Which feature is typical of plant cells but not animal cells?

• A. Cell wall
• B. Lysosomes
• C. Nucleus
• D. Mitochondria

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that plant cells have a rigid outer layer that animal cells do not. This feature is a cell wall made of cellulose that surrounds the plant’s plasma membrane, giving plant tissues their shape and helping maintain turgor pressure when water fills the central vacuole. Animal cells lack this wall and are enclosed only by a flexible plasma membrane, which allows more movement but less rigid support. Other structures listed—nucleus and mitochondria—are found in both plant and animal cells, and lysosomes are common in animal cells (though plant cells have different digestive structures). So the cell wall is the feature that characterizes plant cells but not animal cells.