Download Notes 9 The Cell Membrane Questions and Vocabulary

General Biology
Questions and Vocabulary - Notes 9 The Cell Membrane
1. What is the cell membrane? What is it primarily composed of?
2. Besides the outer layer of the cell, where else do we find membrane?
3. Describe three functions of the cell membrane.
4. Is the membrane soluble or insoluble in water? Explain.
5. What is the primary type of lipid found in the membrane called? Describe this molecule.
6. What does “hydrophobic” mean? What part of the phospholipid is hydrophilic? What part is not?
7. What happens spontaneously when phospholipids are put in a watery environment? Explain.
8. Besides lipids, what other types of biomolecules are found in the membrane?
9. Describe two functions of membrane proteins. What are carbohydrates used for in the membrane?
10. What does “selective permeability” mean?
11. What is “diffusion”?
12. What are passive transport, facilitated transport and active transport? Compare and contrast these
three forms of transport.
13. Give examples of molecules that are able to pass through the membrane using passive transport.
Why are these molecules able to passively diffuse through the membrane?
14. What role do proteins play in transporting compounds across the membrane?
15. What types of compounds must cross the membrane by facilitated transport? Why can’t these
molecules simply diffuse through the lipid bilayer?
16. What does energy have to do with active transport?
17. By what process does water move across the membrane? What does “osmosis” mean?
18. What does solute concentration have to do with water concentration?
19. Students should understand the example given in III.A.2.ii, and should be able to predict the
diffusion of water and solutes given this type of information.