Q.Eukaryotic cells have organelles which may
a. not be bound by a membrane
b. bound by a single membrane
c. bound by a double membrane
Group the various sub-cellular organelles into these three categories.
🔒You're viewing a preview — the full solution, concept, methods & PYQ mapping are locked.
🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Cell Organelle Matching
Learning cell biology can feel like walking into a busy workshop where every tool has a job — and the skill you are really building is matching each organelle to the task it performs. Once you can pair a structure with its function on sight, the whole cell stops being a jumble of names and starts making sense as an organised, cooperating team.
Here is a practical set of pairings that come up again and again:
- Nucleus — control and heredity. It directs the activities of the other organelles and holds the chromatin (DNA), the cell's hereditary information.
- Mitochondria — energy. Aerobic respiration happens here, generating ATP, which is why they are called the power houses of the cell.
- Chloroplast — capturing light. Found in plant cells, it holds chlorophyll and traps light energy for photosynthesis.
- Ribosome — protein synthesis. The site where proteins are assembled; it has no membrane and can sit free in the cytoplasm or on the rough ER.
- Rough endoplasmic reticulum — protein-making highway. ER studded with ribosomes; abundant in cells that actively make and export proteins.
- Smooth endoplasmic reticulum — lipid factory. The main site for making lipids, and in animal cells, steroid hormones.
- Golgi apparatus — packaging and dispatch. It modifies, packages and sends materials to targets inside or outside the cell.
- Lysosome — the cell's stomach. Filled with hydrolytic enzymes that digest carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids.
- Vacuole — storage. A membrane-bound pocket (bounded by the tonoplast) that stores water, sap and waste; very large in plant cells.
- Cell wall — rigid support. A non-living outer layer in plants and fungi that gives shape and protection. …
Eukaryotic organelles can be sorted by whether, and how, they are bound by a membrane.
- Not bound by any membrane: ribosomes (a compact particle of RNA and protein with no membrane of its own) and structures like the centriole and the cytoskeleton's filaments.
- Bound by a single membrane: the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, vacuoles and microbodies. …
Eukaryotic organelles fall into three groups: unbound by any membrane, bound by a single membrane, and bound by a double membrane.
Not every structure in a eukaryotic cell is enclosed by a membrane, and the ones that are can be wrapped in either one layer or two, which gives a natural way to group them.
Ribosomes stand apart from other organelles precisely because they have no surrounding membrane at all — they are simply a compact particle built from RNA and protein. The centriole, with its cartwheel-like arrangement of tubulin triplets, is likewise not enclosed by a membrane.
A larger group of organelles is bound by a single membrane. This includes the endoplasmic reticulum, which forms a network of tubules and cisternae; the Golgi apparatus, made of stacked, flattened sacs; lysosomes, small vesicles rich in hydrolytic enzymes; vacuoles, enclosed by the tonoplast; and microbodies, the tiny enzyme-containing vesicles found in both plant and animal cells. …
Method: Sort Organelles Using One Consistent Criterion at a Time
The question gives you the sorting rule up front — membrane count (zero, one, or two) — so the discipline required here is to apply that single criterion consistently to every organelle you know, rather than grouping organelles by "how important" or "how big" they feel, which is a common way students accidentally misplace items.
A reliable way to work through this is to first list every organelle you can recall from the chapter, then ask of each one, individually: "does this have a membrane wrapped around it at all?" If no, it goes in the unbound group (this is a short list — mainly ribosomes and the centriole, since both are built from protein/RNA or protein subunits with no lipid boundary). If yes, ask a second question: "is there one continuous membrane, or two separate ones creating an inner and outer compartment?" A single continuous membrane puts an organelle in the middle group (ER, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, vacuoles, microbodies); two distinct membranes (with a gap or space …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set ap-2026-05-19-FN1 markMCQQ.Match the following lists List-I | List-II I. Main arena of cellular activity of a cell | A. Passive transport II. Cells arise from pre-existing cells | B. Mesosome III. Extention of plasmamembrane | C. Cytoplasm IV. Movement of molecules across the membrane without energy utilization | D. Virchow (A) I-C, II-D, III-B, IV-A (B) I-C, II-B, III-D, IV-A (C) I-C, II-A, III-B, IV-D (D) I-C, II-D, III-A, IV-B
›Reveal solutionSolution
Matches four cell-biology facts to their terms: cytoplasm (main arena of activity), Virchow (cells from pre-existing cells), mesosome (plasma-membrane extension), and passive transport (energy-free movement across the membrane).
Concept and Intuition
This is a straightforward vocabulary-matching exercise from the introductory "Cell" chapter, pairing structures/scientists/processes with their defining description.
