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9th grade ATP: the cell's energy carrier worksheet

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ATP: the cell's energy carrier

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Flow diagram (model, not to scale), drawn inside the cell membrane. Ari reads that one ATP's hydrolysis releases 7.3 kcal/mol and moving one sodium ion across a membrane takes 2.1 kcal/mol. How many whole sodium ions could that energy move?

    • 1 ion: each ATP is meant to move a single sodium ion
    • 9 ions: 7.3 + 2.1 = 9.4, and that is rounded down to 9
    • 4 ions: 7.3 ÷ 2.1 = 3.5, and half an ion is rounded up to 4
    • 3 ions: 3 × 2.1 = 6.3 fits in 7.3, but 4 × 2.1 = 8.4 does not
  2. Read this first

    Use this

    Flow diagram (model, not to scale), drawn inside the cell. Inputs in boxes on the left: ATP; model reaction X. Outputs in boxes on the right: ADP and Pi; model reaction X done. A wavy arrow points out of the reaction: 14 kcal/mol released by ATP hydrolysis in a living cell. Each run of model reaction X needs 5 kcal/mol.

  3. Bo reads that ATP hydrolysis in a living cell releases 14 kcal/mol. A model reaction X needs 5 kcal/mol each time. How many whole runs of X can one ATP drive?

    • 3 runs: 14 ÷ 5 = 2.8, and the 0.8 is counted as a whole run
    • 9 runs: 14 − 5 = 9, and each run uses up one unit of 5
    • 0 runs: ATP releases energy, so it cannot drive anything
    • 2 runs: 2 × 5 = 10 fits in 14, but 3 × 5 = 15 is too much
  4. This is the first step of glycolysis. In the first step of glycolysis, a cell spends ATP to add a phosphate group to glucose. Esme asks why. What is the best reason?

    • Adding a phosphate to glucose releases energy, so ATP is a spare
    • Adding a phosphate to glucose needs energy, and ATP hydrolysis supplies it
    • ATP stores the glucose until the cell needs it later on
    • The ATP is used up for good once it gives away its phosphate
  5. Jun reads a model graph. At time 0 a cell stops rebuilding ATP while it keeps working. When does the ATP run out, and what does that show?

    • At 30 s: ATP is the cell's long-term store of energy
    • At 3 s: ATP is a short-term supply that must be rebuilt
    • At no point: ADP and Pi turn back into ATP on their own
    • At 3 s: the ATP is gone for good, so the cell cannot recover
  6. Use this

    Flow diagram (model, not to scale), drawn inside the cell. Inputs in boxes on the left: glucose, amount not shown. Outputs in boxes on the right: energy extracted: 17 energy units (model data); energy released as heat: the rest. No wavy arrow label is drawn. OpenStax: glucose pathways extract about 34 percent of the energy in glucose.

  7. Luz reads that glucose-breakdown pathways extract about 34 percent of the energy in glucose and release the rest as heat. A model cell extracts 17 energy units. About how many units did the glucose hold?

    • About 50, because 17 is about 34 percent of 50
    • About 83, because 17 plus the 66 percent lost is 83
    • About 6, because 34 percent of 17 is about 6
    • About 17, because the cell extracts the full amount
  8. Flow diagram (model, not to scale), drawn inside the cell. Noah's notebook shows ATP and water becoming ADP and Pi, with a wavy arrow into the reaction labeled energy needed. What is the flaw?

    • The ADP box should show 3 phosphate groups to match ATP
    • Water should be an output, since hydrolysis releases water
    • The arrow is right: making ADP and Pi from ATP needs an energy input
    • The wavy arrow should point out: breaking ATP down releases energy
  9. ATP in a working model cell (model data)

    time (s)ATP presentATP broken down each secondATP rebuilt each second
    0601212
    10601212
    20601212
  10. Pia says the amount of ATP stayed at 60, so the cell used none. What is the flaw in that claim?

    • A steady amount can mean ATP is rebuilt as fast as it is used
    • The amount should rise, because using ATP makes more of it
    • A steady amount shows the ATP was stored away in the cell, not used
    • The amount should fall, because used ATP is gone for good
  11. Where cells keep energy (real data, from OpenStax Biology 2e)

    form of energyhow it is used
    ATPimmediate work
    starch in plantsstored glucose
    fatslong-term storage
  12. Ren says a plant should keep its winter energy as ATP in every cell. Which reply is best?

