Which of the following statements are correct regarding the general difference between plant and animal cells? 1. Plant cells have cellulose cell walls whilst animal cells do not. 2. Plant cells do not have plasma membrane unlike animal cells which do. 3. Mature plant cell has one large vacuole whilst animal cell has many small vacuoles. Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Answer: C. Statements 1 and 3 are correct; Statement 2 is wrong. The PLANT CELL and ANIMAL CELL are both EUKARYOTIC cells but differ in several structural and functional features. Statement 1 is CORRECT. PLANT CELLS HAVE A CELL WALL of CELLULOSE outside the plasma membrane, while ANIMAL CELLS LACK A CELL WALL. The plant cell wall provides mechanical rigidity, shape, protection, and resistance to osmotic bursting. Cellulose is a polysaccharide of beta-1,4-linked glucose units arranged into microfibrils. Other components of the plant cell wall include hemicellulose, pectin, and (in secondary walls) lignin. Fungi too have cell walls but made of CHITIN, not cellulose. Animal cells, which need to move, change shape, and form diverse tissues, do not have rigid walls. Statement 2 is WRONG. ALL EUKARYOTIC CELLS, INCLUDING PLANT AND ANIMAL CELLS, HAVE A PLASMA MEMBRANE (cell membrane). The plasma membrane is composed of a phospholipid bilayer with embedded proteins and is essential for selective permeability, transport, signalling, and cell identity. The claim that plant cells lack a plasma membrane is incorrect. In plant cells, the plasma membrane lies just INSIDE the cell wall. Statement 3 is CORRECT. MATURE PLANT CELLS TYPICALLY HAVE ONE LARGE CENTRAL VACUOLE that may occupy 80 to 90 percent of the cell volume. This vacuole (bounded by a membrane called the TONOPLAST) stores water, ions, sugars, pigments, secondary metabolites, and waste products, and it maintains TURGOR PRESSURE that keeps the plant cell rigid. ANIMAL CELLS, by contrast, have NUMEROUS SMALL VACUOLES (or none) used for short-term storage, endocytosis and phagocytosis. OTHER PLANT-ANIMAL DIFFERENCES not in the question: 1. Plant cells have PLASTIDS (chloroplasts, chromoplasts, leucoplasts); animal cells do not. 2. Plant cells have PLASMODESMATA connecting adjacent cells through cell walls. 3. Animal cells have CENTRIOLES; plant cells (in most cases) do not. 4. Plant cells store food as starch; animal cells as glycogen. So 1 and 3 are correct; 2 is factually wrong. Source: NCERT Class 9 Science Chapter 5 'The Fundamental Unit of Life'; NCERT Class 11 Biology Chapter 8 'Cell: The Unit of Life'.