Chapter 2

Cell: The Unit of Life

Class 9 - Concise Biology Selina

Progress Check 1
Question 1
Name the following:

The kind of microscope that consists of a single biconvex lens.

The kind of mirror used for throwing light on the object in Hooke's microscope.
Answer

Simple microscope
Concave mirror
Question 2
What is the maximum magnification that can usually be achieved by

a compound microscope
an electron microscope?
Answer

2000 times
200,000 times
Progress Check 2
Question 1
Name the following:

Any two one-celled organisms.

The longest cells in animals.
Amoeboid cells in humans.
Shape of white blood cells.
Answer

Bacteria, Amoeba
Nerve cells
White blood cells
Amoeboid
Question 2
A large surface area/volume ratio of the cells ensure a greater diffusion of
certain substances into the cell. Name such substances.

Answer

Nutrients, metabolic wastes, respiratory gases.

Progress Check 3
Question 1
Name the part of cell in which

many chemical reactions occur with the help of enzymes.

a network of chromatin fibres occurs.
cellulose forms the main component.
Answer

Cytoplasm
Nucleoplasm
Cell Wall
Question 2
Differentiate between
an organ and an organelle
a plant cell and an animal cell pertaining to the presence of plastids.
Answer

Difference between an organ and an organelle:

An organ An organelle
It is bigger in size and visible to naked eyes. It is microscopic
Carries out specialized functions in the body. Carries out specialized functions
in the cell.
Example: Heart, Lungs Example: Mitochondria, Ribosomes.
A plant cell has plastids while an animal cell does not have plastids.
Question 3
Name the cell organelles concerned with

Secretion of enzymes
Trapping of solar energy
Synthesis of proteins
Intracellular digestion
Production of ATP
Answer

Golgi complexes and Dictyosomes

Chloroplasts
Ribosomes
Lysosomes
Mitochondria
Question 4
Name the cell organelle/component which is

composed of cellulose
formed of an irregular network of tubular double membranes
a clear space with water or other substances in solution
visible only in cell division stages
Answer

Cell wall
Endoplasmic Reticulum
Vacuoles
Chromosomes
Question 5
Mention if the following statements are true or false. If false, suggest the change
in the information underlined.

Prokaryotic cells have larger ribosomes.

Eukaryotic cells have mitochondria.
Amoeba is an example of Prokaryotes.
Nuclear membrane is present in bacteria.
Answer

False
Corrected Statement— Prokaryotic cells have smaller ribosomes.
True
False
Corrected Statement— Amoeba is an example of Eukaryotes.
False
Corrected Statement— Nuclear membrane is absent in bacteria.
Progress Check 4
Question 1
Column I lists a few activities of living organisms and column II the activity of
cells related to them. Match the items in the two columns.

Column I
(Activity of Organism) Column II
(Activity of cells)
1. Repair Contractility of cell
2. Cooling of Body Cells devour germs
3. Movement Cell division
4. Protection from disease Gland cells give out sweat for evaporation
Answer

Column I
(Activity of Organism) Column II
(Activity of cells)
1. Repair Cell division
2. Cooling of Body Gland cells give out sweat for evaporation
3. Movement Contractility of cell
4. Protection from disease Cells devour germs
Question 2
Which cell organelle is the key to the life of the cell?

Answer

The Nucleus is the key to the life of the cell.

Question 3
How do you say that a cell also has a life span and death like an organism? Give
one example.

Answer

The cells behave like an organism. They carry out all the processes like an
organism viz. respiration and elimination of wastes. They also have a life span
like an organism. They grow, age, deteriorate and finally die. The dying cells are
dissolved or destroyed by their own lysosomes. For example, Red blood cells of our
body die after 120 days. These cells are continuously replaced by new cells in our
body

Question 4
All organisms excrete. Does an individual cell also do it? Give one example

Answer

Yes, an individual cell also excretes like an organism. Most of the waste
substances are digested by the Lysosomes. Some cells may also release the waste
product out through their cell membrane.

Question 5
Every organism needs food. Does a cell also need it? Explain very briefly.

Answer

Yes, a cell also needs food for carrying out different processes. The food in the
form of Glucose is broken down during respiration inside the mitochondria to
release energy (ATP).

Multiple Choice Type

Question 1
All life starts as-

an egg
a single cell
a gene
a chromosome
Answer

a single cell

Reason — A cell is smallest living entity. Therefore, All life starts as a single
cell.

