Biology quiz: cells and life
Checked on 11 November 2026
Question 1 of 10
Discover
Which part of the cell is nicknamed the "powerhouse of the cell"?
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The answer is Mitochondrion.
Mitochondria generate most of the chemical energy a cell needs, storing it in a small molecule called ATP.
Discover
Which molecule carries the genetic instructions for the development and functioning of living things?
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The answer is DNA.
DNA is made of two linked strands that wind around each other in a double helix and carry genetic information.
Discover
Which pigment gives plants their green color and helps them make food from sunlight?
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The answer is Chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll, packed into chloroplasts, gives plants their green color and powers photosynthesis.
Discover
What is the basic building block of all living things?
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The answer is The cell.
The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of life, and its name comes from the Latin for small room.
Practise
Which cell structure reads messenger RNA and builds proteins?
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The answer is Ribosome.
The ribosome reads the mRNA code and links amino acids into chains that fold into proteins.
Practise
How many chromosomes are found in a typical human body cell?
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The answer is 46.
Humans have 22 pairs of numbered chromosomes plus one pair of sex chromosomes, for a total of 46.
Practise
In a plant or animal cell, which membrane-enclosed organelle holds the chromosomes?
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The answer is Nucleus.
The nucleus is the membrane-enclosed organelle that contains most of the cell's DNA, organized into chromosomes.
Expert
Which scientist coined the term "cell" in his 1665 book Micrographia?
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The answer is Robert Hooke.
Looking at cork through his microscope, Robert Hooke saw tiny pores he called cells and described them in Micrographia in 1665.
Expert
Which base is found in RNA but replaced by thymine in DNA?
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The answer is Uracil.
RNA uses uracil where DNA uses thymine, and in RNA uracil pairs with adenine.
Expert
How many cells does meiosis produce from a single starting cell?
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The answer is Four.
Meiosis involves two rounds of division that yield four cells, each with a single set of chromosomes.