Lesson 11 ·Class 9 · Cell : The Unit of Life · Sort Lab
Prokaryotic vs Eukaryotic
The deepest division in all of life.
Sort each feature into the cell type it describes.
Sorted 0/10
All items sorted — check each bin.
VS
Free play — sort every item into the bin it belongs in; each correct drop tells you why. Switch to when you're ready to test yourself.
The single deciding question is whether the DNA is enclosed in a nuclear membrane. Everything else follows.
What this lesson covers
What you do
- Notice that every prokaryotic feature is an absence — this is the simpler cell.
Challenges to clear
- Sort every feature.
- Fill the Prokaryotic column — cells with no true nucleus.
The task
Sort each feature into the cell type it describes.
What this lesson covers
- Prokaryotic — Bacteria, cyanobacteria: No true nucleus — DNA lies free in the cytoplasm (The genetic material is a nucleoid with no surrounding membrane.); No membrane-bound organelles (No mitochondria, no ER, no Golgi — only ribosomes.); Small — usually 1 to 10 µm (Without internal transport systems, staying small is essential.); Divides by simple binary fission (No spindle and no mitosis are involved.); A single circular chromosome (Often with extra small rings called plasmids.)
- Eukaryotic — Plants, animals, fungi, protists: True nucleus enclosed by a nuclear membrane (This is what the name means: eu = true, karyon = nucleus.); Has mitochondria, ER and Golgi (Work is divided among specialised compartments.); Larger — usually 10 to 100 µm (Compartments make a bigger cell workable.); Divides by mitosis or meiosis (Chromosomes are separated on a spindle.); Several linear chromosomes (Wrapped around histone proteins.)
Hint
The single deciding question is whether the DNA is enclosed in a nuclear membrane. Everything else follows.