Active transport: pumps and vesicles
Grade 9 Science Worksheet

Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Use this
Membrane drawing (model, not to scale). A bilayer: a top row of round heads, tails meeting in the middle, and a bottom row of round heads, with watery fluid outside the cell above and watery fluid inside the cell below. Letter P points to a sodium-potassium pump across the bilayer, with 1 ATP label beside it. A note says the pump runs 4 cycles and uses 1 ATP in each cycle.
Ari’s drawing shows a sodium-potassium pump that runs 4 cycles and uses 1 ATP in each cycle. How many ATP are used, and how many ions move?
- 4 ATP used, 8 sodium ions out, 12 potassium ions in
- 12 ATP used, 12 sodium ions out, 8 potassium ions in
- 4 ATP used, 12 sodium ions out, 12 potassium ions in
- 4 ATP used, 12 sodium ions out, 8 potassium ions in
A sodium-potassium pump in Bo’s drawing has moved 12 potassium ions into the cell, using 1 ATP per cycle. How many sodium ions has it moved out, and how many ATP has it used?
- 18 sodium ions out, using 12 ATP
- 12 sodium ions out, using 6 ATP
- 18 sodium ions out, using 6 ATP
- 8 sodium ions out, using 4 ATP
Jun watches potassium ions move through protein P from outside (4 ions) to inside (20 ions), with an ATP label beside P. What kind of transport is this?
Membrane drawing (model, not to scale). A bilayer: a top row of round heads, tails meeting in the middle, and a bottom row of round heads, with watery fluid outside the cell above and watery fluid inside the cell below. Letter P points to a protein across the bilayer with an ATP label beside it. Outside the cell: 4 potassium ions. Inside the cell: 20 potassium ions. An arrow shows potassium ions moving from outside to inside through P. Membrane drawing (model, not to scale). A bilayer: a top row of round heads, tails meeting in the middle, and a bottom row of round heads, with watery fluid outside the cell above and watery fluid inside the cell below. Letter P points to a protein across the bilayer with an ATP label beside it. Outside the cell: 4 potassium ions. Inside the cell: 20 potassium ions. An arrow shows potassium ions moving from outside to inside through P. watery fluid outside the cell watery fluid inside the cell P ATP 4 potassium ions 20 potassium ions - Facilitated diffusion, because a protein helps the ions cross
- Primary active transport, because ATP powers the protein directly
- Secondary active transport, because the gradient does the work
- Primary active transport, because the ions move down their gradient
Use this
Membrane drawing (model, not to scale). A bilayer: a top row of round heads, tails meeting in the middle, and a bottom row of round heads, with watery fluid outside the cell above and watery fluid inside the cell below. Letter G points to a protein across the bilayer that carries sodium ions and glucose molecules into the cell together; no ATP label is beside G. Outside the cell: 50 sodium ions and 6 glucose molecules. Inside the cell: 10 sodium ions and 30 glucose molecules.
Kira’s drawing shows protein G moving glucose into a cell that already holds more glucose than the outside. What kind of transport is this?
- Facilitated diffusion, because a protein carries glucose across
- Secondary active transport, because the sodium gradient supplies the energy
- Primary active transport, because proteins that move glucose use ATP directly
- Secondary active transport, because glucose moves down its gradient
Use this
Membrane drawing (model, not to scale).
Luz’s drawing shows carrier H moving glucose from outside (30 molecules) to inside (10 molecules), with no ATP label. What kind of transport is this?
Membrane drawing (model, not to scale). A bilayer: a top row of round heads, tails meeting in the middle, and a bottom row of round heads, with watery fluid outside the cell above and watery fluid inside the cell below. Letter H points to a carrier protein across the bilayer that binds glucose and changes shape; no ATP label is beside H. Outside the cell: 30 glucose molecules. Inside the cell: 10 glucose molecules. An arrow shows glucose moving from outside to inside through H. Membrane drawing (model, not to scale). A bilayer: a top row of round heads, tails meeting in the middle, and a bottom row of round heads, with watery fluid outside the cell above and watery fluid inside the cell below. Letter H points to a carrier protein across the bilayer that binds glucose and changes shape; no ATP label is beside H. Outside the cell: 30 glucose molecules. Inside the cell: 10 glucose molecules. An arrow shows glucose moving from outside to inside through H. watery fluid outside the cell 30 glucose molecules H glucose watery fluid inside the cell 10 glucose molecules - Secondary active transport, because the carrier changes shape
- Facilitated diffusion, because glucose moves down its gradient with no ATP
- Primary active transport, because a carrier protein is used
- Primary active transport, because glucose moves down its gradient
Receptor proteins on Noah’s cell membrane bind one kind of substance, and the membrane pinches in around it. Which process is this?
