Class: 8th Chapter: The Cell Science
Exercises
1. Define a cell?
Ans. Cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all living organisms. All living
organisms are made up of cells.
2. Who discovered the cell?
Ans. Robert Hooke, an English scientist discovered cell in 1665 in a slice of cork.
3. Give three examples of unicellular organisms?
Ans. Amoeba, Paramecium and Bacteria are three examples of unicellular
organisms.
4. Answer the following questions:
(i) Why cells could not be observed before 17th century?
Ans. Cells could not be observed before 17th century because of their small size
and lack of magnifying instruments like microscope.
(ii) Why cork could not be observed as such by Hook?
Ans. Cork could not be seen as such because it is a solid structure.
(iii) Where did Hook demonstrate his observations on cork slice?
Ans. He demonstrated his work to scientists at Royal Society of London.
(iv) Name the outermost layer of an animal cell?
Ans. The outermost layer of an animal cell is cell membrane.
(v) Name the layer which is present outside the plasma membrane in plant cell?
Ans. Cell wall is the layer which is present outside the plasma membrane in the
plant cell.
(vi) Where are chromosomes present in a cell?
Ans. Chromosomes are present in the nucleoplasm of the cell.
(vii) Name the cell part that has tiny holes?
Ans. Cell membrane and nuclear membrane are the part of cell that has tiny
holes.
(viii) Name the cell organelles which are found in the plant cell?
Ans. Cell organelles which are present in plant cell are chloroplasts, mitochondria,
endoplasmic reticulum, vacuoles, ribosomes, Golgi bodies.
(ix) Name the cells having branched structure?
Ans. Nerve cells have branched structure.
(x) Which cell can be observed with the unaided eye?
Ans. Ostrich egg cell can be observed with the unaided eye.
5. Mention the functions of the following;
(a) Cell membrane
Ans. Cell membrane performs following functions for the cell.
1. It protects the cell.
2. It gives shape to the cell.
3. It allows the exchange of material in the cell.
(b) Chromosomes.
Ans. Chromosomes perform following functions for an organism.
1. It helps is transmission of character from parents to offsprings.
2. It controls all the life functions taking place inside the cell.
6. Why are the following important to a plant cell?
(i) Cell wall.
Ans. It is an extra covering that surrounds the cell membrane of a plant cell. It is
made up of stiff and non-living material called cellulose. It provides rigidity and
protection to the plant cell.
(ii) Chloroplast.
Ans. It is cell organelle which contain green colouring pigment chlorophyll in it, It
helps in the process of photosynthesis in plants and it also imparts green colour to
the leaves of the plant.
(iii) Mitochondria.
Ans. It is called powerhouse of the cell because the process of respiration takes
place here. It provides energy to the cell.
(iv) Nucleus.
Ans. Nucleus is head of the cell. It controls all the functions of a cell. Nucleus has
chromosomes in it which contain genetic material which is transmitted from one
generation to another.
7. Draw an outline diagram of an animal cell. Label the different parts?
8. Mention three differences between plant cell and animal cell?
Plant Cell Animal Cell
1. It contains cell wall. 1. It does not have a cell wall.
2. Chloroplasts are present. 2. Chloroplasts are absent.
3. Vacuole is large and mostly single. 3. Vacuoles are smaller and numerous.
9. What features are possessed by both plant cells and animal cells?
Ans. Following are the features present in both plant cells and animal cells.
1. Plasma membrane is present in both the cells
2. Nucleus is present in both plant cell as well as animal cell.
3. Mitochondria is present in both the cells.
4. Endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi complex, lysosomes and ribosomes are present
in both plant cell and animal cell.
10. Why are nerve cells long? Why do these cells have projections?
Ans. Nerve cells are long, branched and has thread-like projections because they
have to convey message to different parts of the body.
11. Why are mitochondria known as the powerhouse of the cell?
Ans. Mitochondria are known as powerhouse of the cell because it performs
function of respiration and supplies energy to the cell.
12. Which four basic elements constitute more than 90% of protoplasm?
Ans. The four basic elements which constitute more than 90% of the protoplasm
are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.
13. Write in brief about the variation in shape and size of cells?
Ans. There are millions of organisms on earth which differ in shape and size of
cells in their body. Some plant and animal cells are visible to naked while most of
the cells are microscopic and are not visible to naked eye. Largest cell is ostrich
egg cell which is 170 × 13 mm and is easily visible to naked eye while smallest
cell is a bacterium (mycoplasma) which is about 0.1 micron. Cells also have
diverse shape and shape of cells is also linked to the function performed by them.
Some cells are oval in shape; some are rectangular while some are branched like
that of nerve cell. Some cells continuously change their shape while most of the
cells maintain a constant shape throughout their life.
