Cell Structure and Functions

Q1. Fill in the blanks.

                           i.        Protoplasm is called the living substance of the cell.
              ii.        A tissue is a group of similar cells performing a specific function.
iii.        Cells in the living organisms are basic structural units.
                        

iv.        Egg white is called the albumen.

                        

         v.        The size of the cell is related to its function.

vi.        Each organ is further made up of smaller parts called tissues.
                        

         vii.        All organisms are made of smaller parts called organs.

Q3. Where are genes located?

Ans. Genes are located on chromosomes.
 
Q4. What is the basic living unit of an organism?
Ans. Cell is the basic living unit of an organism.

Q5. What do chloroplasts contain?

Ans. Chloroplasts contain chlorophyll.

Q6. Name the instrument used to study cells.

Ans. Microscope is used to study cells.
 
Q7. Do animal cells have a cell wall?
Ans. No, animal cells do not have a cell wall.
 
Q8. What is a nucleolus?
Ans. A smaller spherical body in the nucleus is called the nucleolus.
 
Q9. Name the scientist who coined the term cell.
Ans. Robert Hooke coined the term ‘cell’.
Q10. Name one cell in human body which is spherical in shape.
Or
Give an example of spherical cell.
Ans. Spherical red blood cells

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Q11. Which part of a cell controls all the activities of the cell?
Ans. Nucleus acts as control centre of the activities of the cell.
 
Q12. Name the outermost layer of an animal cell.
Ans. Cell membrane is the outermost layer of an animal cell.
 
Q13. What are the units of inheritance in living organisms?
Ans. Chromosomes are the units of inheritance in living organisms.
 
Q14. What is nucleus?
Ans. The central dense round body in the centre is called the nucleus.

Q15. Which is the largest floating body generally in the centre of a cell?
Ans. Nucleus is the largest floating body generally in the centre of a cell.
 
Q16. What is vacuole?
Ans. Any blank-looking structure in the cytoplasm is called vacuole.
 
Q17. What is tissue?
Ans. A tissue is a group of similar cells performing a specific function.
 
Q18. Which cell receives and transfers messages?
Ans. The nerve cell (or a neuron) receives and transfers messages.
 
Q19. Name the spindle shaped cells present in the human body.
Ans. Spindle shaped muscle cells

Q20. What is the basic similarity among all the living organisms (plants
and animals)?
Ans. All the living things (plants and animals) are made from cells.
 
Q21. What are prokaryotic cells?
Ans. Cells without well organised nucleus, i.e. lacking nuclear membrane,
are called prokaryotic cells.

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Q22. What is the layer outside the cell membrane of a plant cell called?
Ans. In addition to the cell membrane, there is an outer thick layer in cells
of plants called cell wall.
 
Q23. Name the organelle of a plant cell where photosynthesis takes place.
Ans. In plants, photosynthesis takes place in chloroplasts, which contain
the chlorophyll.

Q24. How are the vacuoles in animal and plant cells different?
Ans. Plant cell has a big central vacuole unlike a number of small vacuoles
in animal cells.
 
Q25. What is the function of nucleus in a cell?
Ans. Nucleus, in addition to its role in inheritance, acts as control centre of
the activities of the cell.
 
Q26. Name the animal cell which is long and has thread like branches.
Ans. Nerve cell (a neuron) is the only animal cell which is long and has
thread like branches.

Q27. A hen’s egg can be seen easily. Is it a cell or a group of cells?

Ans. The egg of a hen represents a single cell and is big enough to be
seen by the unaided eye.
 
Q28. Name one cell which can be seen by unaided eye.
Ans. Some cells are big enough to be seen with the unaided eye. Hen’s
egg is an example.
 
Q29. What is an organ?
Ans. An organ is a collection of different tissues which work together to
perform a particular function in the body of an organism.
 
Q30. Why nerve cells are long and have branches?
Ans. Nerve cells are long and have branches so that it can receive and
transfer messages.

Q31. What regulates the movement of substances into and out of the
cell?

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 Ans. The plasma membrane is porous and allows the movement of
substances or materials both inward and outward.
 
Q32. Name the smallest and largest cell in the world.
Ans. The smallest cell is 0.1 to 0.5 micrometre in bacteria. The largest cell
measuring 170 mm ×130 mm, is the egg of an ostrich.
 
