GED Science
Cell Structure & Function
Every living thing is built from cells, and each cell is a tiny factory with departments. The test gives you a part and asks its job, or a job and asks its part. Learn each part as a job title and the questions become matching exercises.
The words first
- cell
- the smallest unit of life — the factory
- organelle
- a structure inside a cell with one job — a department
- nucleus
- the office holding the instructions (DNA)
- membrane
- the security gate deciding what enters and leaves
The method
THE FACTORY MAP — part → job
nucleus the office: stores DNA, runs the show
mitochondria the power plant: turns food into usable energy
ribosomes the assembly line: builds proteins
cell membrane the gate: controls what gets in and out
cytoplasm the factory floor everything floats in
PLANT CELLS GET THREE EXTRAS
cell wall a rigid outer frame (why plants stand up)
chloroplasts solar panels: run photosynthesis
large vacuole the water tank
HOW TO ANSWER "WHICH STRUCTURE…"
Translate the question into a job description first,
then match the job to the part.
"where is energy released?" → power plant → mitochondria
Worked all the way through
The problem
A cell is producing unusually large amounts of protein. Which organelle is working overtime?
- Step 1 — Translate the question into a job.Producing protein — who BUILDS protein?
- Step 2 — Match the job to the factory map.The assembly line builds proteins, and the assembly line is the ribosome.
- Step 3 — Eliminate the neighbors.Mitochondria supply the energy for the work but do not build protein; the nucleus holds the instructions but does not assemble anything.
On the board
job asked: building protein
assembly line = ribosomes
the map
mitochondria = energy, not assembly
eliminated
nucleus = instructions, not assembly
eliminated
ribosomes ✓
Answer
The ribosomes
A second one, in a different form
A plant cell and an animal cell are side by side under a microscope. Name two structures only the plant cell has.
plants stand rigid → cell wall
extra #1
plants make food from light → chloroplasts
extra #2
animal cells have neither
Answer
A cell wall and chloroplasts
The usual mistake
Confusing photosynthesis (plants only, makes sugar) with cellular respiration (all cells, releases energy).
Check yourself
Turn every structure question into a job-title question before touching the answers. If two parts seem close, ask which one DOES the action versus which one merely supplies or instructs it.
Practice it
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