Cell Structure and Specialisation

20 Grade 10 Biology questions on Cell Structure and Specialisation, with worked marking schemes. 20 questions are available on this topic in full.

1. Question 1

   1 mark

   A xylem vessel from the stem of a sugarcane plant is well suited to conducting water because:

   A. its cells are dead and hollow, with the end walls broken down to form a continuous tube

   B. it contains many mitochondria which pump the water upwards through the stem

   C. its walls are thin and soft, so that water leaks out into the nearby cells

   D. each of its cells has a large nucleus that controls the rate of water flow

   (1 mark)

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2. Question 2

   1 mark

   A mature human red blood cell has no nucleus. The main advantage of this feature to the cell is that it:

   A. creates more space for haemoglobin, so more oxygen is carried

   B. makes the cell lighter so that it flows faster through the capillaries

   C. enables the cell to divide rapidly while still in the bone marrow

   D. prevents the cell from being attacked by disease-causing organisms

   (1 mark)

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3. Question 3

   3 marks

   A researcher wishes to study the internal structure of a chloroplast. Explain why an electron microscope, and not a light microscope, must be used.

   (3 marks)

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4. Question 4

   1 mark

   Cells from the leaf of sukuma wiki are green, while cells from its root are colourless. The most likely reason why the root cells have no chloroplasts is that the root:

   A. receives ready-made chlorophyll from the leaves only at night

   B. is constantly wet, and soil water destroys chloroplasts

   C. grows in the soil where there is no light for photosynthesis

   D. does not require any food for its growth and activities

   (1 mark)

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5. Question 5

   2 marks

   State two functions of the cell wall in a sugarcane stem cell.

   (2 marks)

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6. Question 6

   1 mark

   A root hair cell of a bean plant growing in Kitale has a long, narrow outgrowth projecting into the soil. This outgrowth is important mainly because it:

   A. allows the cell to divide faster than neighbouring root cells

   B. increases the surface area over which water and mineral salts are absorbed

   C. stores the water absorbed from the soil until the plant needs it

   D. anchors the young plant firmly so that wind does not uproot it

   (1 mark)

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7. Question 7

   3 marks

   Describe three ways in which a palisade mesophyll cell of a tea leaf is adapted to carry out photosynthesis.

   (3 marks)

   Marking scheme

   Any THREE, 1 mark each: - Contains very many chloroplasts, which trap/absorb the maximum amount of light energy; - Is elongated/column-shaped and arranged upright and closely packed just below the upper epidermis, so that it receives light first/light passes through the least tissue; - Has a thin cell wall and thin cell membrane, allowing carbon dioxide to diffuse in rapidly; - Chloroplasts can move within the cytoplasm towards or away from light, regulating the amount of light trapped; - Has a large central sap vacuole that pushes the chloroplasts to the edges of the cell, nearer to the light.

8. Question 8

   1 mark

   Which sequence correctly shows increasing levels of organisation in the body of a dairy cow?

   A. Tissue → cell → organ system → organ

   B. Cell → organ → tissue → organ system

   C. Cell → tissue → organ → organ system

   D. Organ → cell → tissue → organ system

   (1 mark)

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9. Question 9

   1 mark

   A Grade 10 class examines cells taken from the thigh muscle of a goat and finds that the cells contain unusually large numbers of mitochondria. The best explanation for this observation is that muscle cells:

   A. require a lot of energy released during respiration in order to contract

   B. depend on mitochondria to supply the oxygen used during contraction

   C. are larger than other cells and therefore hold more of every organelle

   D. use mitochondria to store glycogen until the animal needs it

   (1 mark)

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10. Question 10

    1 mark

    Ribosomes are found scattered in the cytoplasm and attached to the endoplasmic reticulum. Their function in the cell is:

    A. storing the hereditary information of the cell

    B. joining amino acids together to form proteins

    C. digesting worn-out organelles within the cytoplasm

    D. releasing energy from glucose during respiration

    (1 mark)

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11. Question 11

    6 marks

    Describe how the structure of each of the following cells suits the function it performs: (a) a phagocytic white blood cell; (b) a ciliated epithelial cell lining the trachea; (c) a nerve cell.

