Q.Which structure is characteristically present in a typical mature plant cell but is absent in a typical animal cell?

Two clear differences: plant cells have a rigid cell wall and plastids/large vacuole, while animal cells lack these but usually have centrioles instead.

While plant and animal cells share the same basic eukaryotic organisation (nucleus, mitochondria, ER, Golgi, ribosomes, etc.), several structural features consistently distinguish them. Any two of the following would be acceptable, but the two most fundamental are:

1. Cell wall: Plant cells are surrounded by a rigid, non-living cell wall made mainly of cellulose, lying outside the plasma membrane; it provides mechanical support and shape. Animal cells have NO cell wall — only a flexible plasma membrane forms their outer boundary.

2. Plastids and vacuoles: Plant cells contain plastids (chloroplasts, chromoplasts, leucoplasts) responsible for photosynthesis and pigment/starch storage, and they typically have one large, central vacuole occupying most of the cell's volume (important for turgor pressure and storage). Animal cells generally lack plastids entirely, and any vacuoles present are small and few in number.

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