Class 8 NCERT Biology Chapter 4

Cell Structure and Functions

Eukaryotes: The organisms having eukaryotic cells, i.e.,
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contains a well developed nucleus are called eukaryotes.
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Gene: Genes are located on chromosomes.
of inheritance in living organisms.
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Multicellular is the category of s

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animals, containing large number
the organism like plants and
of cells.
Nuclear membrane: r
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Nucleus is separated from the
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cytoplasm by the nuclear
Nucleolus is a@ smaller, spherical and dense body inside
the nucleus.
Nucleus is the denser region of the cell and may be
present at the centre of the cell.
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Prokaryotes: The organisms with prokaryotic cells, lack true nucleus; they are
called prokaryotes e.g., bacteria and blue green algae.
Pseudopodia are the projections protruding out of the body of amoeba. These
appear and disappear as amoeba moves.

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Tissue: A tissue is a group of similar cells performing a specific function.

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Unicellular is the category or organism like bacteria containing only a single

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cell.

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Vacuoles: Are the empty or blank looking structures in the cytoplasm.
White blood cells (WBC): It is one of the components of blood cells. It is an

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example of a single cell which can change its shape.

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Organ: an Organ is a group of tissues, specialized to perform specific
functions.
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Organelle is one of the smaller components of a cell.
Plasma membrane is a membrane around the cell, also called cell
membrane.
Plastids are the coloured organelles, that are found in plant cells only.
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Cell:
• In the living organisms, Cells are basic structural units.
• Cells may be compared to bricks. Bricks are assembled to make a building.
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Similarly, cells are assembled to make the body of every organism.
• It is the basic structural and functional unit of life. All organisms are made
up of cells
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• Sub cellular structures of cell include organelles, the plasma membrane,
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and, if present, the nucleus.
• Size of the cell is 1 to 100 micrometer.
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• Cells are produced by the division of pre existing cell. Each cell contains
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genetic material that is passed down during reproduction process.
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• Cells in the living organisms are complex living structures unlike non-living
bricks.
• All basic chemical and physiological functions like repairing, growth,
excretion movement, immunity, communication, and digestion - are happen
inside of cells.
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Discovery of the Cell:
(i) In 1665, the English scientist Robert Hooke observed slices of cork
which is part of bark of the tress, under a simple magnifying device. He
noticed partitioned boxes or compartments in the cork slice.

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(ii) These boxes looked like a honeycomb. He also noticed that these
boxes were separated from the other by a wall or partition. Hooke named

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them ‘cell’ for each box. Hooke observed as boxes or cells in the cork
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were actually dead cells. These boxes appeared like a honeycomb.

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Over the next 170 years, research led to the formation of the cell theory,
first proposed by the German botanist Matthias Jacob Schleiden and the
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German physiologist Theodore Schwann in 1838 and formalized by the
German researcher Rudolf Virchow in 1858.
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Types of cell:
1. Prokaryotic Cells:
The cells having nuclear material without nuclear membrane are termed prokaryotic
cells. The organisms with these kinds of cells are called prokaryotes (pro: primitive;

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karyon: nucleus). Examples: bacteria and blue green algae.
2. Eukaryotic cells:

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The cells having well organised nucleus with a nuclear membrane are designated as
eukaryotic cells. All organisms other than bacteria and blue green algae are called

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Eukaryotes. (Eu : true; karyon: nucleus).

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Organisms Show Variety in Cell Number, Shape and Size:
• Millions of living organisms have cells with different shapes and sizes. Their organs also
vary in shape, size and number of cells.

(i) Human body has trillions of cells which vary in different size and shapes. Different
groups of cells perform a variety of functions.

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• Organisms made of more than one cell are called multicellular organisms. An organism
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with billions of cells Starts life as a single fertilized egg cell. The fertilised egg cell

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multiplies by dividing process and the number of cells increases for development.
• The single-celled organisms are made up of single cell called unicellular organisms. A
perform.
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single celled organism performs all the necessary functions that multicellular organisms

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• A single-celled organism, like amoeba, captures and digests food, respires, excretes,
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grows and reproduces. Similar functions in multi-cellular organisms are carried out by
groups of specialised cells forming different tissues. Tissues, in turn, form organs.