    (6 marks)

    Marking scheme

    2 marks per cell — one structural feature plus the function it serves: (a) Phagocytic white blood cell: has flexible cytoplasm that forms pseudopodia and can change shape, so it squeezes through capillary walls and engulfs bacteria (1); contains many lysosomes whose enzymes digest the engulfed bacteria (1); (b) Ciliated epithelial cell: bears many hair-like cilia on its free surface which beat rhythmically to sweep mucus, dust and trapped micro-organisms up and away from the lungs (1); has numerous mitochondria supplying the energy needed for the continuous beating of the cilia (1); (c) Nerve cell: has a long axon/fibre that transmits impulses over long distances between one part of the body and another (1); has many branched dendrites/processes that make connections with other nerve cells so impulses are picked up and passed on (1). (Award the second mark only where the feature is linked to the function.)

12. Question 12

    5 marks

    Describe how you would prepare a temporary mount of onion epidermal tissue for observation under a light microscope.

    (5 marks)

    Marking scheme

    Any FIVE steps, 1 mark each, in a workable order: - Cut/peel a small piece of the thin, transparent epidermis from the inner surface of a fleshy onion leaf/scale using forceps or a scalpel; - Place the peel flat on a clean glass slide, without folding or creasing it; - Add a drop of water (or a drop of iodine solution) onto the specimen; - Lower the cover slip gently at an angle using a mounting needle so as to avoid trapping air bubbles; - Remove excess water/stain around the cover slip using a piece of blotting or filter paper; - Place the slide on the microscope stage, focus first under low power using the coarse adjustment knob, then use medium/high power with the fine adjustment knob.

13. Question 13

    4 marks

    Explain why cell specialisation is an advantage to a multicellular organism such as a goat, compared with a unicellular organism such as Amoeba.

    (4 marks)

    Marking scheme

    Any FOUR, 1 mark each: - There is division of labour, each group of cells carrying out one particular function; - Each cell is structurally modified/adapted for its single task, so that task is carried out more efficiently than by a cell that must do everything; - Specialised transport and gaseous exchange tissues allow the organism to grow much larger, since it no longer depends on diffusion across its surface alone; - Specialised cells form tissues, organs and organ systems, which allow complex activities such as movement, digestion and coordination; - The organism can survive in a wider range of habitats/conditions because different systems regulate its internal environment; - Loss or damage to a few cells does not kill the organism, since other cells of the same type continue the function.

14. Question 14

    4 marks

    State the function of each of the following cell structures: (a) nucleus; (b) sap vacuole; (c) Golgi apparatus; (d) lysosome.

    (4 marks)

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15. Question 15

    4 marks

    Distinguish between a tissue and an organ, giving one example of each from the body of a Friesian cow.

    (4 marks)

    Marking scheme

    - A tissue is a group of similar cells that have the same origin and work together to perform one particular function (1 mark); - An organ is a structure made up of two or more different tissues working together to perform a specific function (1 mark); - Correct example of a tissue in a cow: muscle tissue / epithelial tissue / blood / nervous tissue / connective tissue (1 mark); - Correct example of an organ in a cow: heart / rumen / lung / kidney / eye / udder / liver (1 mark). (The distinction must show that an organ is made of several tissues; simply saying 'an organ is bigger' scores 0.)

16. Question 16

    1 mark

    Guard cells on the lower surface of a bean leaf differ from the ordinary epidermal cells that surround them in that the guard cells:

    A. contain chloroplasts and have inner walls thicker than their outer walls

    B. have no cell membrane, so that gases pass in and out freely

    C. have no cytoplasm, leaving a space in which air collects

    D. are dead and hollow, so that air passes easily into the leaf

    (1 mark)

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17. Question 17

    1 mark

    Before observing an onion epidermis under the microscope, a learner runs a drop of iodine solution under the cover slip. The main reason for doing this is to:

    A. supply the cells with the water they need to remain alive

    B. kill the cells so that they stop moving about on the slide

    C. soften the cell wall so that light can pass through the specimen

    D. stain the cell structures so that they show up clearly against the background

    (1 mark)

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18. Question 18

    2 marks

    State the function of the cell membrane and explain what is meant by saying that it is partially permeable.

    (2 marks)

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19. Question 19

    2 marks

    State two structures that would be seen in a cell from a maize leaf but not in a cell from the liver of a goat.

    (2 marks)

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20. Question 20

    1 mark

    A learner views onion epidermal cells using an eyepiece lens marked ×10 and an objective lens marked ×40. The total magnification of the image seen is:

    A. ×400

    B. ×4

    C. ×30

    D. ×50

    (1 mark)

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