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IB Biology HL - 2024 - Questionbank

1.3 - Membrane Structure

Plasma Membrane Structure & Function, Amphipathic Properties, Cholesterol, Davson-Danielli & Singer-Nicolson models

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Question 1

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The diagram shows a plasma membrane. Which letter indicates cholesterol?


plasma membrane with labels A, B, C and D

[Source: Adapted from Openstax. (2016, May 18). File: 0303 lipid bilayer with various Components.jpg. Wikimedia commons. Retrieved 31 July 2023 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:0303_Lipid_Bilayer_With_Various_Components.jpg. Copyright free]

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Question 2

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BI0018 [© Revision Village 2022. Created with BioRender.com]


Which structure represents a component responsible for reducing membrane fluidity?

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Question 3

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plasma membrane with peripheral protein labelled X [Source: © Revision Village 2022. Created with BioRender.com]


Which component of the cell membrane is represented by structure X?


  • A.\hspace{1em} Transmembrane protein

  • B.\hspace{1em} Protein channel

  • C.\hspace{1em} Peripheral protein

  • D.\hspace{1em} Cholesterol molecule

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Question 4

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Which of the following is not a function of cholesterol in cell membranes?


  • A. It reduces membrane fluidity by restricting the movement of phospholipids.

  • B. It increases membrane flexibility.

  • C. It serves as a transport channel.

  • D. It reduces membrane's the permeability to hydrophilic substances.

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Question 5

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The important properties of animal cell membranes are fluidity and permeability. Which molecule is responsible for ensuring the membrane’s fluidity?


  • A.\hspace{1em} Cholesterol

  • B.\hspace{1em} Integral Membrane Proteins

  • C.\hspace{1em} Glycolipids

  • D.\hspace{1em} Peripheral Membrane Proteins

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Question 6

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Which statement correctly describes the cell membrane structure?


  • A.\hspace{1em} A phospholipid bilayer where phosphate heads align facing each other and lipid tails point away.

  • B.\hspace{1em} A phospholipid bilayer where lipid tails align facing each other and phosphate heads point away.

  • C.\hspace{1em} A phospholipid bilayer where proteins line the outer layer and phospholipids line the inner layer.

  • D.\hspace{1em} A layer of phospholipids with phosphate heads facing outside the cell and lipid tails facing the cell cytoplasm.

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Question 7

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Identify the correct row in the table regarding the formation of vesicles.


Structure of vesicleFeature of fatty acid tailFormation
A.\hspace{1em}monolayerhydrophilicspontaneous
B.\hspace{1em}bilayerhydrophobicspontaneous
C.\hspace{1em}monolayerhydrophilicinduced
D.\hspace{1em}bilayerhydrophobicinduced

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Question 8

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What is true about the membrane structure in the image below?

BI1138 [Source: Adapted from Panaramecium, Pixabay (2021, January 19). File: micelle-5919208_1280.png. Pixabay. Retrieved September 20, 2023, from https://pixabay.com/vectors/micelle-microbiology-lipid-microbe-5919208/. Copyright under CC0]

  • I.It is a lipid bilayer.
    II.It contains cholesterol.
    III.It contains both hydrophobic and hydrophilic components.


  • A.\hspace{1em} I and II only

  • B.\hspace{1em} II only

  • C.\hspace{1em} I and III only

  • D.\hspace{1em} I, II and III

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Question 9

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Which of these membrane proteins carry out active transport?


  • A.\hspace{1em} Protein channels

  • B.\hspace{1em} Protein pumps

  • C.\hspace{1em} Peripheral proteins

  • D.\hspace{1em} Receptors

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Question 10

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Which evidence supported the Singer-Nicolson model and not the Davson-Danielli model?

  • I.Membrane fusion experiments revealed membrane proteins can diffuse from one position to another in the phospholipid bilayer
    II.Analysis of membrane proteins indicated that some surfaces of membrane proteins were hydrophobic
    III.Electron micrographs revealed the appearance of the membrane as two dark bands separated by a light band


  • A.\hspace{1em} I only

  • B.\hspace{1em} I and II only

  • C.\hspace{1em} II and III only

  • D.\hspace{1em} I, II, and III

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Question 11

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BI0019 [© Revision Village 2022. Created with BioRender.com]


Which structure on the above diagram corresponds to the molecule below?


