Biology Biomolecules PMC 2020
PMDC Verified Question 104 of 142
Which property of water helps to maintain the integrity of lipid membranes?
A
Cohesion and adhesion
B
Specific heat capacity
C
Hydrogen bonding
D
Hydrophobic exclusion
Tap any option to test your recall and reveal the step-by-step Propolis autopsy.

Propolis Cognitive Error Autopsy

Official Correct Choice:
Option D: Hydrophobic exclusion
Concept:

The structural integrity of biological membranes relies on how water interacts with non-polar substances.

Solution:

  • Water molecules are highly polar and form strong hydrogen bonds with each other.


  • When non-polar (hydrophobic) molecules like the fatty acid tails of lipids are in an aqueous environment, water molecules tend to 'exclude' them to maximize their own hydrogen-bonding network.


  • This phenomenon, known as hydrophobic exclusion, forces lipid tails to aggregate inward away from water, thereby driving the spontaneous formation and structural stability of the lipid bilayer membrane.


Why other options are incorrect:

  • While hydrogen bonding drives the exclusion, 'hydrophobic exclusion' is the direct specific property that forces lipids into a bilayer formation.


  • Cohesion/Adhesion and Specific heat regulate water transport and thermal stability, respectively, not membrane formation.

Quality & Fidelity Assurance: Every question on BeambePrep is rigorously curated against the official PMDC syllabus with zero filler, zero out-of-syllabus content, and zero typos. When an authentic past paper originally contained a historical mistake or ambiguity from the examining board (such as UHS or NUMS), BeambePrep faithfully reflects the original paper while detailing the nuance and scientific consensus in the autopsy above.

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