Q33. What is cell wall? What is its function?
Ans. Cell wall is an additional covering over the cell membrane in plant
cells. It gives shape and rigidity to these cells.
 
Q34. What advantage does Amoeba derive by changing shape?
Ans. The change in shape is due to formation of pseudopodia which
facilitates movement and help in capturing food.

Q35. Name a single cell present in the human body which can change its
shape.
Ans. A white blood cell (WBC) in human blood is another example of a
single cell which can change its shape.

Q36. Name one organism which has no definite shape, and keeps on
changing its shape.
Or
Which unicellular organism has no definite shape?
Or
Name an organism which changes its shape frequently.
Ans. Amoeba has no definite shape, unlike other organisms. It keeps on
changing its shape.
 
Q37. How do scientists observe and study the living cells?
Ans. They use microscopes which magnify objects. Stains (dyes) are used
to colour parts of the cell to study the detailed structure.
 
Q38. What is plastid? What is the name of green plastids present in plant
cells?
Ans. Coloured bodies called plastids are found in the plant cells only.
Green plastids containing chlorophyll are called chloroplasts.

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 Q39. What are the three main parts of the cell?
Ans. The cell has three main parts, (i) the cell membrane, (ii) cytoplasm
which contains smaller components called organelles, and (iii) the
nucleus.

Q40. Name two plant organs.

Ans. Roots – They help in the absorption of water and minerals.
Leaves – They are responsible for synthesis of food.
 
Q41. What are unicellular organisms? Give two examples.
Ans. The single-celled organisms are called unicellular (uni : one;
cellular : cell). Example: amoeba and paramecium.
 
Q42. What are pseudopodia in amoeba? What are the functions of
pseudopodia?
Ans. Pseudopodia is a temporary arm-like projection. Pseudopodia
facilitate movement and help in capturing food.
 
Q43. What is a gene? What is its function?
Ans. Gene is a unit of inheritance in living organisms. It controls the
transfer of a hereditary characteristic from parents to offspring.

Q44. What is protoplasm?

Ans. The entire content of a living cell is known as protoplasm. It includes
the cytoplasm and the nucleus. Protoplasm is called the living substance
of the cell.
 

Q45. What are multicellular organisms? Give two examples.

Ans. Organisms made of more than one cell are called multicellular

(multi: many; cellular: cell) organisms. Most of the plants and animals
around us are multicellular organisms. Example: a mango tree, a deer,
etc.

Q46. Why are plant and animal specimens usually stained with dyes
before observing them through a microscope? Name one stain used for
this purpose.

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 Ans. Stains (dyes) are used to colour parts of the cell to study the
detailed structure. Methylene blue solution stain is used in the study of
structure of cell.

Q47. Which part of the cell contains organelles?

Ans. Cytoplasm is a part of the cell that contains organelles such as
mitochondria, golgi bodies, ribosomes, etc. It is the jelly-like substance
present between the cell membrane and the nucleus.
 
Q48. Where are chromosomes found in a cell? State their function.
Ans. Nucleus contains thread-like structures called chromosomes. These
carry genes and help in inheritance or transfer of characters from the
parents to the offspring.
 
Q49. What is nuclear membrane? State its function.
Ans. Nucleus is separated from the cytoplasm by a membrane called the
nuclear membrane.
This membrane is also porous and allows the movement of materials
between the cytoplasm and the inside of the nucleus.

Q50. What are the different shapes of cells?

Ans. Generally, cells are round, spherical or elongated. Some cells are
long and pointed at both ends. They exhibit spindle shape. Cells
sometimes are quite long. Some are branched like the nerve cell or a
neuron.

Q51. Are the cells in an elephant larger than the cells in a rat?
Ans. The size of the cells has no relation with the size of the body of the
animal or plant. It is not necessary that the cells  in the elephant be much
bigger than those in a rat. The size of the cell is related to its function.
 
Q52. Explain why chloroplasts are found only in plant cells?
Ans. Green coloured plastids are called chloroplasts. They provide green
colour to the leaves. Chlorophyll in the chloroplasts of leaves is essential
for photosynthesis. As only plants can perform photosynthesis, so
chloroplasts are found only in plant cells.
 
