Class 8th: The cell

1). Define a cell?

Ans. A cell is a tiny living part of an organism consisting of many

organelles such as, mitochondria, chloroplast, nucleus, Golgi complex,
ribosomes, etc. it is a basic structural unit in living organisms and is
called the building block of the body.

Q2. Who discovered the cell?

Ans. The cell was discovered by an English Scientist, Robert Hook in

1665. He discovered it by observing the thin slices of cork under his
crude microscope (Simple, microscope consisting of biconcave lens
enclosed in two metal plates)

Q3. Give three examples of unicellular organisms.

Ans. Three examples of unicellular organisms are: Amoeba (Protozoa),

Paramecium (Protozoa) and Chlamydomonas (Green algae).

Q4. Answer the following questions:

i. Why cells could not be observed before the 17th century?

Ans. Most cells are smaller in size, due to this smaller size these cells
could not be seen before 17th century because no instrument was
invented that could be used to see these small structures.

ii. Why cork could not be observed as such by Hook?

Ans. Cork is a solid structure, so Hook was unable to observe it under
his crude microscope. He then made slices of cork and observed them
under his microscope.

iii. Where did Hooke demonstrate his observations on cork slice?

Ans. Hook demonstrated his observations on cork slices to the scientist

at the Royal Society of London.

iv. Name the outermost layer of animal cells.

Ans. The cell membrane is the outermost layer of an animal cell. It

protects and provides shape to the cell. It also allows materials to enter
and leave the cell through tiny holes.

v. Name the layer which is present outside the plasma membrane in a

plant cell?

Ans. The cell wall is the layer that is present outside the plasma
membrane in the plant cell. It is made of a stiff, non-living material
called cellulose. It protects the cell. The cell wall is lacking in animal
cells.

vi. Where are chromosomes present in a cell?

Ans. Chromosomes are present in the nucleus of the cell.

vii. Name the cell part which has tiny holes?

Ans. Cell membrane or plasma membrane and nuclear membrane have

tiny holes. These tiny holes allow the cell parts in the exchange of
substances or materials.

viii. Name the cell organelles which are found in a plant cell?
Ans. Mitochondria, Chloroplast, Nucleus, Endoplasmic Reticulum, Golgi
Complex, Ribosomes, Lysosomes etc.

ix. Name the cell having branched structures?

Ans. A nerve cell is a cell that has branched structures. A nerve cell is
long and has threadlike projections, as it has to convey messages to
different parts of the body.

x. Which cell can be observed under an unaided eye?

Ans. The cells that are bigger in size can be observed with unaided eyes.
For example, an Ostrich egg is the largest animal cell that can be seen
with naked eyes. In plants, an Algae, Acetabularia has one big cell that
can be seen with naked eyes.

Q5. Mention the functions of the following;

i. Cell membrane ii. Chromosome

Ans. i. Functions of Cell membrane: It is a very thin skin covering of the

cell.

i. It protects the cell.

ii. It provides shape to the cell.

iii. It allows materials to enter and the cell through tiny pores.

ii. Functions of chromosomes: Chromosomes are thread-like structures.

i. They inherit the characters from one generation to another.

ii. They protect the genetic material (DNA) from being damaged during
cell division.
Q6. Why are the following important to a plant cell?

i. Cell wall ii. Chloroplast iii. Mitochondria iv. Nucleus

Ans. i. Cell Wall: The cell wall is important to the plant cell because it
provides rigidity to it and makes it to stand erect. It also provides
protection to the cell.

ii. Chloroplast: It is important to the plant cell because it helps a plant

to make food. It has a green pigment called chlorophyll, which in the
presence of sunlight with CO-2 and water helps in the manufacture of
food in plants.

iii. Mitochondria: It is important to the cell because it provides energy

to the cell and performs the functions of respiration.

iv. Nucleus: Nucleus is important to the cell because it is responsible for

the transmission of characters from one generation to another. It
controls all the life functions taking place in the cell. It is the boss of the
cell.

Q7. Draw an outline diagram of an animal cell. Label its different parts.
Q8. Mention three differences between plant cell and animal cell.

Ans. Three differences between plant cell and animal cell are as under:

PLANT CELL ANIMAL CELL

1. It has a rigid cell wall 1. The cell wall is lacking.

2. The chloroplast is present. 2. The chloroplast is absent.

3. The vacuole is present in large 3. The vacuole is absent, if present

sizes it is smaller in size.

