Which statement about Golgi function is correct?

• A. The cis face is nearer to the nucleus of the cell.
• B. The trans face is nearer to the nucleus.
• C. The cis face faces the cell membrane.
• D. The Golgi is not involved in protein modification.

Answer: (A)

Understanding Golgi organization helps explain why this statement is correct. The Golgi apparatus has a polarity with two main faces: a cis face that receives cargo from the endoplasmic reticulum and a trans face that sends cargo onward to the plasma membrane, lysosomes, or secretory pathways. The cis face is the side closest to the ER and typically positioned near the nucleus in many cells. Proteins arrive from the ER through vesicles, fuse at the cis Golgi, and then progress through the cisternae (cis to medial to trans) where they are modified, sorted, and finally dispatched from the trans face.

So, saying the cis face is nearer to the nucleus reflects the actual organization of the Golgi and its relationship to the ER. The other statements aren’t correct because the trans face is the side facing away from the nucleus toward the cell periphery, the cis face faces the ER rather than the cell membrane, and the Golgi is actively involved in post-translational modification of proteins.