FUNDAMENTAL UNIT OF LIFE ( CELL)

Q.1. Name the scientist who first observed the cell ?

Ans : Robert Hooke.

Q.2. Name the cells he saw?

Ans : Cork cells which are a part of the bark of tree under his self designed
microscope.

Q.3. What does the word cell mean?

Ans : Cell in Latin means a little room.

Q.4. Name the uppermost layer of the skin?

Ans : Epidermis.

Q.5. The epidermis removed for making a slide should be put in water immediately,
why ?

Ans : To avoid the epidermis from folding or drying.

Q.6. Give some examples of die and stain?

Ans : All the part of the cell can be seen clearly.

Q.7. Give the importance of the cell taking up different amounts of stain?

Ans : All the part of the cell can be seen clearly.

Q.8. While making a slide which precaution should be taken?

Ans : Avoid air bubble.

Q.9. Give examples of unicellular organism capable of independent existence.

Ans : Amoeba, Bacteria, Paramecium.

Q.10. Differentiate Unicellular Organism and Multicellular Organism.

Ans :
No Unicellular Organizm Multicellular Organism
1 Made up or single cell Made up of many cells
2 The single cell performs all the life They show division of labour .
process Eg : Humans
Eg : Amoeba, Bacteria
Q.11. Name the single cell from which all organisms originate.

Ans : Zygote.

Q.12. What does shape and size of a cell depend upon?

Ans : Depends on the functions the cell performs.

Q.13. Give example for the following cells.

Ans : Spindle shaped Muscle cell

Branch shaped Nerve cell or Neuron
Spherical & round shaped Fat cell, Ovum, RBC.
Irregular shaped WBC, Amoeba

Q.14, What do you mean by division of labour in humans?

Ans : Human beings are example of multicellular organism, so they are made up of
many cells such that different parts of the body perform different functions. For eg.
Heart pumps blood, stomach digests food, lungs help in breathing. This is known as
division of labour in which different organs perform different functions.

Q.15. Another name for components of cell?

Ans : Cell organelles.

Q.16. What is the basic unit of each cell and why is it called so?

Ans : Cell organelles are the basic unit of each cell, because each cell organelles
perform a special function for cell, that is a cell is able to live because of its cell
organelles.

Q.17. Why is cell called structural and functional unit of life?

Ans : Because each cell acquires its structure & ability to function because of it
organization of membranes & organelles in a specific ways. It therefore becomes the
basic structural organization, also the cell performs all the vital life process like
respiration, digestion, clearing waste materials, etc. Thus cells are also the
fundamental units of all organisms.

Q. 18. What are three features common to all cells?

Ans : Cytoplasm, cell membrane and Nucleus.

Q.19. Define diffusion.

Ans : The process of spontaneous movement of substance from a region of high

concentration to low concentration through a selectively permeable membrane is
called diffusion.
Q.20. Define osmosis.

Ans : the process of spontaneous movement of water molecules from a region of

high concentration to a region of low concentration through a selectively permeable
membrane is called osmoses.

Q.21. What does osmosis depend upon?

Ans : Amount of substance dissolved in water.

Q.22. Give importance of diffusion & osmosis.

Ans : 1. Exchange of gases between the cells as well as cells & external
environment takes place with the help of diffusion.
2. Unicellular freshwater organisms & most plant cells gain water through
osmosis.
3. Diffusion & osmosis help animals & plants cells to obtain nutrient from the
environment.

Q.23. How does exchange gases takes place in plant cell.

Ans : 1. In plant cells oxygen is the cellular & is required to be excreted out of the
cell.
2. Oxygen collects within the plant cells in high concentration produced as a
result of photo synthesis ( concentration high ).
3. In the external environment the concentration diffusion begins & oxygen
moves out of the plant cell.
4. Due to this difference in concentration diffusion begins & oxygen moves out
of the plant cell.
5. Due to the continuous process of photosynthesis concentration of CO2,
withi the plant cells is low as compared to the external environment. Hence, diffusion
of carbon dioxide begins fro the external environment to within the cell.

Q.24. White a short note on cell membrane.

