Lesson 4.4.1

4.4.1 Plant cell ultrastructure compared with animal cells Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Biology A (Salters-Nuffield), Unit 4

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 4.4.1, Plant cell ultrastructure compared with animal cells: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Biology A (Salters-Nuffield) (9BI0), Unit 4: Biodiversity and Natural Resources, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which structure is present in plant cells but absent from animal cells?

    • A cellulose cell wall
    • A cell surface membrane
    • Ribosomes
    • Mitochondria

  2. What is the function of the middle lamella?

    • It cements adjacent plant cell walls together
    • It controls which substances enter the cell
    • It holds chloroplasts in fixed positions
    • It stores starch inside the cell

  3. Plasmodesmata are best described as:

    • Membrane-bound sacs containing digestive enzymes
    • Gaps in the secondary cell wall only
    • Sites of protein synthesis on the rough endoplasmic reticulum
    • Cytoplasmic channels passing through cell walls that connect adjacent cells

  4. Which plastid stores starch in plant cells?

    • Pit
    • Tonoplast
    • Amyloplast
    • Chloroplast

  5. The tonoplast is:

    • The membrane surrounding the large central vacuole
    • The outer layer of the cellulose cell wall
    • A gap in the secondary cell wall
    • The membrane surrounding the nucleus

  6. Which structure is a gap in the secondary cell wall that allows transport between neighbouring cells?

    • Lysosome
    • Centriole
    • Pit
    • Middle lamella

  7. Which feature is found in animal cells but not in plant cells?

    • Centrioles
    • Ribosomes
    • A nucleus
    • A cell surface membrane

  8. A student views a cell under an electron microscope. It has a large central membrane-bound compartment, a rigid outer wall and chloroplasts. What type of cell is it?

    • A bacterial cell only
    • A virus
    • An animal cell
    • A plant cell

  9. A plant cell has abundant amyloplasts in its roots. What is the most likely function of these organelles?

    • Propelling the cell with flagella
    • Making centrioles for cell division
    • Storing starch
    • Digesting material with lysosomal enzymes

  10. An electron micrograph shows an organelle with stacked thylakoid membranes. Which organelle is it?

    • Chloroplast
    • Lysosome
    • Ribosome
    • Centriole

  11. A drug dissolves the middle lamella of plant tissue. What is the most likely immediate effect?

    • Starch synthesis doubles
    • Cells separate from each other
    • Chloroplasts stop making ATP
    • The nucleus fragments

  12. Which pair of structures is found in both plant and animal cells?

    • Mitochondria and ribosomes
    • Chloroplasts and pits
    • Cellulose wall and tonoplast
    • Plasmodesmata and middle lamella

  13. A cell has no cell wall, no chloroplasts and no permanent large vacuole. Which cell type is it most likely to be?

    • A plant palisade cell
    • An animal cell
    • A plant guard cell
    • A plant xylem vessel cell

  14. Which magnification and instrument is needed to see plasmodesmata?

    • The naked eye using a hand lens at 10x
    • A light microscope at 100x magnification
    • A light microscope with iodine staining
    • An electron microscope, since they are very small

  15. Cell A has a cell wall; cell B has centrioles and no cell wall. Which statement is correct?

    • Both are plant cells
    • Both are animal cells
    • A is an animal cell and B is a plant cell
    • A is a plant cell and B is an animal cell

  16. A plant cell is placed in pure water and swells. Which feature prevents it from bursting?

    • Lysosomes that digest excess water
    • Centrioles that pull the membrane back
    • The rigid cell wall resisting expansion
    • Plasmodesmata that drain water into the next cell

  17. Plasmodesmata link the cytoplasm of neighbouring cells. Why is this significant?

    • It moves starch from chloroplasts to mitochondria only
    • It lets enzymes digest the cell walls from the nucleus
    • Sugars and signals can pass directly between cells
    • It stops neighbouring cells sharing any cytoplasm

  18. A plant cell has a double-membrane organelle with internal stacks of membranes and starch grains. Which organelle best fits this?

    • A vacuole bounded only by a tonoplast
    • A lysosome containing digestive enzymes
    • A chloroplast with thylakoids and starch
    • A centriole built from microtubules

  19. Cell X has a cell wall, plasmodesmata and a large vacuole. Cell Y has a flexible surface membrane, centrioles and no wall. Which statement best evaluates the difference?

    • X is more flexible than Y because its wall stretches freely
    • X and Y have identical mechanical support mechanisms
    • X has rigid wall support; Y's membrane allows shape change
    • Y resists osmotic bursting better than X because it has centrioles

  20. Why do plant cells in a dilute solution become turgid while animal cells in the same solution may burst?

    • The wall resists the pressure from water entering
    • Chloroplasts pump out water to keep the cell from swelling
    • The middle lamella stops water entering by osmosis
    • Plasmodesmata block water from entering the cell

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