Lesson 4.4.2

4.4.2 Starch and cellulose structure Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Biology A (Salters-Nuffield), Unit 4

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 4.4.2, Starch and cellulose structure: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Biology A (Salters-Nuffield) (9BI0), Unit 4: Biodiversity and Natural Resources, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which monomer is used to make cellulose?

    • Alpha-glucose
    • Galactose
    • Beta-glucose
    • Fructose

  2. Which bonds link the glucose units in amylose?

    • Alpha 1,6 glycosidic bonds only
    • Beta 1,4 glycosidic bonds
    • Alpha 1,4 glycosidic bonds
    • Peptide bonds

  3. Which polysaccharide is the main energy store in plants?

    • Peptidoglycan
    • Cellulose
    • Chitin
    • Starch

  4. How does amylopectin differ from amylose?

    • Amylopectin contains no glycosidic bonds
    • Amylopectin is branched and contains 1,6 glycosidic linkages
    • Amylopectin is a straight chain of fructose units
    • Amylopectin is made of beta-glucose units

  5. What structural feature allows amylose to be compact?

    • It has no hydrogen bonds at all
    • It is made of fatty acids
    • It coils into a helix
    • It is cross-linked by disulfide bonds

  6. Which statement correctly compares glycogen with amylopectin?

    • Glycogen is unbranched like amylose
    • Glycogen is found in plant chloroplasts
    • Glycogen is more branched than amylopectin
    • Glycogen is made of beta-glucose units

  7. Hydrogen bonds between cellulose chains allow:

    • Digestion by amylase in the gut
    • Storage of energy as fat in adipose tissue
    • Active transport of ions across membranes
    • Formation of microfibrils with high tensile strength

  8. In cellulose, alternate glucose units are rotated 180 degrees. What is the main consequence?

    • Straight chains that hydrogen-bond side by side
    • Chains coil into a compact helix like amylose
    • Chains dissolve readily in water
    • Chains become branched at every glucose unit

  9. A polymer has only 1,4 glycosidic bonds and forms a helix. Which polysaccharide is most likely?

    • Amylopectin
    • Amylose
    • Cellulose
    • Glycogen

  10. Why does the branching of amylopectin and glycogen speed up glucose release?

    • Fewer branch ends mean more glucose is released each second
    • Branching stops enzymes from acting on the molecule
    • More branch ends give enzymes more sites to act on at once
    • Branching removes hydrogen bonds that enzymes need to break

  11. Cellulose is insoluble and hard for most animals to digest. What is the main structural reason?

    • Beta linkages that most animal enzymes cannot break
    • Cellulose contains phosphate groups that block enzyme action
    • Cellulose is a lipid, which digestive enzymes cannot act on
    • Cellulose contains amino acids that bind digestive enzymes

  12. Which pair correctly matches a polysaccharide with its function?

    • Starch: structure of an animal exoskeleton
    • Cellulose: energy storage in seeds
    • Starch: structural support in plant cell walls
    • Cellulose: structural support in plant cell walls

  13. Amylose contains 1000 glucose units joined end to end by 1,4 bonds. How many glycosidic bonds join them?

    • 999
    • 1001
    • 1000
    • 500

  14. A polysaccharide sample turns blue-black with iodine. Which is most likely present?

    • Starch, particularly the amylose helix
    • Protein, such as an enzyme
    • Cellulose, a straight glucose polymer
    • Free glucose dissolved in the sample

  15. Which statement compares the monomers of cellulose and amylose correctly?

    • Cellulose uses beta-glucose and amylose uses alpha-glucose
    • Both use beta-glucose
    • Cellulose uses fructose and amylose uses glucose
    • Both use alpha-glucose

  16. Starch and cellulose are both glucose polymers yet behave very differently. What is the best explanation?

    • Cellulose has a different number of carbon atoms per glucose unit
    • Cellulose contains more water within each glucose unit
    • Starch contains nitrogen atoms in every glucose unit
    • Alpha versus beta glucose orientation changes chain shape and hydrogen bonding

  17. A plant stores glucose as starch rather than free glucose. Which combined reasoning is most accurate?

    • Starch raises osmotic concentration greatly and is hard to hydrolyse
    • Starch is insoluble, so it barely affects osmotic pressure
    • Starch is soluble, so it moves faster through the phloem
    • Starch is a lipid, so it is stored in membranes

  18. Why does a branched polysaccharide release glucose faster than an unbranched one of similar size?

    • It has more ends for enzymes to act on
    • Branching makes the molecule insoluble in water
    • It has fewer ends, so enzymes act more slowly
    • Branching makes no difference to hydrolysis rate

  19. Cellulose microfibrils contain many parallel chains. Why is their tensile strength high?

    • Many hydrogen bonds between parallel chains resist stretching
    • Peptide bonds cross-link the chains into a rigid mesh
    • Lipid layers slide between chains and absorb force
    • Ionic bonds between sodium ions hold the chains together

  20. Why is amylose's helix structure important for its function?

    • It makes amylose compact for energy storage inside plastids
    • It gives amylose the strength needed for cell walls
    • It allows amylose to form peptide bonds with amino acids
    • It makes amylose soluble in lipids

All Pearson Edexcel Biology A (Salters-Nuffield) quizzes