A houseplant goes unwatered for several days and wilts. Which structure has shrunk and left the cell walls unsupported?
AThe nuclear envelope
BThe Golgi apparatus
CThe central vacuole
DThe mitochondrion
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. The central vacuole
1. The central vacuole regulates the plant cell's water concentration as conditions change.
2. When soil water drops below the water level inside the plant, water moves out of the central vacuoles and cytoplasm.
3. As the central vacuole shrinks, it leaves the cell wall unsupported.
4. Without that support the cell walls sag, and the plant takes on its wilted appearance.
5. The other three organelles play no role in propping up the wall, so their names are decoys here.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 4 "Cell Structure", section 4.3 Eukaryotic Cells_
Keep practising Cell Structure
Browse all Cell Structure questions for GED, or explore more Science topics.
Related questions
Call each cell fact true or falseTap the parts that fitOne organelle sorts, tags, and packages proteins, then sends them off to their destinationKeratin, the protein that strengthens hair and nails, belongs to which group of cytoskeletMuscle cells need large amounts of energy to keep the body moving. Which organelle would yWhile looking through a light microscope, you slide the specimen to the left. Which way doBiting into raw celery produces a crunch. What are your teeth tearing to make that sound?The microbes living in the human gut provide which benefit?