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Ignition Learning — Activity Sheet

Cell structure

Science · Year 8

Name: ______________________Date: ____________

All living things are made of cells, the basic building blocks of life. Both plant and animal cells share a nucleus (which controls the cell), cytoplasm (a jelly-like substance where reactions happen) and a cell membrane (which controls what enters and exits). Plant cells additionally have a rigid cell wall for support, chloroplasts for photosynthesis, and a large central vacuole for storage.

Example

Under a microscope, you can tell a plant cell from an animal cell because the plant cell has a distinct rectangular outline (the cell wall) and green chloroplasts, while the animal cell has an irregular round shape with no wall.

Key terms

Nucleus:
The control centre of a cell.
Cytoplasm:
The jelly-like substance inside a cell where reactions happen.
Cell membrane:
Controls what enters and exits the cell.
Chloroplast:
Where photosynthesis happens in plant cells.

Questions

  1. 1. All living things are made up of:

    • Atoms only
    • Cells
    • Rocks
    • Water only
  2. 2. The nucleus of a cell is best described as its:

    • Skin
    • Control centre
    • Food store
    • Exit door
  3. 3. Which of these is a living thing made of cells?

    • A rock
    • A tree
    • A car
    • A cloud
  4. 4. Plant cells have a rigid outer layer called the:

    • Cell wall
    • Nucleus
    • Cytoplasm
    • Membrane
  5. 5. Animal cells do NOT have a:

    • Nucleus
    • Cell membrane
    • Cell wall
    • Cytoplasm
  6. 6. The cell membrane's job is to:

    • Control what enters and exits the cell
    • Make food
    • Store water only
    • Do nothing
  7. 7. Cells are usually:

    • Visible to the naked eye
    • Too small to see without a microscope
    • The size of a fist
    • Made of metal
  8. 8. The control centre of a cell is the:

    • Cell wall
    • Nucleus
    • Chloroplast
    • Vacuole
  9. 9. Which structure is in plant cells but not animal cells?

    • Nucleus
    • Cell membrane
    • Cell wall
    • Cytoplasm
  10. 10. Chloroplasts are used for:

    • Photosynthesis
    • Digestion
    • Reproduction
    • Movement
  11. 11. The jelly-like substance inside a cell is the:

    • Nucleus
    • Cytoplasm
    • Cell wall
    • Membrane
  12. 12. Which structure helps a plant make its own food using sunlight?

    • Nucleus
    • Chloroplast
    • Cell wall
    • Cytoplasm
  13. 13. A large storage sac found in plant cells (but rarely in animal cells) is the:

    • Vacuole
    • Nucleus
    • Membrane
    • Wall
  14. 14. Without a nucleus, a cell would:

    • Function perfectly normally
    • Lack its main control centre
    • Grow a cell wall
    • Become a plant cell
  15. 15. Leaf cells under a microscope would likely show a:

    • Rigid rectangular wall and green chloroplasts
    • Completely round shape only
    • No nucleus
    • Identical structure to cheek cells
  16. 16. Which best explains why plant cells can stand upright without a skeleton, unlike most animal cells?

    • They have chloroplasts
    • Their rigid cell wall gives them structure
    • They have no cytoplasm
    • They are much smaller
  17. 17. If chloroplasts were removed from a plant cell, this would most affect the cell's ability to:

    • Control what enters it
    • Photosynthesise
    • Change shape only
    • Nothing at all
  18. 18. Which statement is TRUE about both plant and animal cells?

    • Both have cell walls
    • Both have chloroplasts
    • Both have a nucleus and cytoplasm
    • Both have a large vacuole
  19. 19. A cell with no nucleus, no chloroplasts, and no cell wall is most likely a(n):

    • Plant cell
    • Animal cell
    • Neither
    • Both
  20. 20. Why can't animal cells make their own food the way plant cells can?

    • They lack chloroplasts
    • They lack a nucleus
    • They lack cytoplasm
    • They lack a membrane
  21. 21. The cytoplasm's main role is to:

    • Control the whole cell like a manager
    • Provide a jelly-like space where cell reactions happen
    • Form a rigid wall
    • Make food from sunlight

Answer key (parent copy)

  1. 1. Cells
  2. 2. Control centre
  3. 3. A tree
  4. 4. Cell wall
  5. 5. Cell wall
  6. 6. Control what enters and exits the cell
  7. 7. Too small to see without a microscope
  8. 8. Nucleus
  9. 9. Cell wall
  10. 10. Photosynthesis
  11. 11. Cytoplasm
  12. 12. Chloroplast
  13. 13. Vacuole
  14. 14. Lack its main control centre
  15. 15. Rigid rectangular wall and green chloroplasts
  16. 16. Their rigid cell wall gives them structure
  17. 17. Photosynthesise
  18. 18. Both have a nucleus and cytoplasm
  19. 19. Animal cell
  20. 20. They lack chloroplasts
  21. 21. Provide a jelly-like space where cell reactions happen