Q53. What is the difference between amoeba and white blood cell?

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 Ans. The difference between amoeba and white blood cell is that while
amoeba cell is a full-fledged organism capable of independent existence,
white blood cell is merely a cell of human blood which is not a full-fledged
organism and hence cannot exist independently.

Q54. Which part of the cell gives it shape?

Ans. Components of the cell are enclosed in a membrane. This membrane
provides shape to the cells of plants and animals. Cell wall is an additional
covering over the cell membrane in plant cells. It gives shape and rigidity
to these cells. Bacterial cell also has a cell wall.
 
Q55. ‘Cells are the basic structural units of living organisms’. Explain.
Ans. Both, bricks in a building and cells in the living organisms, are basic
structural units. The buildings, though built of similar bricks, have
different designs, shapes and sizes. Similarly, in the living world,
organisms differ from one another but all are made up of cells. Cells in
the living organisms are complex living structures unlike non-living bricks.

Q56. Does the number of cells in an organism affect its functioning?

Explain.
Ans. The number of cells being less in smaller organisms does not, in any
way, affect the functioning of the organisms.  A single-celled organism
performs all the necessary functions that multicellular organisms perform.
An organism with billions of cells begins life as a single cell which is the
fertilized egg. The fertilised egg cell multiplies and the number of cells
increases as development proceeds.

Q57. Why plant cells need cell walls?

Or
What is the function of cell wall in a plant cell?
Ans. Cell membrane gives shape to the cell. In addition to the cell
membrane, there is an outer thick layer in cells of plants called cell wall.
This additional layer surrounding the cell membrane is required by the
plants for protection. Plant cells need protection against variations in
temperature, high wind speed, atmospheric moisture, etc. They are
exposed to these variations because they cannot move.
 
Q58. What are the functions of the cell membrane?
Ans. Functions of the cell membrane

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 i.        The cytoplasm and nucleus are enclosed within the cell membrane,
                          

also called the plasma membrane.

              ii.        The membrane separates cells from one another and also the cell
from the surrounding medium.
          iii.        The
plasma membrane is porous and allows the movement of substances
or materials both inward and outward.

Q59. State the difference between eukaryotes and prokaryotes.

Ans.
Eukaryotes Prokaryotes
1. The cells, like onion cells 1. The cells having nuclear
and cheek cells having well material without nuclear
organised nucleus with a membrane are termed
nuclear membrane are prokaryotic cells. The
designated as eukaryotic organisms with these kinds of
cells. All organisms other than cells are called prokaryotes.
bacteria and blue green algae
are called eukaryotes.
2. Examples are plant and 2. Examples are bacteria and
animal cells. blue green algae.
 
Q60. Make a sketch of the human nerve cell. What function do nerve cells
perform?
Ans.

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 The nerve cell receives and transfers messages, thereby helping to control
and coordinate the working of different parts of the body.

Q61. Write short notes on the following:

(a) Cytoplasm
(b) Nucleus of a cell
Ans. Cytoplasm - It is the jelly-like substance present between the cell
membrane and the nucleus. Various other components, or organelles, of
cells are present in the cytoplasm. These are mitochondria, golgi bodies,
ribosomes, etc.
Nucleus of a cell - It is generally spherical and located in the centre of the
cell. It is composed of the following components:
      a.   Nuclear membrane - Nucleus is separated from the cytoplasm by a
membrane called the nuclear membrane. This membrane is also porous
and allows the movement of materials between the cytoplasm and the
inside of the nucleus.
      b.   Nucleolus - A smaller spherical body in the nucleus is called the
nucleolus.
      c.   Chromosomes – nucleus contains thread-like structures called
chromosomes.  These carry genes and help in inheritance or transfer of
characters from the parents to the offspring. The chromosomes can be
seen only when the cell divides.

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 Q62. Make sketches of animal and plant cells. State three differences
between them.
Ans. Figure ‘a’ – Plant Cell
Figure ‘b’ – Animal Cell

 
Animal Cell Plant Cell
1. They are generally small in 1. They are usually larger than
size. animal cells.
2. Cell wall is absent. 2. Cell wall is present.
3. Vacuoles are smaller in 3. Vacuoles are larger in size.
size.

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