Biology Biomolecules SZABMU 2024 Reconduct
PMDC Verified Question 3 of 142
Which property of water helps to maintain the integrity of lipid bilayer membranes?
A
Specific heat capacity
B
Hydrogen bonding
C
Cohesion and adhesion
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:

Biological membranes are held together entirely by the thermodynamic avoidance of water.

Solution:

  • Water molecules bond intensely to one another via hydrogen bonds.


  • When non-polar lipid tails are placed in water, they cannot form these bonds, forcing the water molecules to adopt a highly ordered, rigid, and energetically unfavorable "cage" around them.


  • To minimize this unfavorable state, water physically forces the non-polar lipid tails to clump together, hiding them away in a bilayer core.


  • This driving force, termed Hydrophobic exclusion, is the sole physical mechanism that maintains the structural integrity of every cell membrane.


Why other options are incorrect:

  • While Hydrogen bonding is the root cause, "Hydrophobic exclusion" is the specific, direct biochemical property/mechanism describing the membrane assembly process.


  • Specific heat / Cohesion: Relate to thermal stability and capillary action, respectively.

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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