A student looks at a cell under a microscope.
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A student looks at a cell under a microscope. She sees a nucleus, a thin outer edge with no wall, a few small vacuoles scattered in the cytoplasm, and no green bodies. Is this a plant cell or an animal cell? Give your reasons.
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
Every cell has a plasma membrane, cytoplasm and, except in bacteria, a nucleus. Plant cells also have a cell wall, chloroplasts and a large vacuole. Mitochondria release energy from food.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. The marks of a plant cell. A cell wall, chloroplasts and one large central vacuole.
Step 2. This cell. No wall, no green chloroplasts, and only small scattered vacuoles.
Answer: an animal cell. It has none of the three marks of a plant cell.
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