Ans : 1. Another name plasma membrane.

2. Separates the contents of the cell from external environment.
3. Selectively permeable in nature as it allows entry & exit of only few selected
substances by diffusion.
4. Flexible in nature.
5. Made up of lipids & proteins.

Q.25. What is a hypotonic solution?

Ans : If the medium surrounding the cell has a higher water concentration than the
cell that is the outside is solution is very dilute than the cell gains water by osmosis,
such a solution is known as hypotonic solution.
Q.27. What happens to the cell kept in a hypotonic solution?

Ans : Water molecules are free to pass across the cell membrane in both directions
but more water will come into the cell than will leave, when the cell is kept in a
hypotonic solution. The net result is that the cell swells up.

Q.28. What is an isotonic solution?

Ans : If the medium outside has exactly same water concentration as the cell there
will be no net movement of water across the cell membrane such a solution is known
as isotonic solution.

Q. 29. What happens to the cell kept in isotonic solution?

Ans : When a cell is kept in on isotonic solution the no overall movement of water
and the cell remains the same size.

Q. 30. What is a hypertonic solution?

Ans : If the medium has lower concentration of water than the cell that it is very
concentrated solution the cell will lose water by osmosis. Such solution is known as
hypertonic solution.

Q.31. What happens to the cell kept in a hypertonic solution?

Ans : When the cell is kept in a hypertonic solution more water leaves the cell than
enters it, the cell will therefore shrink in size.

Q.32. Write a short note on cell wall.

Ans : 1. Cell wall is present in plant cell only, Outside the cell membrane.
2. Made up of cellulose ( complex sugar ).
3. Provides structural strength to plant.
4. Prevents the cell from bursting in hypotonic solution.

Q.33. How does cell wall prevent the cell from bursting?

Ans : If a living plant cell, fungi or bacteria are kept in hypotonic solution, the cell
tends to take up water by osmosis. The cell swells building up pressure against the
cell wall. The cell wall in turn exerts equal & opposite pressure against swollen cell.
This prevents the cell fro bursting.
Q. 34. Differentiate between Cell Membrane & Cell Wall.

Ans :
No Cell Membrane Cell Wall
1 Outer boundary present in both plant Present only in plant cell
and animal cell
2 Made up of lipids & proteins Made up of cellulose
3 Porous & flexible in nature Rigid in nature
4 Since flexible helps the amoeba to Prevents the plant cell fungi & bacteria
capture food by endocytosis. from bursting when kept in hypotonic
solution.

Q. 35. What is plasmolysis?

Ans : When a living plant cell loses water through osmosis there is shrinkage or
contraction of the contents of the cell away from the cell wall. This is called
plasmolysis.

Q.36. Write short note on nucleus.

Ans : 1. Consist of double-layered membranes called nuclear membrane.

2. Selectively permeable, allows only few substances to transfer between
nucleus & cytoplasm.
3. Under normal conditions entangled mass called chromatin material is
visible inside the nucleus.
4. The chromatic material organizes itself into rod-shaped structures called
chromosomes during cell division.
5. Function : i) Help in cellular reproduction
ii) It plays an important role along with the environment in
determining shape, size & function the cell will perform at maturity by directing the
chemical activities within the cell.

Q.37. Write a short note on chromosomes.

Ans : 1. Visible inside the nucleus of cell only during cell division.
2. rod-shaped structures.
3. made up of DNa & proteins.
4. contains information of inheritance of characters from parents to offspring in
the form of DNA molecules.

Q.38. Write a short note on DNA.

Ans : 1. Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid.

2. Contains the information material for constructing & organizing the cell.
3. Functional segments of DNA are called genes.
Q.39. Differentiate between Eukaryotic Cells and Prokaryotic Cells.

Ans :
No Eukaryotic Cells Prokaryotic Cells
1 Well-defined nucleus with well No well-defined nucleus, nuclear
surrounded nucleur membrane. membrane absent (diffused nucleus is
called nucleoid )
2 Cell organelles are well developed Cell organelles are poorly developed.
3 Size – large ( 5-100 µ ) Size – small ( 1 – 10 µ )
4 More than one chromosome present Only one single chromosome present
Eg. Human cells Eg – Bacteria cells

Q.40. How is virus different from other cells ?

