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A very fine needle can pierce a plasma membrane without bursting the cell because the membrane:
AIs a rigid sheet that resists all force
BFlows and self-seals once withdrawn
CExpands like a balloon around the tip
DDissolves and reforms from fresh lipid
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. Flows and self-seals once withdrawn
1. The membrane is fairly rigid and can burst if penetrated or if a cell takes in too much water.
2. Its mosaic nature nonetheless leaves it mobile in the plane of the sheet.
3. Because of that mosaic nature, a very fine needle can easily penetrate a plasma membrane without causing it to burst.
4. The membrane will flow and self-seal when the needle is extracted.
5. It is explicitly not like a balloon that expands and contracts, which rules out option C.
_Source: OpenStax Biology for AP(R) Courses (CC BY 4.0), Ch 5 'Structure and Function of Plasma Membranes', sections 5.1-5.4_
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