    • Disagree: ATP is for immediate work, so plants store sugar as starch
    • Disagree: plants keep their winter energy as ADP, which holds more than ATP
    • Agree: ATP is a stable long-term store, like starch
    • Disagree: plants cannot store energy in any form
  13. Use this

    Flow diagram (model, not to scale), drawn inside the cell. No wavy arrow label is drawn. No wavy arrow labels are drawn.

  14. Tala's friend says rebuilding ATP is what releases the energy a cell uses for work. Which reply is correct?

    • Disagree: rebuilding takes energy in; breaking ATP down releases it
    • Disagree: rebuilding releases energy, and breaking takes it in
    • Agree: joining the third phosphate to ADP releases energy
    • Agree: ADP and Pi make the energy by themselves
  15. ATP made during glucose breakdown (real data, from OpenStax Biology 2e)

    processshare of the ATPwhere it happens
    chemiosmosis90 percentmitochondria in a eukaryotic cell
    substrate-level phosphorylationa few ATP moleculessteps of the glucose pathways
  16. Zee reads that the mitochondria in a model muscle cell stop working. Which prediction fits the card?

    • ATP rebuilding stays the same, since ADP and Pi make energy alone
    • ATP rebuilding stays the same, since stored ATP lasts for months
    • ATP rebuilding falls sharply, since 90 percent of the ATP from glucose is made in mitochondria
    • ATP rebuilding stops at once, since the ATP is used up for good
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9th grade ATP: the cell's energy carrier worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

ATP: the cell's energy carrier. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can say what ATP is made of: adenosine (the base adenine plus the five-carbon sugar ribose) joined to three phosphate groups, and I can count phosphate groups in ATP (3), ADP (2) and Pi (1).
  • I can read a flow diagram of ATP hydrolysis (ATP and water in; ADP and Pi out; a wavy arrow out for the energy released) and of ATP regeneration (ADP and Pi in; ATP and water out; a wavy arrow in for the energy needed).
  • I can count phosphate groups and molecules on both sides of an equation and see that the groups are conserved.
  • I can say that rebuilding ATP takes an energy input and that breaking ATP down releases energy, and that a negative ∆G means energy released.
  • I can read the two OpenStax values for ATP hydrolysis: −7.3 kcal/mol (−30.5 kJ/mol) at standard conditions and −14 kcal/mol (−57 kJ/mol) in a living cell, "almost double".
  • I can say where the energy to rebuild ATP comes from: glucose broken down in cellular respiration (most of it in mitochondria) and, in plants, also light in the light reactions.

Standard: supports HS-LS1-7

Words to know

ATP (adenosine triphosphate): The cell's energy carrier: adenosine joined to three phosphate groups

ADP (adenosine diphosphate): ATP after one phosphate group comes off; it has two phosphate groups

Pi (inorganic phosphate): A single phosphate group that is not joined to anything

adenosine: The base adenine joined to the five-carbon sugar ribose

phosphate group: A small group of atoms that carries energy when joined to ATP or ADP

hydrolysis: Breaking a molecule apart by adding water

regeneration: Rebuilding ATP from ADP and Pi, using an energy input

free energy (∆G): Energy available to do work; a negative ∆G means energy is released

Common mistakes

Your child thought ATP is where a cell keeps energy for the long term. ATP is for quick use; starch, glycogen and fats hold energy longer. Ask your child which one a plant keeps for winter.

Your child thought energy is released when ATP is built, or that breaking ATP creates energy. Building ATP takes energy in; breaking it releases energy. Ask your child which way the wavy arrow points for each change.

Your child thought ADP has three phosphate groups. ADP has two and ATP has three. Ask your child to count the phosphate groups in ATP, ADP and Pi.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with atp: the cell's energy carrier?

Your child thought ATP is where a cell keeps energy for the long term. ATP is for quick use; starch, glycogen and fats hold energy longer. Ask your child which one a plant keeps for winter.

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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