Cell - the unit of life MCQ Solved Paper for UPSC IES

1. Which of the following statements are incorrect ?

1. Plant cells have centrioles which are absent in almost all animal cells.
2. Ribosomes are the site of protein synthesis.
3. The middle lamella is a layer mainly of calcium carbonate which holds the different neighbouring cells together.
4. In animal cell, steroidal hormones are synthesized by smooth endoplasmic reticulum. Of the above statements

A. (i) and (iii)
B. (iii) and (iv)
C. (ii) and (iv)
D. (i) and (iv)
Answer : A

2. Which of the following statement is correct regarding vacuole?
A. It is membrane-bound and contains storage proteins and lipids.
B. It is membrane-bound and contains water and excretory substances.
C. It lacks membrane and contains air.
D. It lacks membrane and contains water and excretory substances.
Answer : B

3. Microtubules are absent in
A. mitochondria
B. centriole
C. flagella
D. spindle fibres
Answer : A

4. Nucleolus is
A. rounded structure found in cytoplasm near nucleus.
B. rounded structure inside nucleus and having rRNA.
C. rod-shaped structure in cytoplasm near the nucleus.
D. none of the above.
Answer : B

5. Golgi apparatus is absent in
A. higher plants
B. yeast
C. bacteria and blue-green algae
D. None of the above
Answer : C

6. Active transport across biomembrane involves
A. production of ATP
B. requirement of energy
C. production of toxin
D. release of energy
Answer : B

7. The best material for study of structure of cell membrane is
A. RBC of human
B. RBC of frog
C. cheek cell of human
D. liver cell of rat
Answer : A

8. Most of water, in mature plant cells occurs in
A. nucleus
B. cell wall
C. vacuoles
D. cytoplasm
Answer : C

9. Which of the following pair lack the unit membrane?
A. Nucleus and E.R.
B. Mitochondria and chloroplast
C. Ribosome and nucleolus
D. Golgi body and lysosome
Answer : C

10. Extension of plasma membrane in prokaryotic cell is
A. mesosome
B. haploid
C. ribosome
D. none of these
Answer : A

11. Which of the following terms is not correctly matched with its feature?
A. Osmosis Movement of water by diffusion.
B. Nucleoplasm Site of active synthesis of ribosomal RNA.
C. Mesosome Infolding of cell membrane and characteristics of eukaryotes.
D. Pili Elongated tubular surface structures (made of special protein) of bacteria.
Answer : C

12. A student placed two cells in the same solution in two different containers. The observation was given in the table.

Container	Observation
1	Cell burst
2	Cell does not change its shape

Which structure maintains the shape of the cell present in container 2 and provides the most significant difference between the two cells?
A. Nucleus
B. Cell wall
C. Chloroplast
D. Cell membrane
Answer : B

13. According to widely accepted fluid mosaic model cell membranes are semi-fluid, where lipids and integral proteins can diffuse randomly. In recent years, this model has been modified in several respects. In this regard, which of the following statements is incorrect?
A. Proteins in cell membranes can travel within the lipid bilayer.
B. Proteins can also undergo flip-flop movements in the lipid bilayer.
C. Proteins can remain confined within certain domains of the membrane.
D. Many proteins remain completely embedded within the lipid bilayer.
Answer : B

14. Match column I (cell type) with column II (size) and choose the correct option.

Column-I	Column-II
(Cell type)	(Size)
A. Viruses	I. 1-2 ??m
B. PPLO	II. 10-20 ??m
C. Eukaryotic cell	III. About 0.1 ??m
D. Bacterium	IV. 0.02 - 0.2 ??m

A. A I, B II, C III, D IV
B. A IV, B III, C II, D I
C. A I, B III, C II, D IV
D. A IV, B II, C III, D I
Answer : B

15. Match column-I with column-II and select the correct option.

Column - I	Column - II
A. RER	I. Intracellular and extracellular digestion
B. Cell wall	II. Provide structural support to the cell
C. Flagella	III. Protein synthesis and secretion
D. Lysosomes	IV Responsible for cell movement

