Question

During science class, a group of students went on a field trip to a nearby pond where they collected samples of pond water and pond plants. The students used a microscope to study cells in their samples. They also took samples of their own cheek cells and studied them using the microscope. The results are shown in the following table.

Sample Nucleus Cell
Membrane Cell Wall Cytoplasm Chloroplast Vacuole
cheek cells X X X X
pond plant cells X X X X X X
pond organism #1 X X X X X X
pond organism #2 X X X X


26
Looking at the chart provided, the students need to develop a classification scheme to distinguish plant and animal cells. The presence of which of the following structures/organelles would be most useful for this purpose?
A.
cell membrane
B.
nucleus
C.
vacuole
D.
cell wall
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Answer 1

D. cell wall

Explanation: Both plant and animal cells have a cell membrane and nucleus, and vacuoles can occur in both (though large central vacuoles are typical of plants). A rigid cell wall is found in plant cells but not in animal cells, so its presence distinguishes plants from animals.