BIO.6.A, BIO.6.C Cell Cycle and Cancer STAAR Questions

Dogs have 39 pairs of chromosomes in their somatic cells. In which part of the cell are these chromosomes replicated during the cell cycle?

• Nucleus

• Cytoplasm

• Ribosome

• Mitochondria

Which statement best explains how the cell cycle is important to the life cycle of the frog?

• It enables frogs to produce tadpoles that are clones.

• It allows frogs to grow, develop, and reproduce.

• It prevents overproduction of frog offspring.

• It ensures the best adapted frogs survive and pass on traits to offspring.

Which statement best describes why a cell spends the majority of its time in interphase?

• The cell is growing and carrying out processes such as metabolism and DNA replication.

• The cell is aging and processes are stopping as lysosomes clear dead cell matter away.

• The cell needs time to synthesize spindle fibers to complete mitosis.

• The cell needs time to complete cytokinesis.

Which of these properties is found only in cancer cells?

• Unregulated cell division

• Regulated gene expression

• Response to signals outside of the cell

• Presence of mitochondria

During which phase of the cell cycle do DNA-copying errors most likely occur, leading to some types of cancers?

• S phase

• G₁ phase

• G₂ phase

• M phase

When cells lose their ability to regulate the cell cycle, they can divide at an accelerated rate and form a mass of cells. This mass of cells is referred to as —

• a tumor

• an embryo

• a gland

• an organ

During the cell cycle, proteins called cyclins bind to enzymes that send signals for the cell to progress through stages of cell replication. At the end of this cycle, the cyclins degrade to prevent further signaling for the cell to divide. Uncontrolled production of cyclins will most likely result in —

• the formation of tumors

• the immediate death of the cell

• the transfer of cyclins to other cells

• the formation of haploid cells