Which statement is true about plant cells?

Which statement is true about plant cells?

• A. They do not have mitochondria
• B. They lack a nucleus
• C. They have a central vacuole
• D. They lack chloroplasts

Answer: (C)

Plant cells have a large central vacuole that can take up much of the cell’s interior. This vacuole stores water and helps maintain turgor pressure, which keeps the cell—and the plant tissue—rigid and upright. While plant cells do have a central vacuole, they also contain mitochondria for energy, a nucleus with genetic material, and chloroplasts for photosynthesis, so statements claiming they lack those organelles are false. The central vacuole statement best reflects a distinctive and characteristic feature of plant cells.

Plant cells have a large central vacuole that can take up much of the cell’s interior. This vacuole stores water and helps maintain turgor pressure, which keeps the cell—and the plant tissue—rigid and upright. While plant cells do have a central vacuole, they also contain mitochondria for energy, a nucleus with genetic material, and chloroplasts for photosynthesis, so statements claiming they lack those organelles are false. The central vacuole statement best reflects a distinctive and characteristic feature of plant cells.