Final answer:
The correct answer is A) Cholesterol, Hydrophobic, Flexible, Temperatures. Cholesterol in the hydrophobic region of animal cell membranes maintains membrane flexibility across different temperatures, ensuring proper function.
Step-by-step explanation:
Animal cell membranes have molecules of cholesterol in the hydrophobic region, which helps the membrane remain flexible over a wide range of temperatures. The correct answer to the fill-in-the-blank question is A) Cholesterol, Hydrophobic, Flexible, Temperatures.
Cholesterol plays a crucial role as it's situated alongside the phospholipids within the cell membrane. It acts as a buffer to moderate the membrane's response to temperature fluctuations, ensuring that the cell membrane remains adequately fluid at various temperatures. This fluidity is vital for the membrane's function, as it affects the permeability and the movement of substances in and out of the cell.