Cell — The Structural and Functional Unit of Life
ICSE Class 10 · Biology · Chapter 1
What this chapter covers
- Cell theory
- Cell organelles and their functions
- Cell wall and cell membrane
- Prokaryotic versus eukaryotic cells
- Plant versus animal cells
Past board exam questions
ICSE 2026 sample paper · 2 marks
State the permeability of cell membrane and cell wall.
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Cell membrane – semipermeable (selectively permeable).
Cell wall – freely permeable.
ICSE 2023 sample paper · 2 marks
Differentiate between Cell wall and Cell membrane with reference to permeability.
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Cell wall is freely (fully) permeable – it allows all substances in solution to pass through; Cell membrane is selectively (semi-) permeable – it allows only certain substances to pass through.
ICSE 2018 board paper · 5 marks
Choose the ODD one out from the following terms given and name the CATEGORY to which the others belong: Example: Nose, Tongue, Arm, Eye Answer: Odd Term – Arm, Category – Sense organs (i) Detergents, X-rays, sewage, oil spills (ii) Lumen, muscular tissue, connective tissue, pericardium (iii) Dendrites, Medullary Sheath, Axon, Spinal cord (iv) Centrosome, Cell wall, Cell membrane, Large vacuoles (v) Prostate gland, Cowper’s gland, seminal vesicle, seminiferous tubules.
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(i) Odd term – X-rays; Category – Water pollutants
(ii) Odd term – Pericardium; Category – Parts (layers) of a blood vessel (artery)
(iii) Odd term – Spinal cord; Category – Parts of a neuron (nerve cell)
(iv) Odd term – Centrosome; Category – Features of a plant cell
(v) Odd term – Seminiferous tubules; Category – Accessory glands of the male reproductive system