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1. Shape of Cells:
(i) Generally, cell’s shapes are rounding, spherical or elongated. Some
types of cells are long and pointed at both ends. They exhibit spindle
shape. Some types of cells are branched like the nerve cell or a

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neuron, which receives and transfers messages for helping to control
and coordinate the working of different parts of the body.

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Spherical red blood cells of humans, Spindle shaped muscle cells, long branched nerve cell

(ii) Components of the cell are enclosed in a membrane. This membrane provides
shape to the cells of plants and animals. Cell wall is an additional covering over the
cell membrane in plant cells. It gives shape and rigidity to these cells.

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2. Size of Cells:
(i) The cell’s size in living organisms may be as small as a millionth of a
metre (micrometre or micron) or may be as large as a few
centimetres.
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(ii) Most of the cells are microscopic in size and are not visible to the
naked eye. They need to be enlarged or magnified by a microscope
for seeing.
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(iii) The smallest cell is 0.1 to 0.5 micrometre in bacteria. The largest cell
measuring 170 mm ×130 mm, which is the egg of an ostrich.


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(iv) The size of the cells has no relation with the size of the body of
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the animal or plant.

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Cell Structure and Function:
(i) Each organ in the living organisms performs different functions such
as digestion, assimilation and absorption. Similarly, different organs
of a plant perform particular/ specialized functions. Example: roots

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help in the absorption of water and minerals.

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(ii) Each organ is further made up of smaller parts called tissues. A
tissue is a group of similar type cells performing a particular function. 
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Parts of the Cell:
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The basic components of a cell are cell membrane, cytoplasm
and nucleus.
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1. Cell Membrane:
(i) The cytoplasm and nucleus are enclosed within the cell membrane, also called the plasma
membrane.
(ii) It is living part of the cell, thin, delicate and elastic.

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(iii) This membrane separates cells from one another and also the cell from the surrounding
medium.

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(iv) It is selectively permeable. It allows the flow of limited substances in and out of the cell.
(v) This gives shape to the cell.

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(vi) In addition to the cell membrane, an outer thick layer in cells of plants, called cell wall.

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(vii) This additional cell wall surrounding the cell membrane is required by the plants for protection
against variations in temperature, high wind speed, atmospheric moisture, etc. They are

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exposed to these variations because they cannot move.

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(viii) Cells can be observed in the leaf peel of Tradescantia, Elodea or Rhoeo.

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Cytoplasm:
(i) Cytoplasm is the jelly-like substance present between the cell
membrane and the nucleus.

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(ii) Various other components or organelles of cells are present in the
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cytoplasm. Like mitochondria, golgi bodies, ribosomes, etc.

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3. Nucleus:
(i) It is very important component of the living cell. It is generally dense and
spherical organelle and located in the centre of the cell. It can be seen easily
with the help of a microscope. Nucleus is separated from the cytoplasm by a

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membrane called the nuclear membrane. This membrane is also porous and
allows the movement of materials between the cytoplasm and the inside of the
nucleus.


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(ii) It is consist of nucleolus, thread-like structures called chromosomes. These

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carry genes and help in inheritance or transfer of characters from the parents
to the offspring. The chromosomes can be seen only when the cell divides.

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(iii) Genes contains genetic codes which are responsible for the unique physical
character of an animal or a plant.


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(iv) Nucleus acts as control centre of the activities of the cell. The entire
content of a living cell is known as protoplasm. It includes the cytoplasm and
the nucleus. It controls all the metabolic activities of cell.


(iv) Nucleus is the storehouse of genes. Without nucleus, cell can neither survive
nor shows specialized activities.
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Question 1.
Indicate whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F).

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(a) Unicellular organisms have a one-celled body.

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(b) Muscle cells are branched.

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(c) The basic living unit of an organism is an organ.

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Answer:
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(d) Amoeba has an irregular shape.

(a) True
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(b) True
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(d) True

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Question 2.
Make a sketch of the human nerve cell. What function do nerve cells
perform?
Answer:

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Function of nerve cells: The function of the nerve cell is to receive and

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transfer messages, it helps to control and coordinate the working of
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different parts of the body.