A. A III, B II, C IV, D I
B. A II, B III, C IV, D I
C. A I, B III, C II, D IV
D. A IV, B II, C III, D I
Answer : A

16. Which of the following pair are correctly matched.
A. Microtubules Structural components of cilia
B. Centrioles Store hydrolytic enzymes
C. Amyloplasts Store oil protein and starch in plants
A. A, B and C
B. A and B
C. A
D. A and C
Answer : C

17. Which of the following statement is false?
A. The ribosomes of a polysome translate the mRNA ito protein.
B. Mitochondria divide by fragmentation.
C. All cell arise from pre-existing cells.
D. The lipid component of the membrane mainly consists of phosphoglycerides.
Answer : B

18. Which of the following statements are correct ?

1. In prokaryotic cells, a special membranous structure formed by the extension of the plasma membrane into the cell is known as polysome.
2. The smooth endoplasmic reticulum is the major site for synthesis of glycoproteins.
3. RuBisCO is the most abundant protein in the whole biosphere.
4. Mitochondria, chloroplasts and peroxisomes are not considered as part of endomembrane system. Of the above statements

A. (iii) and (iv)
B. (i) and (ii)
C. (ii) and (iii)
D. (i) and (iv)
Answer : A

19. Match the items given in column-I with their role given in column-II and choose the correct option.

Column-I	Column-II
A. SER	I. Increase the surface area
B. Golgi apparatus	II. Store oils or fats
C. Cristae	III. Excretion
D. Peroxisome	IV. Photorespiration
E. Elaioplasts	V. Synthesis of lipid

A. A V; B III; C I; D IV; E II
B. A V; B III: C II; D IV; E I
C. A II; B III; C I; D IV; E V
D. A III; B IV; C I; D V; E II
Answer : A

20. Which of the following is not the function of cell wall?

1. Provides shape to the cell.
2. Protects the cell from mechanical damage and infection.
3. Helps in cell to cell interaction.
4. Provides barrier to undesirable macromolecules.

A. Only (i)
B. Only (iv)
C. Only (ii), (iii) and (iv)
D. None of the above
Answer : D

21. Which of the following lacks cell wall?
A. Gametes
B. Amoeba
C. Mycoplasma
D. All of these
Answer : D

22. You are asked to examine a cell using a powerful light microscope. The image you see has a clearly defined nucleus and mitochondria. It also has a large central vacuole and chloroplasts. From what group of organisms did this cell most likely come?
A. Bacteria
B. Protists
C. Fungi
D. Plants
Answer : D

23. Select the statements which are related to Schwann.

1. He reported that cells have a thin outer layer which is today known as plasma membrane
2. Cell wall is a unique character of the plant cell.
3. Body of plants and animals are composed of cells and products of cells.

A. Only (i)
B. Only (iii)
C. (i) and (iii)
D. All of these
Answer : D

24. The lipid component of the membrane mainly consists of __________.
A. polysaccharides
B. phosphoglyceride
C. monosaccharaides
D. both (a) and (c)
Answer : B

25. Which of the following pair are correctly matched ?
(I) Amyloplasts Store proteins
(II) Mitochondrion Power house of the cell
(III) Stroma Chlorophyll pigment
(IV) Axoneme 9 + 2 array
A. (I) and (III) only
B. (II), (III) and (IV) only
C. (III) and (IV) only
D. (II) and (IV) only
Answer : D

26. Given below are some characters of a cell organelle identify the correct organelle which shows all the characters described above.

1. It is a membrane bound space found in the cytoplasm.
2. It is bound by a single membrane called tonoplast.
3. It contains water, sap, excretory products and other materials not useful to the cell.
4. It has higher concentration of sap than the cytoplasm.

A. Golgi apparatus
B. Lysosomes
C. Endoplasmic reticulum
D. Vacuoles
Answer : D

27. Which of the following statements is/are correct ?

1. The shape of the cells may vary with the function they perform.
2. Human RBC is about 7.0 ??m in diameter.
3. Cytoplasm is the main area of cellular activities.
4. Various chemical reactions occur in cytoplasm to keep the cell in the living state.

