The Cells That Make Us_read works

According to Mike’s mom, what is a cell?

• another name for an amoeba
• the smallest unit of life
• a group of tissues
• a jellylike fluid

How does Mike’s mom compare the nuclear membrane and the cell membrane?

• Both the cell membrane and nuclear membrane are protective coverings.
• The cell membrane is like a blanket, while the nuclear membrane is like a sieve.
• The nuclear membrane is like an electric switch, while the cell membrane is like a sieve.
• Both the cell membrane and the nuclear membrane allow substances to enter the cell.

Read the following sentences from the passage: “‘Only some creatures have just a single cell, like an amoeba. They are called unicellular organisms. Others, like us human beings, are collections of cells. These are called multicellular organisms. Multicellular organisms can range in size from brown algae to large animals like elephants, whales, and giraffes, which have trillions of cells.” What can be concluded about cells based on this information?

• Unicellular organisms were once part of collections of cells.
• Cells in multicellular organisms are stronger than unicellular organisms.
• Cells can only support life if they are part of a multicellular organism.
• Some cells can support life independently. Other cells support life collectively.

Read the following sentences: “A group of cells band together and form a tissue. There are many types of tissues. For example, connective tissues include blood or bones. These form connections between parts of the body. Muscle tissues form muscles, which help us move. Nervous tissues help parts of our body transmit messages—or ‘think’ and react to things that happen around us.” Based on this information, what can you conclude about tissues?

• All tissues in the body have similar functions.
• All tissues band together to form organs.
• Each kind of tissue has a different function.
• There are only four kinds of tissues in the human body.

What is this passage mostly about?

• how the parts of the cell, tissues, and organs work together
• the importance of mitochondria in the life of a cell
• how tissues are made from groups of cells to serve different functions
• the differences between unicellular and multicellular organisms

Read the following sentences: “Just like you can’t play football by yourself, a tissue cannot do anything by itself. It teams up with other tissues, and together, they perform the body’s activities. So, a group of tissues team up to form your nose and help you smell. Other tissues in your pancreas help you digest food. So, each organ performs its specific function because of the tissues that constitute it.” As used in this sentence, what does the word “constitute” most nearly mean?

• take away from something
• give something energy
• make up the parts of something
• change in shape or size

Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below. __________ a tissue by itself cannot digest food, a collection of tissues can work together as an organ to digest food.

• Thus
• Although
• Above all
• For instance