Module #6 Vocabulary

Question 1

Absorption

Answer 1

The transport of dissolved substances into cells.

Question 2

digestion

Answer 2

the breakdown of absorbed substances

Question 3

respiration

Answer 3

the breakdown of food molecules with a release of energy

Question 4

excretion

Answer 4

the removal of soluble waste materials

Question 5

egestion

Answer 5

the removal of nonsoluble waste materials

Question 6

secretion

Answer 6

the release of biosynthesized substances

Question 7

homeostasis

Answer 7

maintaining the status quo

Question 8

reproduction

Answer 8

producing more cells

Question 9

cytology

Answer 9

the study of cells

Question 10

cell wall

Answer 10

a rigid structure on the outside of certain cells, usually plant and bacteria cells

Question 11

middle lamella

Answer 11

the thin film between the cell walls of adjacent plant cells

Question 12

plasma membrane

Answer 12

the semipermeable membrane between the cell contents and either the cell wall or the cell’s surroundings

Question 13

cytoplasm

Answer 13

a jellylike fluid inside the cell in which the organelles are suspended

Question 14

ions

Answer 14

substances in which at least one atom has an imbalance of protons and electrons

Question 15

cytoplasmic streaming

Answer 15

the motion of cytoplasm in a cell that results in a coordinated movement of the cell’s contents

Question 16

mitochondria

Answer 16

the organelles in which nutrients are converted to energy

Question 17

lysosome

Answer 17

the organelle in animal cells responsible for hydrolysis reactions that break down proteins, polysaccharides, disaccarides, and some lipids

Question 18

ribosomes

Answer 18

non-membrane-bound organelles responsible for protein synthesis

Question 19

endoplasmic reticulum

Answer 19

an organelle composed of an extensive network of folded membranes that performs several tasks within a cell

Question 20

rough ER

Answer 20

ER that is dotted with ribosomes

Question 21

smooth ER

Answer 21

ER that has no ribosomes

Question 22

Golgi bodies

Answer 22

the organelles in which proteins and lipids are stored and then modified to suit the needs of the cell

Question 23

leucoplasts

Answer 23

organelles that store starches or oils

Question 24

chromoplasts

Answer 24

organelles that contain pigments used in photosynthesis

Question 25

central vacuole

Answer 25

a large vacuole that rests at the center of most plant cells and is filled with a solution that contains a high concentration of solutes

Question 26

waste vacuole

Answer 26

vacuoles that contain the waste products of digestion

Question 27

phagocytosis

Answer 27

the process by which a cell engulfs foreign substances or other cells

Question 28

phagocytic vacuole

Answer 28

a vacuole that holds the matter which a cell engulfs

Question 29

pinocytic vesicle

Answer 29

vesicle formed at the plasma membrane to allow the absorption of large molecules

Question 30

secretion vesicle

Answer 30

vesicle that holds secretion products so that they can be transported to the plasma membrane and released

Question 31

microtubules

Answer 31

spiral strands of protein molecules that form a tubelike structure

Question 32

nuclear membrane

Answer 32

a highly-porous membrane that separates the nucleus from the cytoplasm

Question 33

chromatin

Answer 33

clusters of DNA, RNA, and proteins in the nucleus of a cell

Question 34

cytoskeleton

Answer 34

a network of fibers that holds the cell together, helps the cell to keep its shape, and aids in movement

Question 35

microfilaments

Answer 35

fine, threadlike proteins found in the cell’s cytoskeleton

Question 36

intermediate filaments

Answer 36

threadlike proteins in the cell’s cytoskeleton that are roughly twice as thick as microfilaments

Question 37

phospholipid

Answer 37

a lipid in which one of the fatty acid molecules has been replaced by a molecule that contains a phosphate group

Question 38

passive transport

Answer 38

movement of molecules through the plasma membrane according to the dictates of osmosis or diffusion

Question 39

active transport

Answer 39

movement of molecules through the plasma membrane (typically opposite the dictates of osmosis or diffusion) aided by a process that requires energy

Question 40

isotonic solution

Answer 40

a solution in which the concentration of solutes is essentially equal to that of the cell that resides in the solution

Question 41

hypertonic solution

Answer 41

a solution in which the concentration of solutes is greater than that of the cell that resides in the solution

Question 42

plasmolysis

Answer 42

collapse of a walled cell’s cytoplasm due to a lack of water

Question 43

cytolysis

Answer 43

the rupturing of a cell due to excess internal pressure

Question 44

hypotonic solution

Answer 44

a solution in which the concentration of solutes is less than that of the cell which resides in the solution

Question 45

activation energy

Answer 45

energy necessary to get a chemical reaction going