Membrane drawing (model, not to scale). A bilayer: a top row of round heads, tails meeting in the middle, and a bottom row of round heads, with watery fluid outside the cell above and watery fluid inside the cell below. Letter R points to 3 receptor proteins on the outside surface of the top row. 1 particle of a single kind is attached to the receptors, and the membrane folds inward around it. Membrane drawing (model, not to scale). A bilayer: a top row of round heads, tails meeting in the middle, and a bottom row of round heads, with watery fluid outside the cell above and watery fluid inside the cell below. Letter R points to 3 receptor proteins on the outside surface of the top row. 1 particle of a single kind is attached to the receptors, and the membrane folds inward around it. watery fluid outside the cell watery fluid inside the cell R 1 particle - Pinocytosis, which takes in a drop of fluid
- Receptor-mediated endocytosis, which takes in one specific substance
- Phagocytosis, which engulfs a large particle of any kind
- Exocytosis, which takes in one specific substance
Use this
Membrane drawing (model, not to scale). A bilayer: a top row of round heads, tails meeting in the middle, and a bottom row of round heads, with watery fluid outside the cell above and watery fluid inside the cell below. A gland cell packaged an enzyme in a secretory vesicle at the Golgi apparatus. Letter V points to the vesicle, which fuses with the bottom row and releases 5 enzyme molecules to the outside of the cell.
A gland cell in Pia’s drawing has a vesicle from the Golgi apparatus that fuses with the plasma membrane and releases an enzyme outside. Which process is this?
- Pinocytosis, which takes in a drop of fluid
- Phagocytosis, which engulfs a large particle
- Endocytosis, which releases the contents outside
- Exocytosis, which releases the contents outside
Use this
Membrane drawing (model, not to scale). A bilayer: a top row of round heads, tails meeting in the middle, and a bottom row of round heads, with watery fluid outside the cell above and watery fluid inside the cell below. Letter P points to a sodium-potassium pump that faces the inside of the cell. 3 sodium ions are attached to it, 1 ATP has been split, and a phosphate group is attached to P. Outside the cell: 2 potassium ions.
Ren’s drawing shows a sodium-potassium pump after ATP has been split. What does the pump do next?
- It changes shape to face the outside and binds 3 potassium ions
- It lets go of the 3 sodium ions inside the cell and takes up more
- It stays facing the inside while the sodium ions slip out
- It changes shape to face the outside and lets go of the 3 sodium ions
Use this
Membrane drawing (model, not to scale). A bilayer: a top row of round heads, tails meeting in the middle, and a bottom row of round heads, with watery fluid outside the cell above and watery fluid inside the cell below. Letter P points to a sodium-potassium pump with an ATP label beside it. Outside the cell: 20 sodium ions and 20 potassium ions. Inside the cell: 20 sodium ions and 20 potassium ions. The pump then runs for many cycles with enough ATP.
Tala’s cell starts with equal counts on both sides, and pump P runs for many cycles with enough ATP. Which prediction fits?
- The same number of each ion on both sides, because pumps even them out
- More sodium ions outside and more potassium ions inside
- More sodium ions inside and more potassium ions outside
- More of both kinds of ion outside, because pumps move ions out
Use this
Membrane drawing (model, not to scale). A bilayer: a top row of round heads, tails meeting in the middle, and a bottom row of round heads, with watery fluid outside the cell above and watery fluid inside the cell below. Letter G points to a protein across the bilayer that carries sodium ions and glucose molecules into the cell together; no ATP label is beside G. Outside the cell: 60 sodium ions and 10 glucose molecules. Inside the cell: 8 sodium ions and 25 glucose molecules.
Zee’s drawing shows protein G open, with sodium ions and glucose outside. Predict what happens to the glucose molecules at G.
- They move in with no energy source, since carriers use no energy
- They stop, since glucose would have to move toward more glucose
- They keep moving in, carried by sodium ions moving down their gradient
- They move in, and G uses ATP directly to carry them