BI0019- [Source: Adapted from OpenStax College. (2013). Other Important Lipids [Diagram]. Anatomy and Physiology. Retrieved March 22, 2020, from https://openstax.org/apps/archive/20220228.174637/resources/f9ec6266887f5217851510612e5ddd14fd6486a1. Copyright under CC BY 3.0]

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Question 12

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The Davson-Danielli model of the cell membrane described its structure as a phospholipid bilayer having globular proteins covering both the inner and the outer surface of the membrane. Which evidence supported this model?


  • A.\hspace{1em} In electron micrographs, membranes appeared as two dark parallel lines with a lighter coloured region in between.

  • B.\hspace{1em} Membrane proteins had hydrophobic regions.

  • C.\hspace{1em} Membrane proteins expected to form continuous layers were found to be very varied in size.

  • D.\hspace{1em} Freeze fracturing electron microscopy.

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Question 13

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Which evidence is not useful in supporting the Singer-Nicolson model?


  • A.\hspace{1em} Membrane proteins had hydrophobic regions.

  • B.\hspace{1em} Freeze fracturing electron microscopy.

  • C.\hspace{1em} In the electron micrographs, membranes appeared as two dark parallel lines with a lighter-coloured region in-between.

  • D.\hspace{1em} Membrane proteins of different cells were tagged with fluorescent antibodies of different colours that were then found to be mixed throughout the membrane after fusing the cells together.

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Question 14

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Which of the following is not a function of membrane proteins?


  • A.\hspace{1em} Cell adhesion

  • B.\hspace{1em} Cell-to-cell communication

  • C.\hspace{1em} Transport of oxygen gas

  • D.\hspace{1em} Enzymatic action to catalyse chemical reactions

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Question 15

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Which of the structures below can transport water molecules across the cell membrane?


  • A.\hspace{1em} Cholesterol

  • B.\hspace{1em} Glycoproteins

  • C.\hspace{1em} Protein pumps

  • D.\hspace{1em} Protein channels

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Question 16

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[Maximum mark: 8]

The microphotograph below shows a vesicle in the cytoplasm of a eukaryotic cell. The scale bar represents 100nm. The thickness of the plasma membrane is 6nm.

BI0024 [Source: Annular Gap Junction Vesicle.jpg. (2022, June 9). Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Retrieved 11:58, September 28, 2022 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File.jpg&oldid=663248220. Copyright under public domain]


  1. Describe the Davson-Danielli Model of the cell membrane. [2]

  2. Outline the evidence from the micrograph supporting the Davson-Danielli Model. [3]

  3. Discuss the evidence refuting the Davson-Danielli Model. [3]

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Question 17

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[Maximum mark: 16]

  1. Draw and label the fluid mosaic model of a cell’s plasma membrane. [4]

  2. Distinguish between integral and peripheral proteins. [4]

  3. Compare and contrast the Davson-Danielli model to the Singer-Nicolson model. [7]

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Question 18

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[Maximum mark: 16]

  1. Draw a labelled diagram of the fluid mosaic model of the plasma membrane of an animal cell. [4]

  2. Explain how type I and type II pneumocytes are adapted to their functions. [4]

  3. Describe how cell surface membranes regulate the movement of substances into and out of animal cells. [7]

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Question 19

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[Maximum mark: 10]

The table shows the results from a study on the percentage of cholesterol found in the cell membrane of epithelial skin cells of different animals.

BI0812A [©Revision Village 2023]

  1. Calculate the mean percentage of cholesterol found in the cell membrane across all the animals listed in the table. [1]

  2. State one role of cholesterol in the cell membrane. [1]

  3. Suggest why arctic foxes have a greater mean percentage of cholesterol in their cell membranes than kangaroos. [2]

  4. Estimate, with a reason, the percentage of cholesterol that would be found in the cell membranes of polar bears. [1]

  5. Explain why the mass of cholesterol in the cell membranes is calculated as a percentage rather than a whole number. [2]

  6. Suggest why the cells studied may contain a higher percentage of cholesterol than shown in the table. [1]

    1. Based on the data provided, suggest which animal in the study exhibits the highest fluidity in its epithelial skin cell membrane. [1]

    2. Explain your answer to part (i). [1]

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