Assignment class 8
Ch -8 Cell structure and functions
Q1. Ankita accidentally placed her hand over a flame and immediately pulled it
back. She felt the sensation of heat and reacted due to the action of (a) blood
cells
(b)skin surface (c) nerve cells (d) nucleus of cells
Answer. (c) Nerve cells have a special shape-long and branched (with projections) to
receive and transmit messages between the brain and other body parts. Thus they help
to feel sensations and in responding to them.
Q2.Of the following parts of a cell name the part that is common to plant cells,
animal cells and a bacterial cell.
(a) Chloroplast (b) Cell wall
(c) Cell membrane (d) Nucleus
Answer. (c) Cell membrane is the common part of every cell. It encloses the
protoplasm, protects the cell, gives the cell its shape and controls the entry and exit of
substances.
Q3.Which of the following features will help you in distinguishing a plant cell from
an animal cell?
(a) Cell wall (b) Cell membrane
(c) Mitochondria (d) Nucleus
Answer. (a) A cell wall is the distinguishing feature between a plant cell and animal cell.
It is a thick wall made up of cellulose around a cell membrane that is exclusively present
only in plants . cell.In a plant cell, green coloured plastids called chloroplasts are
present. They are the sites of photosynthesis.
Q4.We do not sense any pain when we clip our nails or cut our hair. Why?
Answer. Nails and hair are made up of dead cells. They do not have nerve cells, hence
one does not feel pain, when they are clipped or cut.
Q 5. In a cell, where are the genes located? What is their function?
Answer. Genes are located on thread-like structures called chromosomes. These are
present inside the nucleus. These are units of inheritance in living organisms, that
control transfer of hereditary characteristics from parents to offspring.
Q 6. Amoeba and Paramecium belong to which category of organisms?
Answer. Amoeba and Paramecium are unicellular prokaryotic organisms, i.e. they are
made up of a single cell and their nucleus is not well defined. No cell organelle is
present.
Q 7.What are the functions of cell wall in plant cells? Answer. Cell wall is an
additional layer surrounding the plasma membrane in plant cells. Its functions are:
(i) to give shape and support to the plant cell.
(ii) to provide protection against variations in temperature, atmospheric moisture, etc.
(iii) prevents water loss.
(iv) controls the rate and direction of cell growth and regulates cell volume.
Q8 Match the terms given in column I with their functions given in column II and
fill the blanks given below the table:
Column 1 Column 2
a) Chloroplast i) Caries hereditary characters
b) Cell Membrane ii) Controls the activities of cells
c) Nucleus iii) Site of Photosynthesis
d) Chromosomes iv) Controls the movement of materials
into and out of the cells.
Answer. The correct matching is as given:
(a)-(iii), (b)-(iv), (c)-(ii), (d)-(i)
Q9.Classify the following terms into cells, tissues and organs and write in the
tabular column given below.
RBC, WBC, nerve cell, blood, muscle, blood vessels, brain, heart, hand
Answer
CELL TISSUE ORGAN
RBC Blood Blood vessels
WBC Muscle Heart
Nerve cell Hand
Brain
Q10 Read the following statements and write the appropriate term against each
statement. ‘
(i) I control the functions of a cell. Who am I? ,
(ii) I am like a policeman. I do not allow anything and everything to get in and out
of the cell. Who am I?
(iii) I transfer characters from parents to offspring. Who am I?
Answer. (i) Nucleus controls the functions of a cell.
(ii) Cell membrane is like a policeman which does not allow everything and anything into
and out of the cell.
(iii) Genes present on chromosomes transfer characters from parents to offsprings.
Q11. Cells consist of many organelles, yet we do not call any of these organelles
a structural and functional unit of living organisms. Explain.
Answer. The cell organelles like mitochondria, Golgi complex, ribosomes, nucleus, etc.,
have specific functions and carry out specific functions in a cell but they cannot be
called as the structural and functional units of living organisms.
This is because they can function only when present inside a living cell. They cannot act
as independent units. The cell, on the contrary, has independent existence. It is the
smallest, structural and functional unit of life.
Q12. Who coined the term Cell?
Ans.Robert Hooke coined the term cell.He observed a slice of cork under a crude
microscope and noticed that it has a large number of compartments which he termed as
Cell.
Q13. All living multicellular organisms including human being shows division of
labour .Explain
Ans It means that different parts of a multicellular organism perform different functions
for example the human body has a stomach to digest food, heart to pump blood and so
on.
Q14.Explain levels of organisation from cell to organism.
Ans Cell -- In multicellular organism cell presents the lower level of organisation
Tissues-- A group of similar cells performing a specific function join together to form a
tissue .
Organ--- Different tissues together to form an organ.Every organ performs a specific
function .
Organ System -- All the organs that work together to perform a specific function form
an organ system.
Organism-- The various organ system makes up a living organism.
Q15. Write different shapes of cells. Also give some examples.
Ans Cells show a great variation in their shapes such as spherical (e.g eggs of many
animals),
Spindle shaped (e.g smooth muscle fibre),
Elongated cells ( e.g Nerve cells)
Oval shaped cells (e.g red blood cells) ,
Branched cells (e.g osteocytes).
Q16.Name two cells that do not have definite shape.
Ans Amoeba and WBC
Q17 How does the shape of a nerve cell help in its functioning ?
Answer-A Nerve cell is very long and has wire-like projections coming out of it .These
projections help the nerve cell carry messages and send them to all parts of the body.
Q18 Name the smallest and the longest cell in human body
Answer. Smallest cell--RBC
Longest Cell --- Nerve cell
Q19. What is nucleus?Explain its different parts
Answer. The nucleus is a large and spherical structure present in all cells. The nucleus
consist of four parts
a) Nuclear membrane-- Nucleus is separated from the cytoplasm by the membrane
called nuclear membrane which is porous and allows the movement of selected
materials between cytoplasm and nucleus.
b) Nucleoplasm -- The dense fluid present in the nucleus is called nucleoplasm.
c) Nucleolus-- It is a small spherical body present inside the cell and it is rich in RNA.
d) Chromosomes-- Chromosomes are thread like structures, composed of
DNA .These chromosomes Carry genes which are responsible for passing genetic
characteristics from parents to offspring
.
Q20.Write functions of Endoplasmic reticulum,Golgi bodies and Centrosomes
Ans Endoplasmic reticulum--- It is a network of tube tubules and channels and is
involved in the synthesis storage and transport of sold products .
Golgi bodies-- They are responsible for the secretion of chemical substances like
enzymes ,hormones and proteins .
Centrosomes-- It is located near the nucleus and is involved in the cell division and is
found only in the animal cells.
Q21 What are Plastids? Explain its different types.
Ans. Plastids are present only in plant cells. It contains certain pigments that have a
specific role to play in the functioning of plants .They are of the following three types
a)Chloroplast-- These are green plastids .They contain chlorophyll which helps in
photosynthesis .
b) Chromoplast ---It contains non green pigment that gives colour to the flower and
fruits.
c) Leucoplast --They are colourless plastids which help in the storage of food.
Q22.How Cell division takes place in living organisms?What is its importance?
Ans During cell division the nucleus of the cell splits first into two and then the
cytoplasm divides into two separate parts across the middle this process is called cell
division. The new cells formed after cell division are called daughter cells
Importance of cell division
.Cell division is responsible for growth of the organism, it also replaces that death and
damaged cells.
