Skip to content
Marlbridge

AP® Biology · Unit 4 · Topic 4.5

Cell Cycle: Topic Checklist (Biology 4.5)

Specific “I can…” statements for the cell cycle and mitosis, each linked to the guide section and practice question that shows whether you can really do it.

Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.

Understanding

  • I can put the stages of the cell cycle in order (G1, S, G2, mitosis, cytokinesis) and say which ones make up interphase. (Guide: Figure 1)
  • I can describe what the cell does in G1, S and G2, and explain why interphase is not a resting stage. (Guide: “Interphase: G1, S and G2”; Practice Q1)
  • I can explain what G0 is, and that many cells in G0 can re-enter the cycle when they receive the right cues. (Guide: “G0: leaving the cycle”; Practice Q7)
  • I can describe the main events of prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase. (Guide: “Mitosis: sharing the copies out”)
  • I can compare cytokinesis in animal cells (cleavage furrow) and plant cells (cell plate). (Guide: “Cytokinesis: two new cells”; Practice Q3)
  • I can explain why mitosis gives two genetically identical daughter cells, and name its roles in growth, repair and asexual reproduction. (Guide: “What mitosis is for”; Practice Q6)

Calculation and skills

  • I can give the number of chromosomes, chromatids and the DNA content of a cell at any stage of the cycle. (Guide: Worked example 2, Figure 2; Practice Q2, Q5)
  • I can calculate a mitotic index from cell counts, including interphase cells in the total. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q4)
  • I can estimate the time spent in a stage from the fraction of cells in it, and state the assumption this needs. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q4)
  • I can identify G1, S and G2 on a DNA-content graph or table and calculate the rate of DNA synthesis. (Guide: Figure 3; Practice Q5)

Reasoning

  • I can describe a trend in cell-count data with numbers, and suggest a biological reason for it. (Practice Q4)
  • I can predict what happens to the daughter cells if sister chromatids fail to separate, or if cytokinesis fails. (Practice Q3, Q6)
  • I can explain why a population with some cells in G0 grows more slowly than one where every cell divides. (Practice Q7)

All ticked? Move on to Topic 4.6, Regulation of Cell Cycle, or return to the course roadmap.

AP® and Advanced Placement® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this website. Marlbridge is an independent tuition provider. It is not an authorized AP course provider, an AP school or an exam centre, and these resources are not official College Board materials. Reading them or doing simulations does not meet the laboratory requirement of an AP science course.