RNA
  3. C
    chlorophyll
  4. D
    hydrolytic enzymes that digest materials
Show answer

Answer: D. Lysosomes (discovered by de Duve) contain hydrolytic enzymes for intracellular digestion and autophagy. Peroxisomes contain oxidative enzymes.

8. In prokaryotes, the DNA lies in an irregular region of the cytoplasm called the

  1. A
    nucleus
  2. B
    mesosome
  3. C
    nucleolus
  4. D
    nucleoid
Show answer

Answer: D. The nucleoid is not bounded by a membrane. Mesosomes are infoldings of the plasma membrane.

9. Which feature is present in prokaryotic cells?

  1. A
    a nuclear envelope
  2. B
    mitochondria
  3. C
    70S ribosomes
  4. D
    endoplasmic reticulum
Show answer

Answer: C. Prokaryotes have 70S ribosomes but no membrane-bound organelles or nuclear envelope.

10. A drug that stops tubulin molecules from assembling into microtubules is added to dividing cells. Which process would be directly disrupted?

  1. A
    the separation of chromosomes by the spindle
  2. B
    the synthesis of ATP on the cristae
  3. C
    the digestion of worn organelles in lysosomes
  4. D
    the formation of the nucleolus
Show answer

Answer: A. The spindle fibres are microtubules made of tubulin, so without them chromosomes cannot be pulled apart during nuclear division. Cristae, lysosomes and the nucleolus do not depend on microtubule assembly in the same direct way.

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Ways to practise this chapter

The cell: questions students ask

How many The cell MCQs are there?

31, each with the answer and a short explanation, across 3 topics: Cell theory, microscopy, cell wall and plasma membrane, Cytoplasm and membrane-bound organelles, Nucleus and prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Every chapter test draws ten of them, so you can take it many times.

Is the FSc Part 1 Biology chapter 4 test free?

Yes. The test, the answers and the explanations are free and need no sign-up. Sign in only if you want your scores kept across devices.

How is the chapter test marked?

The moment you press Finish: your score, the right answer and an explanation for every question, and the ones you got wrong saved in My mistakes to retry.

Can I read the explanations in Urdu?

Yes. In practice mode and on your results you can switch the explanations to Urdu.

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