Ans : Virus unlike other cells lacks cell membrane. Hence, does not perform any life
process until they enter a living body & use its machinery to multiply.

Q. 41. Write a note on cytoplasm.

Ans : 1. When a cell is stained it takes up the minimum stain.

2. It is the fluid content within the cell.
3. All the cell organelles are suspended in the cytoplasm.

Q.42. Write a short note of ER.

Ans : 1. Membrane bound ( single ).

2. Shape : Tubes & sheets.
3. Membrane of ER is selectively permeable.
4. Two types – RER & SER.
5. Forms a continues network system to connect different part of the cell.
6. Function : i) Acts as a channel for transportation of material within the cell.
ii) Provide a cytoplasmic framework for biochemical activities to
take place within the cell.
iii) In the vertebrates in their liver cell SER detoxify drugs &
poisons.

Q.43. Write a short note of RER.

Ans : 1. Looks rough under the microscope because ribosomes are attached on
their surface.
2. Ribosomes help in protein synthesis.
3. The powerful digestive enzyme present in lysosomes are also made in
RER.
Q.44. Write a short note of SER.

Ans : 1. Helps to manufacture fats & lipids.

2. Some of this fats & lipids along with proteins made by RER help in building
the cell membrane, by the process called membrane biogenesis.
3. Remaining proteins & lipids acts as enzymes or hormones.
4. In the vertebrates in their liver cells SER helps to detoxify drugs & poisons.

Q.45. Write a short note on Golgi Pparatus.

Ans : 1. Membrane bound ( single ).

2. Vesicle like structures arranged parallel to each other in stacks forming
cistern.
3. They are connected to ERs.
4. Function : i) All the substances synthesized near ER are stored, modified,
packed & dispatched from golgi apparatus.
ii) Makes complex sugar from simple sugar.
iii) Helps in making bysosomes.

Q.46. Write a short note on lysosomes.

Ans : 1. Membrane bound ( single ).

2. Sac-like structures filled with powerful digestive enzymes.
3. Also called waste disposal system as they help to clean the cell by
digesting any foreign material that enters the cell as well as worn out cell organelles.
4. It is also called suicide bags, because during any disturbance in cellular
metabolism when the cell gets damaged the lysosomes burst to release the powerful
digestive enzyme to digest their own cell.

Q.47. Write a short note on Mitochondria.

Ans : 1. Membrane bound ( double ) such that outer membrane is porous, inner is
deeply folded.
2. Called powerhouse of the cell because the energy required for various
chemical activities needed for life is released by the mitochondria in the form of ATP
molecule.
3. They have their own DNA & robosoms, hence can make their own protein.

Q.48. What is the advantage of inner membrane of mitochondria being deeply

folded?

Ans : Folds provide a larger surface area for ATP generating chemical reactions.
Q.49. Write a note on ATP.

Ans : 1. Adenosine Triphosphate.

2. They are called energy currency of the cell.
3. The energy stored in ATP is used for making new cells and other chemical
activities.

Q.50. Write a note on Plastids.

Ans : 1. Present only in plant cells.

2. Two types of plastids are Leucoplast ( White or Colorless ), Chromoplast
( colored ).
3. Plastids containing chlorophyll are called chloroplast.
4. Leucoplast helps to store oil, starch and protein granules.
5. Plastids contain numerous membrane layers embedded in a material called
stroma.
6. They are similar to mitochondria in external structures & have their own
DNA and Ribosomes.

Q.51. Write a note on vacuoles.

Ans : 1. Present in both plant & animal cells. However in plants cell very large, and
few & in anumals small and many.
2. Store substances like sugar, amino acids & various organic acid & some
proteins.
3. In plant cells vacuoles are filled will cell sap which provide rigidity & turgidity
to the cell.
4. In unicellular organism like Amoeba, vacuoles contain foods & also help in
expelling out excessive water & waste from the cell.