Cell theory and how it was discovered
Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.
Read this first
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Four event cards, not in order. A: Schleiden says plants are made of cells (1838). B: Hooke names cells in cork (1665). C: Virchow publishes an essay saying that cells come from cells (1855). D: Schwann says animals are made of cells (1839).
Ari puts four cell-theory events on a timeline, earliest first. Which order is right?
- B, A, D, C
- B, D, A, C
- A, B, D, C
- B, A, C, D
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Four event cards, not in order. A: Remak shows that cells come from cells by dividing (1852). B: Leeuwenhoek sees single-celled organisms in lake water (1674). C: Schwann says animals are made of cells (1839). D: Hooke names cells in cork (1665).
Bo sorts four more events from earliest to latest. Which order is right?
- D, C, B, A
- B, D, C, A
- D, B, C, A
- D, B, A, C
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Four event cards, not in order. A: Virchow publishes an essay saying that cells come from cells (1855). B: Pasteur disproves spontaneous generation with a flask experiment (1862). C: Leeuwenhoek sees single-celled organisms in lake water (1674). D: Schleiden says plants are made of cells (1838).
Esme lines up another set of events, earliest first. Which order is right?
- D, C, A, B
- C, A, D, B
- C, D, A, B
- C, D, B, A
A Dutch shopkeeper, Antony van Leeuwenhoek, made single-lens microscopes. Kira reads that Leeuwenhoek looked at lake water in 1674. What did Leeuwenhoek see?
- Plant tissue that he described as made up of cells
- Single-celled organisms he called animalcules
- A finished cell theory he wrote himself
- Box-like cork walls he named cells
Luz reads about the botanist Matthias Schleiden, who studied plant tissue under a microscope. What did Schleiden describe in 1838?
- A complete theory with no help from anyone
- New cells arise from older cells
- Plants are made of cells
- Single-celled organisms in lake water
Use this
Cell theory card. Part 1: one or more cells make up all living things. Part 2: the cell is the basic living unit. Part 3: new cells arise from existing cells.
Noah reads the cell theory card. Which part tells where new cells come from?
- Part 3: new cells form from nonliving matter
- Part 1: one or more cells make up living things
- Part 3: new cells arise from existing cells
- Part 2: the cell is the basic living unit
Pia sees mold spread across stale bread. By cell theory, where did the new mold cells come from?
- From damp air with no cells in it
- From the scientist who named cells
- From mold cells that already existed
- From the bread itself turning into new cells
Ren reads that cell theory is a scientific theory. What does theory mean in science?
- A guess that has not yet been tested
- A tested and confirmed explanation
- A single observation made once
- A rule that cannot change
Tala reads that a suggested explanation for an observation, one that can be tested, has a name. What is it?
- A theory
- A fact
- A measurement
- A hypothesis
Zee reads that every microscope has a resolving power. What is resolving power?
- Showing two close structures as separate
- Keeping a living specimen alive on the glass slide
- Making the image look bigger
- Lighting the slide from below