Assignment One: Cells

Question 1

(2. description of analogy)

The School Compound, consisting of many different parts, is separated from the exterior compound by fences. These Fences have many gates & guards stationed at certain areas allowing only certain substances to enter & leave the school.

The General Office is where important decisions are being made for the school to allow the entire school to function properly. Important Documents kept here are used as reference during decision making. After taking in Students, the Principal sends them out of the general office into the school compound where they receive education.

Students would normally go to their various Classrooms where classes for various subjects are found. Upon attending the lectures, the students gains knowledge & understanding. After which, they become Graduates & would travel to the Skilled University whereby they are constantly modified so as to be able to apply what they have learnt as skills needed to accomplish the jobs which they work as after leaving the school. After becoming Skilled Graduates, they would then leave the cell for jobs outside.

It would be impossible for the school to be totally clean & free of litter with such a big population. Fortunately we have the Electronic Dustbin invented by the Skilled University containing infinite digestive enzymes that metabolizes & detoxifies all waste.

Lastly, the supply of energy provided by the Power stations, is required for the entire school to function. Energy made in here can also be stored.


Legend
Nucleus ----- General Office
Nucleolus ----- Principal
Ribosomes ----- Students
Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum ----- Classrooms
Golgi Apparatus ----- Skilled University
Lysosomes ----- Electronic Dustbin
Plasma membrane ----- Fences
Mitochondria ----- Power stations

Protoplasm ----- School Compound
Chromatin ----- Important Documents
1st degree protein ----- Graduate
2nd/ 3rd degree protein ----- Skilled Graduate










Question 2

(C. If animal cells were to have cell walls, what might happen?)

Cellulose cell wall’s properties:
a) Made up of a very hard & strong protein-----cellulose
b) Strong to support cell allowing it to stand up without a
skeleton.
c) Protects the cell from injury.
d) Gives structure & regular/fixed shape
- Fully permeable.


If animal cells were to have cell wall:

a) Animal cells would be surrounded by cellulose & may even stand up straight by itself without a skeleton. Imagine how hard your soft & flexible skin can become if they have cell walls? Hard & strong enough to stand up on its own! If Adipoctytg which stores fat have cell walls would become unable to expand to 200 times its size to store fats!

b) We would be unable to move as the cell wall is too hard & rigid! It restricts our movement. If our skin cells have cell wall, we aren’t able to stretch & if muscle cells have cell walls, we can never move!

c) We are protected from minor injuries like cuts as it is thick & strong. Thus, we need not worry about injuring ourselves anymore as these cell walls protects us.

d) Gives us a fixed & regular shape. Hence, we may have rectangular or even triangular faces, nails, ears etc… Or maybe the shape of plants?


In conclusion, if animal cells have cell walls, animals would be like plants, rigid, regular, tough & strong and the specialized cells found in animals would lose its special function & cannot carry out its function. For instance the skin & muscle cells stated above.




(499 words)