Q9. What features are possessed by both plant cells and animal cells?

Ans. Features possessed by both plant cells and animal cells are as
under:

i. The plasma membrane is present in both.

ii. The nucleus is present in both.

iii. Both cells contain mitochondria.

iv. Both cells contain the organelles like endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi
complex, lysosomes, and ribosomes.

Q10. Why are nerve cells long? Why do these cells have projections?
Ans. Nerve cells are long, branched and have thread-like projections
because their function is to convey messages to all parts of the body.

Q11. Why are mitochondria are known as the ‘powerhouse of the cell’?

Ans. Mitochondria are called the ‘powerhouse of the cell’ because they
provide energy to the cell and also helps in respiration.

Q12. Which four basic elements constitute more than 90% of

protoplasm?

Ans. Carbon, Nitrogen, Hydrogen, and Oxygen are the four basic
elements that constitute more than 90% of protoplasm.

Q13. Write in brief about the variation in the shape and size of cells.

Ans. Variation in shape and size of the cells depends upon the function
performed by them. In unicellular organisms, all the functions of the
body is carried out by a single cell, so its shape and size may vary from
the cells of the multicellular organisms in which work is divided to many
cells.

Q14. Name the different cell organelles and the functions of these
organelles?

Ans. Organelles occur in the cytoplasm of a cell. The names and

functions of these organelles are given as under:

i. Mitochondria: It provides energy to the cell and performs the

functions of respiration.

ii. Chloroplast: It is only present in plant cells. It contains a green

pigment called chlorophyll that helps a plant in the manufacture of
food by the process of photosynthesis.
iii. Nucleus: Nucleus plays an important in the transmission of
characters from one generation to another. It controls all the functions
taking place inside the cell.

iv. Endoplasmic reticulum: It is a network of membranes and provides a

large surface area for life functions to take place.

v. Golgi complex: It collects and distributes the substances made in the

cell synthesis and secretion of many materials.

vii. Lysosomes: They contain enzymes that help in breaking down or

destroying the various materials. These are also called suicidal bags.

Q15. What is meant by protoplasm? How does it differ from

cytoplasm?

Ans. Protoplasm is a liquid consisting of cytoplasm, cell membrane, and

nucleus. Protoplasm is called ‘the physical basis of life’. It is a colloidal,
complex, elastic, viscous, granular, and colorless substance present in
the cell. It contains many chemical elements like hydrogen, carbon,
oxygen, nitrogen etc.

It is different from the cytoplasm because most of the functions take

place in the cytoplasm as it contains many tiny structures called
organelles that perform the various life functions.

Q16. Fill in the blanks, using the words given below:

(mycoplasma, microscope, nucleus, ostrich egg, cytoplasm, lysosome,

mitochondria, Robert Hook, plant, cell membrane)

i. The lysosomes are also called as suicide bags.

ii. The term ‘cell’ was given by Robert Hook.

iii. The instrument used to see tiny objects is called a microscope.

iv. The smallest cell is that of a mycoplasma.

v. An Ostrich egg is a cell that can be seen without a microscope.

vi. The cell membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus are parts of a cell.

vii. Energy is produced in mitochondria.

viii. The cell wall is present in plant cells.

Q17. Write ‘True’ or ‘False’ in front of the statement given below:

i. Most of a cell is a nucleus. (True)

ii. Only the nucleus of a cell represents the protoplasm. (False)

iii. Most cells are microscopic. (True)

iv. All living organisms are made of cells. (True)

v. Every cell has a cytoplasm. (True)

vi. All cells in a multicellular organism can live independently. (False)

vii. The outermost covering in an animal cell is called the cell wall.
(False)

Q18. Match the statements in Column A with those in Column B:

Ans.

Column A Column B

1. Cell c. Unit of the living body.

2. Nucleus d. Boss of the cell.

3. Cell wall a. Outermost covering in a plant cells.

4. Chloroplast e. Photosynthetic unit.

5. Cytoplasm f. Jelly-like substance between cell membrane and

nucleus.

6. Organelles b. Tiny structures inside cells.

Q19. Label the different parts of the plant cell.

Do it yourself