A. (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv)
B. Only (i) and (ii)
C. Only (iv)
D. None of the above
Answer : A

28. The best way to identify a cell as either prokaryotic or eukaryotic is to determine whether
A. it came from a single-celled or multicellular organism.
B. it has a nucleus.
C. it has a plasma membrane.
D. it has cytosol.
Answer : A

29. Choose the wrong statements regarding bacterial cell

1. Glycocalyx is the outermost envelope in bacteria.
2. The glycocalyx could be a loose sheath called capsule.
3. The glycocalyx may be thick and tough called slime layer.
4. A special structure formed by the plasma membrane is called mesosome.
5. Small bristle like fibres sprouting out of the cell are called fimbriae.

A. (i) and (iii)
B. (i) and (ii)
C. (ii) and (iii)
D. (i) and (iv)
Answer : C

30. Which of the following statement of a bacterial cell is/are correct?

1. Mesosome is formed by the extensions of plasma membrane into the cell.
2. The pili are elongated tubular structures made up of a protein.
3. Flagellum is composed of filament, hook and basal body.
4. Ribosomes are about 30 nm by 50 nm in size.

A. (i), (ii), (iii)
B. All of the above
C. (ii) & (iv)
D. None of the above
Answer : A

31. Match column-I (scientists) with column-II (discovery) and select the correct option.
D. Schwann

Column-I	Column-II
A. Leeuwenhoek	I. First saw and described a living cell
B. Robert Brown	II. Presence of cell wall is unique to plant cells
C. Schleiden	III. Discovered the nucleus
IV. All plants are composed of different kind of cells

A. A I, B III, C IV, D II
B. A I, B III, C II, D IV
C. A III, B I, C IV, D II
D. A I, B IV, C II, D III
Answer : A

32. The figure below shows the structure of a mitochondrion with its four parts labelled (A), (B), (C) and (D).

Select the part correctly matched with its function.
A. Part (D): Outer membrane Gives rise to inner membrane by splitting.
B. Part (B): Inner membrane Forms infoldings called cristae.
C. Part (C): Cristae Possess single circular DNA molecule and ribosomes.
D. Part (A): Matrix Major site for respiratory chain enzymes.
Answer : B

33. Polysome is a chain of
A. oxysomes
B. sphaerosomes
C. ribosomes
D. dictyosomes
Answer : C

34. Plastids are found in
A. all animal cells.
B. some animal cells.
C. all plant cells.
D. all plant cells and euglenoides.
Answer : D

35. Which one of the following combination is mismatched?
A. Glycocalyx May be capsule or slime layer
B. Pili Reproduction
C. Cell wall Protective, determines shape, prevents from bursting
D. Flagella, pili and fimbriae Surface structures of bacterial cell
Answer : B

36. The membrane of the erythrocytes has approximately ___% of proteins and ___% lipids.
A. 42, 50
B. 52, 40
C. 50, 50
D. 60, 40
Answer : B

37. Which of the following is absent in prokaryotes?
A. DNA
B. RNA
C. Plasma membrane
D. Mitochondria
Answer : D

38. In which method of transport, plasma membrane does not require carrier molecule?
A. Active transport
B. Facilitated diffusion
C. Simple diffusion
D. Na⁺ K⁺ pump
Answer : C

39. Grana are
A. protein storing plastids.
B. coloured plastids.
C. stacks of thylakoids.
D. individual thylakoids present in stroma.
Answer : C

40. Which of the following statements is/are correct ?

1. The endomembrane system includes plasma membrane, ER, Golgi complex, lysosomes and vacuoles.
2. ER helps in the transport of substances, synthesis of proteins, lipoproteins and glycogen.
3. Ribosomes are involved in protein synthesis.
4. Mitochondria help in oxidative phosphorylation and generation of ATP.

