Question

unit 1 cumulative test (characteristics of life, biomolecules, cell structure and transport) 2025
34 of 42
possible points: 2.13
a patient arrives at a doctor’s office with a variety of symptoms, including loss of appetite, vomiting, irritability, a lack of motor coordination, and general malaise (a general feeling of being unwell). the team of doctors decided to conduct a series of pathology tests, which involves looking at the patient’s cells under a microscope. upon analysis, doctors determined that the patient was suffering from kidney failure. additionally, it was observed that the patient struggled to complete tasks that directly involved the nervous system. after further testing, doctors discovered that these symptoms are all related to a chronic lack of energy in some of the patient’s cells. with this information, doctors diagnose the patient with a metabolic disorder known as leigh’s disease.

based on this evidence, what organelle is most likely responsible for leigh’s disease?

what type of cells did the doctors see when looking at the patient’s cells under a microscope?

t/f: doctors had to break down the cell wall of the patient’s cells using chemicals before they could look at them.

options: mitochondria, nucleus, ribosome, eukaryotic, prokaryotic, true, false

Explanation:

First Question: Based on this evidence, what organelle is most likely responsible for Leigh’s disease?

Leigh’s disease is related to a chronic lack of energy in cells. Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell, producing ATP (energy). So if there's energy deficiency, mitochondria are the likely culprit. Nucleus is for genetic control, ribosome for protein synthesis, so they don't relate to energy production here.

Humans are eukaryotes, so patient's cells (from a human) are eukaryotic. Prokaryotic cells are like bacteria, not human cells. So doctors would see eukaryotic cells.

Human cells (eukaryotic) do not have cell walls. Cell walls are in plants, fungi, bacteria. So doctors don't need to break down a cell wall in human cells, so the statement is false.

Answer:

Mitochondria

Second Question: What type of cells did the doctors see when looking at the patient’s cells under a microscope?