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Quizzes > Science

AP Biology Unit 2 Test: Quick MCQ Practice

Quick, free AP Bio Unit 2 quiz. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Annie AlmekinderUpdated Aug 25, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
Grade: Grade 12
Study OutcomesCheat Sheet
Colorful paper art promoting the AP Bio Unit 2 Challenge trivia quiz for high school students.

This AP Biology Unit 2 quiz helps you check your understanding of membranes, transport, organelles, and cell communication. Answer 20 multiple-choice questions with instant scoring and see what to review next. For more practice, try our biology mcq quiz or switch subjects with an ap chemistry unit 2 quiz.

Which property limits the maximum size of a cell by affecting the rate of exchange with the environment?
Number of chromosomes
Cell color
Surface area to volume ratio
Genome size
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Phospholipids in cellular membranes are best described as
Charged polysaccharides
Entirely hydrophobic molecules
Entirely hydrophilic molecules
Amphipathic molecules with hydrophilic heads and hydrophobic tails
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Cholesterol in animal cell membranes primarily functions to
Increase membrane thickness dramatically
Provide energy for active transport
Serve as a membrane receptor for hormones
Buffer membrane fluidity across temperature changes
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Which change increases membrane fluidity at cooler temperatures?
Greater membrane protein density
More unsaturated fatty acid tails in phospholipids
Removal of cholesterol
More saturated fatty acid tails in phospholipids
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Integral membrane proteins differ from peripheral membrane proteins because integrals
Span the hydrophobic core of the lipid bilayer
Are located only on the inner mitochondrial membrane
Are not associated with the membrane
Bind only to extracellular carbohydrates
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Which evidence best supports the endosymbiotic origin of mitochondria?
Mitochondria have circular DNA and double membranes
Mitochondria are present in all prokaryotes
Mitochondria store genetic information in the nucleus
Mitochondria are synthesized in the Golgi apparatus
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Chloroplast thylakoid membranes primarily function in
Calvin cycle carbon fixation
Glycolysis
Krebs cycle
Light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis
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Microtubules are most directly involved in
Muscle contraction via actin-myosin
Anchoring desmosomes
Chromosome movement during mitosis
DNA replication
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Actin filaments (microfilaments) commonly function in
Forming spindle fibers
Maintaining nuclear shape
Cell motility and cytokinesis
Vesicle transport along axons
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Gap junctions in animal tissues are analogous to which plant structure?
Middle lamella
Tight junctions
Desmosomes
Plasmodesmata
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Which statement about the endomembrane system is accurate?
Proteins synthesized in the RER travel to the Golgi before secretion
Mitochondria package all secreted proteins
Lysosomes synthesize proteins for the ER
Peroxisomes glycosylate secreted proteins
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Which experiment best tests membrane fluidity in living cells?
FRAP (fluorescence recovery after photobleaching) of labeled membrane proteins
Counting colony-forming units
Measuring oxygen consumption
Staining DNA with DAPI
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Increasing the proportion of cholesterol at high temperatures will generally
Denature membrane proteins
Decrease membrane fluidity by restraining phospholipid movement
Increase membrane fluidity by preventing packing
Leave fluidity unchanged
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Which best describes the difference between osmosis and diffusion?
Osmosis moves solutes across membranes
Osmosis is the diffusion of water across a selectively permeable membrane
Osmosis requires ATP while diffusion does not
Diffusion occurs only in gases
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Which statement about plant cell walls is correct?
They are absent in all plant root cells
They are primarily composed of cellulose and provide structural support
They store genetic information
They are lipid bilayers that regulate ion pumping
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If a cell is treated with a drug that disrupts microtubule polymerization, which process is most immediately impaired?
ATP synthesis in mitochondria
Vesicle transport from ER to Golgi
Actin-based cell crawling
Transcription in the nucleus
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In epithelial tissues, which combination of junctions would best create a sealed, mechanically strong sheet?
Gap junctions and plasmodesmata
Hemidesmosomes and gap junctions only
Tight junctions and desmosomes
Synapses and tight junctions
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A mutation preventing N-linked glycosylation would most directly affect proteins in which pathway?
Peroxisomal matrix proteins after import
Secretory proteins entering the ER lumen
Cytosolic enzymes
Mitochondrial matrix proteins encoded by mtDNA
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Which lipid composition would yield the most fluid membrane at 10°C?
Long, saturated fatty acids without cholesterol
High proportion of short, polyunsaturated fatty acids with cholesterol present
All saturated phospholipids with extra protein
High sphingolipid content with saturated tails
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A toxin locks GPCRs in a state unable to release GDP from Gα. What immediate effect occurs?
RTKs compensate by autophosphorylation of Gα
G protein cannot activate because Gα remains GDP-bound
Gα constitutively activates adenylyl cyclase
Gγ directly phosphorylates targets
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Study Outcomes

  1. Understand the functions and structures of different cell types in biological systems.
  2. Analyze metabolic pathways and energy transformation during cellular processes.
  3. Apply principles of cellular respiration and photosynthesis to experimental scenarios.
  4. Interpret genetic mechanisms that govern inheritance and molecular variation.
  5. Evaluate experimental data to validate core biological concepts and theories.

AP Biology Unit 2 Test PDF Cheat Sheet

  1. Prokaryotic vs. Eukaryotic Cells - Dive into the key distinctions between simple prokaryotes and complex eukaryotes, from DNA organization to organelle presence. Understanding these differences lays the groundwork for grasping all cellular life.
  2. Cell Organelle Structures & Functions - Get to know the powerhouse mitochondria, the command center nucleus, the protein factory rough ER, and the packaging guru Golgi apparatus in vivid detail. Mastering organelle roles helps you predict cellular behavior under different conditions.
  3. Fluid Mosaic Model - Explore how phospholipids, proteins, and carbs come together to form a dynamic, ever-shifting cell membrane that controls what enters and exits. This model explains membrane fluidity, selective permeability, and cell signaling.
  4. Membrane Transport Mechanisms - Compare passive transport like diffusion and osmosis with active transport that uses energy to move molecules against gradients. Grasping these processes illuminates how nutrients, ions, and waste traverse the cell boundary.
  5. Tonicity & Cell Volume - Hypertonic, hypotonic, or isotonic - discover how solute concentrations outside the cell impact water flow and cell size. This concept explains phenomena from plant wilting to red blood cell lysis.
  6. Cell Cycle & Mitosis - Review interphase phases (G1, S, G2) where growth and DNA replication occur, then follow the thrilling steps of mitosis - prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Knowing this cycle is essential for understanding growth and cancer biology.
  7. Cytoskeleton Components - Unravel how microtubules provide structure, microfilaments facilitate movement, and intermediate filaments offer tensile strength to the cell. The cytoskeleton is the cell's skeleton and muscle rolled into one fascinating system.
  8. Cell Communication & Signaling - Dive into autocrine, paracrine, endocrine, and direct-contact signaling, plus the molecular relay that turns a signal into a cellular response. This knowledge is the foundation for immunology, development, and pharmacology.
  9. Endocytosis & Exocytosis - Understand how cells swallow large particles or fluids (phagocytosis, pinocytosis, receptor-mediated endocytosis) and how they expel materials. These processes are vital for nutrient uptake, immune defense, and neurotransmitter release.
  10. Water Potential Fundamentals - Break down water potential into solute and pressure potentials to predict water movement across membranes. This concept explains plant water uptake and the behavior of cells in different environments.
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