A. (ii), (iii) & (iv)
B. (i) only
C. (ii) only
D. (iii) only
Answer : A

41.
Which cellular structure helps in transferring genetic information from one generation to another?
A. W
B. X
C. Y
D. Z
Answer : C

42. An organalle devoid of membrane covering is
A. vacuole
B. ribosome
C. peroxisome
D. lysosome
Answer : B

43. Read the statements given below with regard to the functions performed by Golgi apparatus ?

1. Transport and chemically modify the materials contained within it.
2. Performs the function of packaging materials.
3. Important site of formation of glycoproteins and glycolipids.

Which of the following is the correct answer ?
A. (i) is wrong but (ii) and (iii) are correct
B. (ii) is wrong but (i) and (iii) are correct
C. (ii) and (iii) are wrong but (i) is correct
D. All are correct.
Answer : D

44. 8.A student was given cell samples (A and B) to identify parts which are highlighted. He observed the samples under the microscope and list down the function of the part of cell sample. The information collected by the student is listed in the table below, on the basis of which the student infers that the samples contain the organelles.

Sample A	Sample B
Make energy available for cellular metabolism	Generates ATP and synthes izes s ugar
Absent in cell that carry oxygen throughout the body	Present in plant cell
Called the energy currency of cell	Source o f all the food energy

Identify the part highlighted in the sample A and B and explain why they were called as semi-autonomous organelles?
A. Sample A - Mitochondria, Sample B - Chloroplast; because both the organelles are double membrane bound structure.
B. Sample A- Mitochondria, Sample B - Chloroplast; because they both are capable of synthesis of their own proteins only.
C. Sample A - Mitochondria, Sample B - Chloroplast; because they are capable of synthesis of their own proteins and contain their own DNA.
D. Sample A- Mitochondria, Sample B - Chloroplast; because they contain their own DNA to transfer the genetic information from one generation to another.
Answer : C

45. Membranous extensions in blue green algae are known as
A. phytochrome
B. chromatophore
C. mesosome
D. pneumatophore
Answer : B

46. Basal bodies are associated with the formation of
A. phragmoplast
B. cilia and flagella
C. cell plate
D. kinetochore
Answer : B

47. Read the folowing statements and identify the correct option.

1. Contractile vacuole takes part in osmoregulation and excretion.
2. Food vacuole is formed by engulfing the food particles.
3. The vacuole is bound by a double membrane called tonoplast.
4. Vacuole can occupy upto 90 percent of the voume of the cell.

A. (i) and (ii)
B. (ii) and (iv)
C. (i), (ii) and (iv)
D. None of the above
Answer : C

48. 9.A student was given cell samples (A and B) to identify parts which are highlighted. He observed the samples under the microscope and list down the function of the part of cell sample. The information collected by the student is listed in the table below, on the basis of which the student infers that the samples contain the organelles.

Sample A	Sample B
Make energy available for cellular metabolism	Generates ATP and synthes izes s ugar
Absent in cell that carry oxygen throughout the body	Present in plant cell
Called the energy currency of cell	Source o f all the food energy

Explain why the samples were belonged to eukaryotic cell and not prokaryotic cell? Because,
A. eukaryotic cell have membrane bound organelles.
B. eukaryotic cell have non - membrane bound organelles.
C. eukaryotic cell are smaller and multiply more rapidly than prokaryotic cells.
D. eukaryotic cell are larger and multiply more rapidly than prokaryotic cells.
Answer : B

49. Which one of the following structures between two adjacent cells is an effective transport pathway?
A. Plasmodesmata
B. Plastoquinones
C. Endoplasmic reticulum
D. Plasmalemma
Answer : A

50. Statement 1: Centrosomes and centrioles are related to each other.
Statement 2: Centrosome usually contains two cylindrical structures called centrioles.
A. Both statements -1 and statement - 2 are true and statement - 2 is the correct explanation of statement - 1.
B. Both statements -1 and statement - 2 are true but statement - 2 is not the correct explanation of statement - 1.
C. Statement -1 is true and statement - 2 is false.
D. Statement -1 is false and statement - 2 is true.
Answer : A