Question 2
Which one of the following is found both in cells of a mango plant and a monkey?

chloroplasts
centrioles
cell wall
cell membrane
Answer

cell membrane

Reason — Cell membrane is found in both animal and plant cell. The plant cell also
has a cell wall, additional to cell membrane.

Question 3
Which one of the following cell organelles is correctly matched with its function?

Ribosomes — Synthesis of proteins

Mitochondria — Secretion of enzymes
Plasma Membrane — Freely permeable
Centrosome — Carries genes
Answer

Ribosomes — Synthesis of proteins

Reason — The function of the ribosomes is synthesis of proteins.

Question 4
A plant cell can be identified from an animal cell by the:

Absence of centrosome
Presence of cell membrane
Presence of vacuoles
None of the above
Answer

Absence of centrosome

Reason — Centrosomes are only found in animal cells.

Question 5
Plant cell has a cell wall made of-

Protein
Fructose
Cellulose
Fatty acids
Answer

Cellulose

Reason — The cell wall is made up of cellulose (a non living substance).

Question 6
The cell organelle that helps in respiration of the cell is-

Mitochondria
Lysosome
Ribosome
Centrosome
Answer

Mitochondria

Reason — Mitochondria is the organelle responsible for breaking of glucose molecule

to release energy.

Question 7
Which of the following organelles is involved in the formation of the acrosome of a
sperm?

Dictyosome
Centrosome
Lysosome
Golgi apparatus
Answer

Golgi apparatus

Reason — Golgi apparatus contains certain hydrolytic enzymes which helps to break
the outer membrane of ovum.

Question 8
Which part of the nucleus participates in protein synthesis?

Nuclear membrane
Nucleolus
Nuclear pore
Nucleoplasm
Answer

Nucleolus

Reason — Nucleolus helps in Ribosomal RNA formation after which protein synthesis
is done by ribosomes.

Question 9
The pigment which is not found in plastids is:

Xanthophyll
Carotene
Anthocyanin
Chlorophyll
Answer
Anthocyanin

Reason — Anthocyanin is not associated with plastids; instead they remain dissolved
in the cell sap.

Question 10
The tubules of Golgi Complexes are technically termed as:

Cisternae
Microtubules
Cristae
Vesicles
Answer

Cisternae

Reason — Hollow tubular structure of Golgi Complexes are known as Cisternae.

Very Short Answer Type

Question 1
Name the part of the cell concerned with the following?

Liberation of energy
Synthesis of proteins
Transmission of heredity characters from parents to offspring
Initiation of cell division
Hydrolytic in function
Entry of only certain substances into and out of the cell.
Answer

Mitochondria
Ribosomes
Chromosomes
Centrosome
Lysosomes
Plasma membrane/cell membrane
Question 2
State whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F):

(a) All animal cells contain a cell wall.

(b) The cell wall is made of protein.

(c) Centrosome occurs in animal cells.

(d) Plant cells contain large vacuoles.

(e) Protoplasm is the part of the cell which surrounds the nucleus.

(f) Genes are located in chromosomes.

(g) Anthocyanin are the pigments of flowers, which are dissolved in cell-sap.

Answer

(a) False
Corrected statement — All plant cells contain a cell wall.

(b) False
Corrected statement — The cell wall is made of cellulose.

(c) True

(d) True

(e) False
Corrected statement — Cytoplasm is the part of the cell which surrounds the
nucleus.

(f) True

(g) False
Corrected statement — Anthocyanin are the pigments of fruits, which are dissolved
in cell-sap.

Question 3
How many chromosome pairs are found in human cells?

Answer

23 pairs of chromosome are found in human cells.

Question 4
What is the name of the chemical substance which constitutes the genes?

Answer

The chemical substance constituting the genes is DNA. It stands for de-oxy
ribonucleic acid.

Question 5
Match the items in column ‘A’ with those in column ‘B’

Column A Column B
Vacuoles Intracellular digestion
Nucleolus Respiratory enzymes
Lysosomes Covered by tonoplast
Anthocyanin Dissolved in the cytoplasm
Cristae Forms RNA
Answer

Column A Column B
Vacuoles Covered by tonoplast
Nucleolus Forms RNA
Lysosomes Intracellular digestion
Anthocyanin Dissolved in the cytoplasm
Cristae Respiratory enzymes
Question 6
Fill in the blanks

............... consists of membranous sacs and secretes 40 types of digestive

enzymes.
............... is surrounded by microtubules, located near the nucleus.
Very thin flexible, living membrane which is differently permeable, is
called ............... .
More than 1000 chromosomes are found in the nucleus of certain ...............
............... are heredity units.
............... is a plastid which stores starch.
Answer

Lysosomes consists of membranous sacs and secretes 40 types of digestive enzymes.

