Question

Sodium-Potassium pump present on the cell membrane is a classic example of ..............

• A. Primary active transport
• B. Primary passive transport
• C. Secondary active transport
• D. Secondary passive transport

Hint:

The Sodium-Potassium pump is essential for maintaining cellular function and requires ATP energy to pump sodium and potassium ions against their concentration gradients.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The Sodium-Potassium pump is a classic example of Primary active transport. It uses energy from ATP hydrolysis to transport sodium (Na+) out of the cell and potassium (K+) into the cell against their concentration gradients.
(1) Primary active transport: This is the correct answer. The Sodium-Potassium pump directly uses ATP to transport ions against their concentration gradients, which is characteristic of primary active transport.
(2) Primary passive transport: This is incorrect because primary passive transport does not require energy. It relies on the concentration gradient to transport substances.
(3) Secondary active transport: This is incorrect because secondary active transport uses the ion gradients established by primary active transport but does not directly use ATP energy, as the Sodium-Potassium pump does.
(4) Secondary passive transport: This is incorrect because passive transport does not require energy, and secondary passive transport involves ion gradients, which are not the main mechanism for the Sodium-Potassium pump.
Conclusion: The correct answer is Option 1: Primary active transport as the Sodium-Potassium pump directly uses ATP to transport ions across the membrane.