Here are important questions from NCERT Class 8 Science Chapter 8 Cell Structure and Functions. Multiple choice questions from this chapter can be found here.

1. What is the structural unit of an organ?

Cell

2. Who was the first person to observe cells under a microscope?

Robert Hooke

3. The discovery of cell was made by Robert Hooke in ………………………….

1665

4. The egg of a hen is an example of a ………………………….

Cell

5. Which instrument is used to observe cells?

Microscope

6. Organisms made up of more than one cell are called …………………………………

Multicellular

7. Single-celled organisms are called ………………………………..

Unicellular

8. Give two examples of unicellular creatures

Amoeba and paramecium

9. A group of specialized cells form a ………………………..

Tissue

10. Tissues form …………………………..

Organs

11. The projections protruding out of an amoeba are called ……………………………..

Pseudopodia

12. Pseudopodia means ……………………………

False feet

13. How does the change in shape benefit amoeba?

Amoeba has no definite shape. Its shape changes due to the formation of pseudopodia. The pseudopodia enable it to move and capture prey.

14. Give an example of a human cell that changes shape?

The white blood cell

15. Red blood cells are …………………………… in shape.

Spherical

16. Muscle cells are …………………………. shaped.

Spindle

17. What provides shape to cells?

Cell membrane

18. Cell wall is present in …………………………. cells.

Plant

19. Bacterial cells have cell wall. Say true or false

True

20. The largest cell the ………………………………

egg of an ostrich

21. What is the size of an ostrich cell?

170 mm x 130 mm

22. What is the white material in an egg cell?

Albumin

23. The size of a cell is related to its ……………………………

Function

24. Which cells transfer messages and help to coordinate the working of different parts of the body?

Nerve cells

25. What is a tissue?

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

26. What are the basic components of a cell?

The basic components of a cell are cell membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus.

27. The cell membrane is also called ……………………………….. membrane.

Plasma

28. What separates cells from one another?

Cell membrane

29. Which solution is used to stain a plant cell?

Methylene blue

30. What is cytoplasm?

Cytoplasm is the jelly like substance between the nucleus and the cell membrane.

31. What is the nucleus?

The nucleus is the dense round body found in the centre of a cell.

32. Why do plant cells have a cell wall?

Plant cells need additional protection against variations in temperature, high wind speed and atmospheric moisture. Hence, plant cells have a cell wall outside the cell membrane.

33. The cell wall is ………………………… in an animal cell.

Absent

34. Which stain is used to stain animal cells?

Iodine or methylene blue

35. What are some components of cells?

Nucleus, mitochondria, golgi bodies and ribosomes

36. Nucleus is separated from the cytoplasm by a membrane called ……………………………..

Nuclear membrane

37. The cell membrane and the nuclear membrane are ……………………………

Porous

38. What is nucleolus?

It is the smaller spherical body inside the nucleus.

39. What are the thread-like structures in the nucleus?

They are chromatin.

40. What is the unit of inheritance in living organisms?

Gene

41. What is the control centre of the cell?

Nucleus

42. What is protoplasm?

The term protoplasm refers to the entire content of a cell.

43. What are prokaryotic cells?

These are cells having nuclear material without nuclear membrane.

44. Give some examples of prokaryotes?

Bacteria and blue green algae

45. What are eukaryotic cells?

Eukaryotic cells are those cells that have a well-organised nucleus with a nuclear membrane.

46. ………………………….. are the blank-looking structures in the cytoplasm?

Vacuole

47. Plant cells have ………………………….. vacuoles.

Large

48. What are plastids?

These are the small coloured bodies in the cytoplasm of plant cells.

49. The green coloured pigment in plastids are called ………………………………..

Chlorophyll

50. Green plastids containing chlorophyll are called …………………………….

Chloroplasts