Flagella and Cilia - Practice Questions & MCQ

Feature

Flagella

Appearance

whip-like extensions that grow outwards from the cell body

Length

significantly shorter; usually 5-6 um long

can extend up to 10 times the cell length. Their length can go up to 1000 um

Thickness

though short, tend to have greater diameter; around 0.3 to 0.5 um thick

around 20-25 nm (0.02 to 0.025 um) thin

Density

present in large numbers on the surface of the cell

less in number

Cell type

fungi (yeast), macrophages (white blood cells), protozoa, and sperm cells, epithelial cells located in the respiratory tract also have cilia

 prokaryotic cells

Motion

produce forward and backward vibrations; movements are similar to a paddle stroke

produce a whipping action, which means they have a rotatory behaviour