Final answer:
The statement is incorrect because nonpolar or lipid-soluble materials pass through plasma membranes more easily than polar materials, not the other way around. The lipid bilayer's hydrophobic interior allows nonpolar molecules to pass more readily, while polar molecules often need assistance.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'In general, polar molecules pass through the lipid bilayer more rapidly than do nonpolar molecules' is incorrect. Instead, the solubility of different molecules in the plasma membrane's lipid bilayer varies. Nonpolar or lipid-soluble materials pass through more easily than polar materials. The membrane's lipid bilayer has a hydrophobic interior that disrupts the passage of polar molecules. However, nonpolar molecules such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and lipids can pass through more rapidly because they are repelled less by the hydrophobic interior.
Polar substances, on the other hand, present problems for the membrane due to their inability to diffuse easily through the lipid core. Water-soluble materials like glucose, amino acids, and electrolytes often require assistance to cross the membrane, like transport proteins or other mechanisms. This process is because they are hydrophilic and are repelled by the hydrophobic core of the phospholipid bilayer. Therefore, polar molecules, especially large ones, typically cannot move through the lipid bilayer as easily and require specific transport mechanisms.