Centriole is surrounded by microtubules, located near the nucleus.
Very thin flexible, living membrane which is differently permeable, is called
Plasma membrane.
More than 1000 chromosomes are found in the nucleus of certain Insects.
Genes are heredity units.
Leucoplast is a plastid which stores starch.
Question 7
Write the full forms of the following abbreviations:

DNA
RNA
ATP
SER
RER
Answer

DNA — Deoxyribonucleic acid

RNA — Ribonucleic acid
ATP — Adenosine triphosphate
SER — Smooth endoplasmic reticulum
RER — Rough endoplasmic reticulum
Question 8
Name the plastid and pigment likely to be found in the cells of

petals of sunflower
ripe tomato
skin of green mango
cells of potato
Answer

petals of sunflower — chromoplast

ripe tomato — anthocyanin
skin of green mango — chlorophyll
cells of potato — no pigment
Short Answer Type
Question 1
Define the terms:

Cell organelles
Cell inclusions
Cytosol
Cell sap
Cytoplasm
Answer

The part of cell having a definite structure and a definite function is called Cell
organelle.
Various non-living substances like nutrients or pigments present in the cell are
called Cell inclusions.
The liquid found inside the cell in which various organelles are found, is called
Cytosol.
The watery solution present in the vacuoles is called Cell sap.
The semi-liquid substance that fills most of the part of cell (except nucleus)
within the cell membrane is called Cytoplasm.
Question 2
Write the exact locations of each of the following:
Centrosome
Chromosome
Genes
Mesosome
Plasmid
Answer

Centrosome - near nucleus (only in animal cells)

Chromosome - in nucleus
Genes - on chromosomes
Mesosome - Plasma membrane of bacterial cells
Plasmid - Cytoplasm of bacterial cells
Question 3
Mention three features found only in plant cells and one found only in animal
cells.

Answer

Three features found only in plant cells are:

Presence of cell wall.

Presence of large vacuole.
Presence of plastids.
One feature only found in animal cell is presence of centrosome.

Question 4
Why are the cells generally of a small size?

Answer

Cells are generally so little so that they can maximize their ratio of area to
volume. They have to be ready to get the nutrients in and therefore the waste out
quickly.The important point is that the area to the volume ratio gets smaller as
the cell gets larger. Thus, if the cell grows beyond a particular limit, not enough
material is going to be ready to cross the membrane fast enough to accommodate the
increased cellular volume. That's why cells are so small.

Question 5
It is said that the protoplasm cannot be analysed chemically. Why?

Answer

The protoplasm cannot be analysed chemically because it has complex organic and
living cell organelles which can disintegrate if chemicals are added to analyse.
Also due to complexity of physical and chemical properties the ultimate chemical
nature of protoplasm cannot be determined.

Question 6
What is the difference between an organ and an organelle?

Answer

Attributes Organ Organelle

Size Visible to the naked eyes, larger in size Microscopic
Location They are present throughout the body Known as little organs, are
found within the cell.
Function Carry out functions of the entire body Carry out functions within
the cell
Example Heart, Lungs, Liver Ribosomes, Endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi
complex.
Question 7
Do you think the cells of an elephant would be larger than the cells of a rat?
Explain briefly.

Answer

Cell is the basic unit of life. Cells aggregates to form tissue, organ, organ
system and ultimately organism. Elephant has more cells compared to rat. The cell
size is independent of the size of the entity. The cell size of a rat and that of
an elephant are the same. Within the entity, the cell size is the same, it does not
differ. However, what varies is the number of cells. Number of cells in a large
entity such as elephant is much more compared to a smaller entity such as a rat.

Descriptive Answer Type

Question 1
What is the cell theory? Who propounded it and when?

Answer

The Cell Theory states three major points -

The cell is the smallest unit of structure of all living thing

The cell is the unit of function of all living things
All cells arise from pre-existing cells.
The theory was propounded in 1839 by Schwann and Schleiden. Rudolf Virchow in 1858
made an addition to the cell theory by saying that all cells arise from pre-
existing cells.

Question 2(a)
Differentiate between Protoplasm and cytoplasm.

Answer

Protoplasm Cytoplasm
Protoplasm is the living matter of the cell. The total substance of a living cell-
nucleus and cytoplasm Mixture of insoluble and soluble organic compounds and
water wherein different cell organelles are implanted.
Question 2(b)
Differentiate between Nucleolus and nucleus.