Step-by-Step Solution
- I: The cytoplasm, the semi-fluid matrix between the plasma membrane and the nucleus, hosts the majority of a cell's metabolic reactions — hence "the main arena of cellular activity." Match: C.
- II: Rudolf Virchow proposed that all cells arise from pre-existing cells (extending Schleiden and Schwann's cell theory). Match: D.
- III: Mesosomes are folded extensions/invaginations of the bacterial plasma membrane, increasing surface area for respiratory enzymes, DNA replication anchoring, etc. Match: B. …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set ap-2026-05-19-AN1 markMCQQ.Match the following I: A - Fat soluble carotenoids; B - Smooth Endoplasmic reticulum; C - Tonoplast facilitates transport; D - Nuclear pores are passages for II: I - Steroidal hormones synthesis; II - Chromoplasts; III - RNA and protein molecules; IV - Against concentration gradient (A) A-II, B-III, C-I, D-IV (B) A-I, B-II, C-III, D-IV (C) A-III, B-I, C-IV, D-II (D) A-II, B-I, C-IV, D-III
›Reveal solutionSolution
Each organelle/structure clue links to its correct cellular role: chromoplasts hold carotenoids, SER makes steroids, tonoplast pumps against a gradient, and nuclear pores pass RNA/protein — giving A-II, B-I, C-IV, D-III.
Concept and Intuition
Each cell organelle in 'Cell: The Unit of Life' has a signature biochemical role worth memorising as a pair: chromoplasts = fat-soluble pigments (carotenoids), smooth ER = lipid/steroid hormone synthesis, tonoplast = active (against-gradient) solute transport into the vacuole, nuclear pore complex = selective passage of RNA and proteins between nucleus and cytoplasm.
Step-by-Step Solution
- A (fat-soluble carotenoids) is the defining pigment class of chromoplasts → A-II.
- B (smooth ER) is well known as the organelle synthesising steroidal hormones and lipids → B-I.
- C (tonoplast facilitates transport) actively pumps ions/solutes into the vacuole against their concentration gradient, maintaining turgor → C-IV. …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set ap-2026-05-20-FN1 markMCQQ.Identify the non-membrane bound bodies in the cell among the following A) Chloroplast B) Peroxysomes C) Ribosome D) Endoplasmic reticulum E) Phosphate granules F) glycogen granules (A) A, B (B) C, D (C) E, F (D) A, D
›Reveal solutionSolution
Among the listed cell structures, phosphate granules and glycogen granules are non-membrane-bound inclusion bodies, unlike the membrane-bound chloroplast, peroxisome, and endoplasmic reticulum.
Concept and Intuition
Cell organelles are broadly divided into membrane-bound (chloroplast, mitochondria, ER, Golgi, peroxisomes, lysosomes — each enclosed by one or two membranes) and non-membrane-bound structures (ribosomes and various cytoplasmic inclusion bodies such as phosphate granules, cyanophycean granules, and glycogen granules, which are simply masses of stored material without any surrounding membrane).
Step-by-Step Solution
- Chloroplast (A): membrane-bound (double membrane, an organelle).
- Peroxisomes (B): membrane-bound (single membrane microbody).
- Ribosome (C): non-membrane bound, but not offered paired with E or F in the answer choices.
- Endoplasmic reticulum (D): membrane-bound (extensive single-membrane network). …
- AP EAPCET 2024Set ap-2024-05-16-AN1 markMCQQ.Match the following List A: I Glyoxysome, II Plastids, III Nucleolus, IV Mitochondria List B: A Synthesis of ATP, B convert lipids to carbohydrates, C Synthesis of carbohydrates & proteins, D Ribosomal RNA synthesis, E Synthesis of Nucleases (A) I-B II-E III-C IV-D (B) I-A II-E III-D IV-B (C) I-B II-E III-D IV-A (D) I-B II-C III-D IV-A
›Reveal solutionSolution
This tests recall of organelle-function pairing: glyoxysome (lipid to carbohydrate), plastid (carbohydrate/protein synthesis), nucleolus (rRNA synthesis), mitochondrion (ATP synthesis).
