Metabolism is the total chemical process in a cell, including both anabolism and catabolism. It breaks down chemicals to release energy and builds up chemicals. Which term describes this total process?

• A. Respiration
• B. Metabolism
• C. Anabolism
• D. Catabolism

Answer: (B)

Metabolism is the overall set of chemical processes in a cell, covering both building up and breaking down and how energy flows through those processes. It includes anabolic pathways, which synthesize complex molecules from simpler ones and require energy, and catabolic pathways, which break down molecules and release energy. Respiration is a specific energy-producing process within metabolism, not the umbrella term for all cellular chemistry. So the term that describes the total process is metabolism, since it encompasses both the creation and the breakdown of substances as well as the energy dynamics that connect them.