Differences Between Plant Cells and
Animal Cells :
Q.1. What is a cell?
Ans: The basic unit of all living organisms, it is surrounded by a cell surface membrane (also known as the plasma membrane) and contains cytoplasm and organelles.
Q.2. What are the difference between animal and plant cells?
Plant cells:
Ans: a) Have cellulose cell walls.
It covers the cell membrane.
b) Have chloroplasts
These are tiny discs full of a green substance called chlorophyll. They trap the light energy that plants need for making food by photosynthesis.
c) Always have a vacuole
d) Have a few different shapes.
Animal cells:
a) Do not have cellulose cell walls.
b) Do not have chloroplasts
c) Sometimes have a vacuole.
This is a space within the cell containing air, liquids, or food particles.
d) Have many different shapes.
Q.3. What does the cell nucleus do?
Ans: The cell nucleus controls what a cell does, and how it develops.
Chapter- 1
Cell Structure:
Q.1. Which one of the following cell structures can be seen with a light microscope?
a) mitochondrion
b) ribosome
c) rough ER
d) smooth ER
Q.2. The use of electrons as a source of radiation in the electron microscope allows high resolution to be achieved because electrons:
a) are negatively changed
b) can be focused using electromagnets
c) have a very short wavelength
d) travel at the speed of light
Q.3. Which one of the following structures is found in animal cells, but not in plant cells?
a) cell surface membrane
b) centriole
c) chloroplast
d) Golgi body
Q.4. Copy and complete the following table, which compares light microscopes with electron microscopes. Some boxes have been filled in for you.
Feature Light microscope Electron microscope
source of radiation light electrons
wavelength of radiation used 400 - 700 nm about 0.005 nm
maximum resolution 200nm 0.5nm in practice
lenses glass electromagnets
specimen living or non-living non-living or dead
strains coloured dyes heavy metals
image coloured black and white
Q.5. List ten structures you could find in an electron micrograph of an animal cell which would be absent from the cell of bacterium.
Q.6. Advice on answering question 6: If you are asked to distinguish between two things, it is likely that it is because they have certain things in common and that they may even be confused with each other. In your answer, it is helpful where relevant to point out similarities as well as differences. Remember that for organelles there may be differences in both structure and function.
Distinguish between the following pairs of terms:
a) magnification and resolution
b) light microscope and electron microscope
c) nucleus and nucleolus
d) chromatin and chromosome
e) membrane and envelope
f) smooth ER and rough ER
g) prokaryote and eukaryote
Q.7. List:
a) Three organelles each lacking a boundary membrane
Ans: nucleus, ribosome, centriole
b) Three organelles each bounded by a single membrane
Ans: lysosome, rough ER, smooth ER, Golgi apparatus
c) Three organelles each bounded by two membranes
Ans: nucleus, mitochondrion, chloroplast
8. Identify each cell structure or organelle from its description below.
a) manufactures lysosomes-- Golgi apparatus
b) manufactures ribosomes -- nucleolus
c) site of protein synthesis -- ribosome
d) can bud off vesicles which form the Golgi body -- ER / rough ER
e) can transport newly synthesised protein round the cell -- rough ER
f) manufactures ATP in animal and plant cells -- mitochondrion
g) controls the activity of the cell, because it contains the DNA -- nucleus
h) carries out photosynthesis -- chloroplast
i) can act as a starting point for the growth of spindle microtubules during cell division - centriole
j) contains chromatin -- nucleus
k) partially permeable barrier only about 7 nm thick --- membrane
l) organelle about 25 nm in diameter -- ribosome
9. The electron micrograph on page 25 shows part of a secretory cell from the pancreas. The secretory vesicles are Golgi vesicles and appear as dark round structures. The magnification is X 8000.
a) Copy and complete the table. Use a ruler to help you find the actual sizes of the structures. Give your answers in micrometers.
Structure Observed diameter Actual size
(measured with ruler)
Maximum diameter of a Golgi vesicle
Maximum diameter of nucleus
Maximum length of the labelled mitochondrion
b) Make a fully labelled drawing of representative parts of the cell. You do not have to draw everything, but enough to show the structures of the main organelles. Use a full page of plain paper and a sharp pencil. Use Figures 1.16 and 1.17 in this book and the simplified diagram in d below to help you identify the structures.
c)