Answer

Nucleolus Nucleus
It is present in the nucleus and is round-shaped nucleoli. It is present in the
cell and is a dense spherical structure. It comprises a network of thread-like
structures known as chromatin fibres.
Question 2(c)
Differentiate between Centrosome and chromosome.

Answer

Centrosome Chromosome
Centrosome contains two centrioles. Spindle fibres develop from centrosome during
cell division. Chromosome contain genes or hereditary data that transfer genetic
traits from parents to offspring.
Found in animal cell only. They are found in the nucleus of both plant and
animal cell.
Question 2(d)
Differentiate between Cell wall and cell membrane.

Answer

Cell wall Cell membrane

Non-living rigid layer Living, flexible membrane and thin
Composed of cellulose Composed of lipoproteins
Permeable freely Semi-permeable
Question 2(e)
Differentiate between Plant cell and animal cell.

Answer

Plant cell Animal cell

Cell wall is definite and made of cellulose No cell wall
Centrosome is absent Centrosome is present
Plastids usually present Plastids absent
Question 2(f)
Differentiate between Prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

Answer

Prokaryotes Eukaryotes
Cells contain primitive and undefined nucleus. Have a well-defined nucleus along
with a nuclear membrane.
Other than ribosomes, they do not contain any other cell organelle. Possess
other cell organelles.
Possess smaller ribosomes. Larger ribosomes.
Example – Blue-green algae Example – Humans
Question 3
State the major functions of the following-

Plasma membrane
Ribosome
Lysosome
Mitochondria
Golgi apparatus
Cytoplasm
Asters of centrosome
Chromosomes
Glycogen granule
Vacuoles
Answer

The major functions are as follows-

Plasma membrane —

Separates contents of cell from its surroundings.

Regulates the entry of certain solutes and ions.
Maintains shape of the cell in animal cells.
Ribosome —

Protein synthesis
Lysosome —

Intracellular digestion.
Destroy foreign substances.
They are referred to as 'suicidal bags' as they destroy cell organelles when they
turn old or are damaged.
Digest cartilages during formation of bones.
Mitochondria —

Controls the cell functions.

Referred to as ‘power house of the cell’, as energy is stored in the form of ATP.
Involved in cellular respiration to release energy.
Bearers of genes.
Golgi apparatus(in animal cells) —

Synthesis and secretion of enzymes, hormones,etc.

Acrosomes of sperms are formed.
Cytoplasm —

Contains organelles perform multitude of functions.

Performs all metabolic activities.
Asters of centrosome —

Cell division – regulation and initiation.

Spindle fibre formation.
Chromosomes —

Passes genetic characteristics from parents to offspring.

Glycogen granule —

Food for cells.

Vacuoles —

Stores food, water, pigments and waste products.

Renders turgidity to the plant cell.
Question 4
Mention the three differences between a living cell and a brick in a wall

Answer

Following are the differences between a living cell and a brick in a wall-

Living cell Brick

The living structure is non-rigid Living structure is rigid
Contains cellulose chiefly Contains soil primarily
Is functional in nature, performs critical functions pertaining to life processes
Non-functional
Generously permeable Impermeable
Question 5
List any six features found both in plant and animal cells.

Answer

Given below are the following six features found both in plant and animal cells

Cell membrane is present.

Golgi body is present.
Liquid matrix known as cytoplasm is observed in the cell.
Mitochondria generates energy, is found in the cells.
Ribosomes are found. They are responsible for protein synthesis.
A prominent nucleus is observed.
Structured/Application/Skill Type
Question 1
Given below are the sketches of two types of cells A and B.

Which one of these is a plant cell? Give reason in support of your answer. Cell the
unit of life, Concise Biology ICSE Class 9.
(a) Which one of these is a plant cell? Give reason in support of your answer.

(b) List the cell structures which are common to both the types.

(c) Name the structures found only in plant cells and those found only in animal
cells.

Answer

(a) Figure B is a plant cell because in Figure B, the cell has a cell wall, a large
vacuole and the vacuole is seen pushing the nucleus to the periphery.

(b) Cell structures common to both the types in the figure are:

Nucleus
Mitochondria
Ribosome
Cell membrane
Lysosome
Endoplasmic reticulum
Golgi body
(c) The structures found only in plant cells are Cell wall and Plastid. The
structures found only in animal cells are Centrosome.