Cells Under the Microscope · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Cells Under the Microscope

Science · Organisms & Life Processes · ages 11-12
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. What piece of equipment do you use to see individual cells?

    • A magnifying glass
    • A microscope
    • A telescope

  2. Which statement is true about living things?

    • All living things have cells
    • Only animals are made of cells
    • Only plants are made of cells

  3. The dark, round spot inside a cell that controls it is called the nucleus.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. In a labeled diagram of a cell, which part should you draw as the thin line around the outside?

    • Cell membrane
    • Cytoplasm, the jelly fill
    • Nucleus, the control spot

  5. Before looking at onion skin under a microscope, what should you do first?

    • Cut a thick chunk and place it on the slide without peeling it
    • Look directly at the onion with no preparation
    • Peel a thin, see-through layer and place it on a slide

  6. Which part fills the inside of the cell like a soft jelly?

    • Nucleus
    • Cytoplasm
    • Cell membrane

  7. A student compares cheek cells and onion cells. Both show a nucleus and cytoplasm, but only the onion cells have a stiff, box-like outer wall. What does this tell the student?

    • Cells can look different but all are still cells
    • Cheek cells are not real cells
    • Onion cells and cheek cells are not really made of cells

  8. Ravi drew the outline of the onion cells he observed but added no labels. What is missing from Ravi's diagram to make it a proper scientific record?

    • Color to make it look real
    • A title and a date, no labels
    • Labels naming the parts he saw
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Cells Under the Microscope W1-mt_VfA4xo4kUv-s1

  1. A microscope · A microscope makes tiny cells big enough to see clearly, more than a magnifying glass can.
  2. All living things have cells · Every living thing, plant, animal, or you, is built from cells.
  3. True · That is exactly what the nucleus does. It controls the cell.
  4. Cell membrane · The cell membrane is the thin edge that holds the cell together.
  5. Peel a thin, see-through layer and place it on a slide · A thin, see-through layer lets light pass through so the microscope can show the cells clearly.
  6. Cytoplasm · Cytoplasm is the jelly-like material that fills the space inside the cell membrane.
  7. Cells can look different but all are still cells · Cells can look different from one living thing to another, but every one of them is still a cell.
  8. Labels naming the parts he saw · A scientific diagram needs labels so anyone reading it knows which part is which.
Worksheet · LightMySky