As a cell grows larger, its surface area-to-volume ratio:
ARises steadily
BFalls steadily
CStays constant
DDoubles exactly
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. Falls steadily
1. Volume grows with the cube of the radius while surface area grows only with the square.
2. So volume outruns surface area as size increases.
3. As a cell increases in size, its surface area-to-volume ratio decreases.
4. This matters because nutrients and wastes are always exchanged at the periphery of the cell.
_Source: OpenStax Biology for AP(R) Courses (CC BY 4.0), Ch 4 'Cell Structure', sections 4.1-4.6_
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