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9th grade Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells compared worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

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Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells compared

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Bacterium (model drawing, not to scale). Ari studies a model drawing of a bacterium. Letter D points to the tangled loop of DNA in the middle of the cell. What is D called?

    • The nucleoid
    • A ribosome
    • The cell wall
    • The nucleus, as in a tiny animal cell
  2. model drawing, not to scale. Bo studies a second bacterium drawing. Letter B points to one of many small dots that build proteins. What are the dots called?

    • Nucleoids
    • Mitochondria
    • Ribosomes
    • Vacuoles
  3. Read this first

    Use this

    Two cell cutaways side by side (model drawing, not to scale) above a Venn diagram. Left cutaway: a prokaryotic cell. Right cutaway: a eukaryotic (animal) cell. Venn diagram, left circle, prokaryotic cell only: DNA in a nucleoid; no membrane-bound organelles. Right circle, eukaryotic cell only: DNA inside a nucleus; membrane-bound organelles. Overlap, both cells: plasma membrane; cytoplasm; ribosomes; DNA.

  4. Jun reads a Venn diagram of two kinds of cell. In which part is the word ribosomes written?

    • Outside both circles, so neither kind of cell has them
    • In the left circle, so just prokaryotic cells have them
    • In the overlap, so both kinds of cell have them
    • In the right circle, so just eukaryotic cells have them
  5. Luz reads the Venn diagram. Which feature is listed in the right circle only, for eukaryotic cells?

    • DNA
    • Membrane-bound organelles
    • Ribosomes
    • A plasma membrane
  6. Word card (model). The word to define is prokaryote. Examples named on the card: bacteria and archaea. Not to scale. Milo learns the word prokaryote. Which meaning is right?

    • A cell that keeps its DNA safe inside a nucleus
    • A tiny animal cell that is too small to hold a nucleus
    • A cell with no nucleus and no membrane-bound organelles
    • A cell that has ribosomes and a membrane but no DNA
  7. Use this

    Word card (model). The word to define is cell wall. Cells with a wall on the card: a bacterium, a plant cell, a fungal cell. Not to scale.

  8. Noah learns the word cell wall. Which meaning is right?

    • A rigid outer layer found in bacteria, plants and fungi
    • A jelly-like fluid that fills the inside of the cell
    • A thin outer layer that separates the cell from its surroundings
    • A rigid outer layer found in plant cells, but not in other cells
  9. Use this

    Word card (model). The word to define is plasma membrane. It appears in both a prokaryotic cell and a eukaryotic cell. Not to scale.

  10. Pia learns the word plasma membrane. Which meaning is right?

    • The rigid layer that gives a plant cell its shape
    • The outer covering that separates the cell's inside from its surroundings
    • The jelly-like fluid that fills the inside of the cell
    • The region where a prokaryote keeps its DNA
  11. Cell diameters (real data, from OpenStax Biology)

    kind of celldiameter in µm
    prokaryotic cell0.1 to 5.0
    eukaryotic cell10 to 100
  12. Ren reads the table. About how wide is a prokaryotic cell?

    • 0.1 to 100 µm
    • 10 to 100 µm
    • 0.1 to 5.0 µm
    • 5.0 to 10 µm
  13. A bacterium in Tala's pond-water sample is about 2 µm wide. Using the table, which kind of cell does that size fit?

    • Eukaryotic, since a bacterium is a tiny animal cell
    • Eukaryotic, since 2 µm is inside 10 to 100 µm
    • Prokaryotic, since 2 µm is inside 0.1 to 5.0 µm
    • Neither, since no cell is as small as 2 µm
  14. Zee uses the table. Which kind of cell is about 10 to 100 µm across?

    • Prokaryotic cells
    • Eukaryotic cells
    • Both kinds of cell, since cells are alike in size
    • Bacteria, since a bacterium is an animal cell and animal cells are large
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9th grade Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells compared worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells compared. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can name the parts of a prokaryotic cell drawing: nucleoid, ribosomes, plasma membrane, cytoplasm and cell wall, and say which parts a bacterium may also have (flagellum).
  • I can say what makes a prokaryote (bacteria and archaea) different from a eukaryote (animals, plants, fungi and protists): no nucleus and no membrane-bound organelles.
  • I can read a Venn diagram of the two cell types and place the shared parts (plasma membrane, cytoplasm, ribosomes, DNA) in the overlap.
  • I can read the size ranges (prokaryotic cells about 0.1 to 5.0 µm across, eukaryotic cells about 10 to 100 µm) and use them, with a cell's parts, to classify a cell.
  • I can work out a cube cell's surface area (6 × side × side), volume (side × side × side) and the ratio of the two, and explain why a small cell exchanges materials better than a big one.
  • I can read an evidence table and say why the facts about mitochondria and chloroplasts (their own DNA and ribosomes, two membranes, division like bacteria) support the endosymbiotic idea.

Standard: supports HS-LS1-2

Words to know

prokaryote: A cell with no nucleus and no membrane-bound organelles; bacteria and archaea

eukaryote: A cell with a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles; animals, plants, fungi, protists

nucleoid: The central region of a prokaryotic cell where the DNA is found

organelle: A cell part with a job; in eukaryotes many are wrapped in a membrane

ribosome: A small structure that builds proteins; every cell type here has them

plasma membrane: The outer covering that separates the cell's inside from its surroundings

cytoplasm: The jelly-like fluid, with parts in it, inside the plasma membrane

cell wall: A rigid layer outside the plasma membrane in bacteria, plants and fungi

Common mistakes

Your child thought a cell with no nucleus has no DNA. Ask where a bacterium keeps its DNA, and which Venn region lists DNA.

Your child thought bacteria have no ribosomes because they have no organelles with membranes. Ask which cell parts sit in the middle of the Venn diagram.

Your child thought a bacterium is a tiny animal cell. Ask what a bacterium lacks that an animal cell has.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells compared?

Your child thought a cell with no nucleus has no DNA. Ask where a bacterium keeps its DNA, and which Venn region lists DNA.

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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