Concept and Intuition
Each organelle has a signature biochemical role rooted in its structure. Glyoxysomes are specialized peroxisome-like bodies found in germinating oily seeds; they house the glyoxylate cycle, which converts the acetyl-CoA from fatty-acid breakdown into succinate, ultimately feeding gluconeogenesis to build carbohydrates for the growing seedling. Plastids are semi-autonomous, carrying their own circular DNA and 70S ribosomes, so besides making carbohydrates via photosynthesis, they can synthesize some of their own proteins. The nucleolus is a dense nuclear region dedicated to transcribing rRNA genes and assembling ribosomal subunits. Mitochondria house the electron transport chain and ATP synthase, making them the principal ATP-generating organelle.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Glyoxysome converts lipids to carbohydrates (glyoxylate cycle) -> B. …
- AP EAPCET 2024Set ap-2024-05-16-FN1 markMCQQ.Identify the cell organelles present in animals and absent in plant cells, present in plant cells and absent in animals, present in only prokaryotes (A) Centriole, Cytoskeleton, Inclusion bodies (B) Axoneme, Flagellum, Mesosomes (C) Ribosomes, Plasma membrane, Flagellum (D) Fimbriae, Flagellum, Mesosomes
›Reveal solutionSolution
Matches organelles to their exclusive occurrence: centrioles (animal cells, absent in most plants), a plant-associated structure (cytoskeleton, as given in this option set), and inclusion bodies (prokaryotes only).
Concept and Intuition
Certain cell structures are classic markers distinguishing animal cells, plant cells, and prokaryotic cells from one another — testing whether a structure is universal (present in all cells) or restricted to one cell type helps eliminate wrong option combinations.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Present in animals, absent in plants: Centrioles are a hallmark animal-cell structure (organizing the mitotic spindle and forming basal bodies of cilia/flagella); higher plant cells lack them. This rules in "Centriole" as the correct first item.
- Present in only prokaryotes: Inclusion bodies (storage granules for reserve food material, e.g., glycogen, lipid, or gas vacuoles) are characteristic of prokaryotic (bacterial) cells. This rules in "Inclusion bodies" as the correct third item. …
- AP EAPCET 2023Set ap-2023-05-23-AN1 markMCQQ.Name the cell organelle which are involved in the following processes A. Conversion of stored lipids to carbohydrates B. Catabolism of long chain fatty acids (A) Lysosome, Peroxysome (B) Dictyosome, Ribosome (C) Peroxisome, Micro bodies (D) Glyoxysome, Peroxysome
›Reveal solutionSolution
This tests knowledge of two specialised microbodies — glyoxysomes (lipid-to-carbohydrate conversion) and peroxisomes (fatty acid catabolism).
Concept and Intuition
Microbodies are small membrane-bound organelles specialised for particular metabolic pathways. Glyoxysomes, found especially in the fat-storing tissues of germinating oily seeds, house the enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle, which allows stored triglycerides to be converted into sugars needed for seedling growth before photosynthesis begins. Peroxisomes contain enzymes (including catalase) that carry out oxidative reactions, including the catabolism (breakdown) of long-chain fatty acids via beta-oxidation, generating hydrogen peroxide as a by-product that catalase then detoxifies.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Process A — "Conversion of stored lipids to carbohydrates" — is the hallmark function of the glyoxysome (via the glyoxylate cycle).
- Process B — "Catabolism of long chain fatty acids" — is carried out by the peroxisome. …
- AP EAPCET 2022Set ap-2022-07-11-FN1 markMCQQ.Choose the correct one A B C I. Golgibodies Single membraned Protein synthesis II. Mitochondrion Power house of the cell DNA Replication III. Chloroplast Carbohydrate synthesis Protein synthesis IV. Nucleolus Ribosomal factory 80s and 70s ribosomes synthesis (A) I, II, III, IV (B) II, III (C) II, III, IV (D) II only
›Reveal solutionSolution
Only the mitochondrion and chloroplast rows correctly pair organelle, primary function, and additional (semi-autonomous) feature; the Golgi and nucleolus rows each contain one incorrect claim.
Concept and Intuition
Mitochondria and chloroplasts are unique among organelles in being semi-autonomous — each carries its own circular DNA and 70S ribosomes, letting it replicate its genome and translate a subset of its own proteins independently of the nucleus, in addition to their main metabolic roles (respiration/ATP synthesis; photosynthesis/carbohydrate synthesis). The Golgi apparatus and nucleolus, by contrast, do NOT synthesise proteins themselves.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Row I (Golgi bodies): single-membrane bound is correct, but Golgi does packaging/glycosylation/secretion of proteins made elsewhere (rough ER) — it does not itself synthesise protein. Row fails on column C.
- Row II (Mitochondrion): "power house of the cell" (true, via oxidative phosphorylation) and mtDNA replication (true, since mitochondria are semi-autonomous). Row fully correct. …
🎓Unlock everything free for 14 days
- ✓Full step-by-step solutions
- ✓Concept-first explanations
- ✓Methods, shortcuts & mistakes
- ✓PYQ mapping + timed mock tests
Full access for 14 days. No credit card required.