Q.Plastid differs from mitochondria on the basis of one of the following features. Mark the right answer.
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🔒 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. …
Plastids differ from mitochondria mainly in having thylakoids.
- Both organelles are bounded by two membranes, so a double membrane is not the distinguishing feature.
- Both contain their own ribosomes and their own DNA, so neither of those is distinguishing either. …
Mitochondria and plastids share several structural features, but only plastids contain thylakoids.
Mitochondria and plastids (chloroplasts in particular) are alike in a number of ways: both are enclosed by two membranes, both carry their own set of ribosomes, and both contain their own circular DNA, allowing each to make some of its own proteins independently of the nucleus. Because these three properties are common to both organelles, none of them can be the feature that tells them apart. …
Method: Cancel the Shared Features, Then Name What's Left
When a question asks how two organelles "differ" and gives you a list of properties, the efficient approach is not to recall facts about each organelle separately — it's to go through the list and cross off every property that both organelles actually share, since a shared property can never be the answer to a "differs on the basis of" question.
Here, both mitochondria and plastids are double-membrane organelles, both carry their own ribosomes, and both carry their own circular DNA — that's three of the four options eliminated in one pass, because all three are properties of the semi-autonomous organelle family both belong to (a fact worth remembering as a category, since it explains why they get grouped together in the endosymbiotic-origin story). Whatever survives the elimination is your answer by default. …
- TG EAPCET 2026Set ap-2026-05-04-AN1 markMCQQ.Microbody involved in the catabolism of long chain fatty acids and play important role in synthesis of phospholipids (A) Glyoxysomes (B) Peroxysomes (C) Sphaerosomes (D) Lysosomes
›Reveal solutionSolution
The organelle that breaks down long-chain fatty acids and also participates in phospholipid synthesis is the peroxisome — option (B).
The question asks about a microbody — a small, membrane-bound organelle — that handles two jobs: catabolising (breaking down) long-chain fatty acids and helping make phospholipids. The key is to match each organelle’s known functions to these tasks.
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Peroxisomes are the classic site of β-oxidation of very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs). In animal cells, this is a major peroxisomal function; in plant cells, peroxisomes also break down fatty acids (especially in germinating seeds). They also contain enzymes for ether-phospholipid synthesis (like plasmalogens), which is a key part of phospholipid production. So peroxisomes fit both criteria.
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Glyoxysomes are a special type of peroxisome found in plant seeds. They do break down fatty acids (via the glyoxylate cycle) to produce sugars, but they are not generally involved in phospholipid synthesis in the way the question implies. They are a subset, not the general answer.
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Sphaerosomes (also called oleosomes) are lipid-storage organelles in plant cells. They store fats but do not catabolise them or synthesise phospholipids — they are just fat droplets. …
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- TG EAPCET 2025Set ap-2025-04-29-FN1 markMCQQ.Function not related to Peroxysomes (A) Synthesis of glycolipids (B) Catabolism of long chain fatty acids (C) Role in photorespiration (D) Hydrogen peroxide destruction
›Reveal solutionSolution
Peroxisomes are involved in various metabolic processes, including fatty acid catabolism, photorespiration, and hydrogen peroxide destruction. They are not primarily involved in the synthesis of glycolipids. The correct option is (A).
Peroxisomes are small, membrane-bound organelles found in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells. They are crucial for various metabolic reactions, particularly those involving the breakdown of certain molecules and detoxification. Their functions often involve oxidative reactions, which produce hydrogen peroxide, a toxic byproduct, which they then neutralize. Understanding these core functions helps in identifying what they do not do.
Here's a breakdown of each option:
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Analyze Option (A) Synthesis of glycolipids:
Glycolipids are lipids with a carbohydrate attached. Their synthesis primarily occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus, where enzymes add carbohydrate groups to lipid precursors. Peroxisomes are not known to play a direct role in the synthesis of glycolipids. While peroxisomes are involved in lipid metabolism, their role is more focused on the breakdown of specific lipids and the synthesis of certain specialized lipids like plasmalogens, not general glycolipid synthesis.
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Analyze Option (B) Catabolism of long chain fatty acids:
This is a well-established and significant function of peroxisomes. They are responsible for the β-oxidation of very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) and branched-chain fatty acids. In animal cells, while mitochondria also perform β-oxidation, peroxisomes are essential for the initial breakdown of VLCFAs before they can be further processed in mitochondria. In plants and yeast, peroxisomes are the primary site for all β-oxidation.
Fatty acid + O2Peroxisomal enzymes Acetyl-CoA + H2O2
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Analyze Option (C) Role in photorespiration: …
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- TG EAPCET 2024Set ap-2024-05-07-AN1 markMCQQ.Identify wrong statement of the following (A) Peroxysomes participate in photorespiration (B) Lysosomes perform glycolate cycle (C) Endomembrane system include endoplasmic reticulum, golgi, vacuoles, and lysosomes (D) Aleuroplasts store proteins
›Reveal solutionSolution
Lysosomes do not perform the glycolate cycle — that is a peroxisome function — so statement (B) is wrong.
Checking each statement:
- (A) Peroxisomes participate in photorespiration — correct; the glycolate/photorespiratory pathway involves peroxisomes.
- (B) "Lysosomes perform glycolate cycle" — wrong; the glycolate cycle occurs in peroxisomes (with chloroplasts and mitochondria). Lysosomes contain hydrolytic enzymes for intracellular digestion. …
- TG EAPCET 2023Set ap-2023-05-10-AN1 markMCQQ.Study the following table I) Interphase nucleus — synthesis phase — metabolically active II) Nucleosome — two coils — Histone III) Contractile vacuole — Excretion — single membrane IV) Lysosomes — cistrans faces — Autolysis Identify correct pair. (A) III, IV (B) II, IV (C) I, II (D) I, III
›Reveal solutionSolution
We need to identify which statements correctly match cellular structures with their properties. By checking each statement against biological facts, we find that statements I (Interphase nucleus) and II (Nucleosome) are accurate, making the answer (C).
Understanding the Question
We're given four statements pairing cellular structures with their characteristics. Our task is to identify which statements are correct and then select the answer choice containing those correct pairs.
Let me analyze each statement systematically:
Evaluating Each Statement
Statement I: Interphase nucleus — synthesis phase — metabolically active
- The interphase is the period between cell divisions when the nucleus is not undergoing mitosis
- During interphase, the S phase (synthesis phase) occurs, where DNA replication takes place
- The nucleus during interphase is indeed metabolically active, with active transcription, DNA replication, and various nuclear processes occurring
This statement is CORRECT ✓
Statement II: Nucleosome — two coils — Histone
- A nucleosome is the basic structural unit of chromatin
- It consists of DNA wrapped around a histone octamer (8 histone proteins: 2 copies each of H2A, H2B, H3, and H4)
- The DNA makes approximately 1.65-1.75 turns (often described as about two coils) around the histone core
- Histones are indeed the protein component of nucleosomes
This statement is CORRECT ✓
Statement III: Contractile vacuole — Excretion — single membrane
- Contractile vacuoles are found in freshwater protists and help regulate water balance (osmoregulation)
- While they do expel excess water and some waste products, their primary function is osmoregulation, not excretion
- They are indeed bounded by a single membrane
This statement is PARTIALLY CORRECT but MISLEADING — the primary function attribution is questionable ✗
Statement IV: Lysosomes — cis-trans faces — Autolysis …
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