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Question 3.
Write short notes on the following.
(a) Cytoplasm
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(b) Nucleus of a cell

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Answer:
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(a) Cytoplasm: The jelly-like substance found between the nucleus and
the cell membrane is called cytoplasm. It is made up of basic elements

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like C, H, O, N. Various other components or organelles, like
mitochondria, Golgi bodies, ribosomes, etc., of cells are present in the
cytoplasm. t
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b) Nucleus of a cell: Nucleus of a cell is an important component of the
living cell. It is located at the centre of the cell. It is separated from the
cytoplasm by a membrane called nuclear membrane. It contains genetic
material.

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Question 4.
Which part of the cell contains organelles?
Answer:
Cytoplasm

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Question 6.

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State the difference between eukaryotes and prokaryotes.
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Solution:

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Question 7.
Where are chromosomes found in a cell? State their function.
Answer:

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Chromosomes are present in the nucleus. The functions of chromosomes is to carry
genes on them and to transfer the character from parents to the next generation.
Question 8.

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‘Cells are the basic structural units of living organisms.’ Explain.
Answer:

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Different cells combine to form tissues and tissues combine to form organs. Similarly,
organs combine to form body. Thus they are termed as the basic structural unit of
every living organism.
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Question 9.
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Explain why chloroplast are found only in plant cells?
Answer:
Chloroplasts are plastids required for the food making process, called photosynthesis,
and thus they are only present in plant cells.
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Question.
Describe the variations in shape and size of cells.
Answer:

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Cell size. Some cells are very small and visible only with a microscope.
Smallest cell is of bacterium, PPLO. An ostrich egg is the largest animal

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cell. In plants an alga, Acetabularia has a single cell of about 10 cm in
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length.

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Cell shapes are very diverse. Some cells like those of Amoeba and white
blood cells continuously change their shape. Most cells, however, maintain

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their constant shape. The shape of the cell is related to its function.

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Question 7.
Explain the mode of cell division in Amoeba. [KVS 2006, 2007, 2008]
Answer:

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The cell divides and splits into two parts known as daughter cells. The

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daughter cells are identical to the parent cell. The nucleus of the parent
cell divides into two, followed by the division of cytoplasm. Finally, the
two daughter cells are formed.
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Question 8.
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MSE (Chandigarh) 2008]
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In multicellular organisms, how does growth take place ? [NCT 2005 ;

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Answer:
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In multicellular organisms, the cells divide for reproduction and also
multiply for growth. The increase in the number of cells is brought about
by cell division. The cells so produced undergo a change in size and
shape and the whole organism shows over all growth.

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Question 1.
The structure which Robert Hooke observed under his self-designed
microscope was
(a) cell wall
(b) cell membrane
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(c) both (a) and (b)
(d) living cell
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Answer:
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(a)
Question 2.
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Which of the following is covered by a single membrane ?
(a) Mitochondria
(b) Vacuole t
(c) Lysosome
(d) Plastid
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Answer:
(b)

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Question 3.
Kitchen of the cells is known as
(a) mitochondria
(b) endoplasmic reticulum
(c) chloroplast
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(d) Golgi apparatus.
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Answer:
(c)
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Question 4.
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Cell theory was given by
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(a) Schleiden and Schwann
(b) Virchow
(c) Robert Hooke @
(d) Haeckel
Answer:
(a)
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Question 5.
The only cell organelle seen in prokaryotic cell is
(a) mitochondria
(b) ribosomes
(c) plastids
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(d) lysosomes
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Answer:
(b)
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Question 6.
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(a) ribosome
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Organelle without a cell membrane is

(b) Golgi apparatus

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(c) chloroplast
(d) nucleus @
Answer:
(a)

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Question 7.
Which organelle is known as the store house of the ! cell ?
(a) Mitochondria
(b) Vacuole
(c) Ribosomes
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(d) Golgi complex
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Answer:
(d)
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Question 8.
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(a) chromoplasts
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Green plastids are also called

(b) chloroplasts t
(c) chromatin
(d) none of these
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Answer:
(b)

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Question 9.
Which of the following is not unicellular ?
(a) Euglena
(b) Paramecium
(c) Chicken
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(d) Amoeba

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Answer:
(c)
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Question 10.
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Thread-like body that lies in the nucleus of the cell is
(a) cytoplasm
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(b) chromosome
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(c) nucleoplasm
(d) mitochondrion
Answer:
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(b)

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Question 11.
Which of these cells will have cell wall around them ?
(a) Cheek cells
(b) Nerve cells
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(c) Onion peel cells
(d) Blood cells
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Answer:
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(c)
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