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The smallest structural and functional unit of life is called?
A. The atom
B. The cell
C. The tissue
D. The organ
Correct Answer Is Option = The cell
Notes / Explanation
The smallest structural and functional unit of life is called the cell, which is the basic building block of which all living things are made. Every living thing, whether a plant, an animal, or another kind of organism, is made up of cells, and the cell is the smallest unit that can be considered to be living and to carry out the basic activities of life. Some living things consist of only a single cell, so that the whole organism is just one cell, while larger living things, such as plants and animals, are made up of very large numbers of cells, working together. The cell is described as the structural unit of life because it is the basic building block from which the bodies of living things are built up, and as the functional unit of life because it is within the cells that the basic processes of life are carried out. Although cells are very small, usually too small to be seen without the aid of a microscope, each cell is a complex and organised structure, with different parts that carry out different functions, such as the control centre that directs the activities of the cell, and other parts that carry out tasks such as producing energy and making the substances the cell needs. In the bodies of larger living things, the cells are of many different kinds, specialised to carry out different functions, and cells of the same kind are grouped together to form tissues, tissues are grouped to form organs, and organs work together in systems, so that the body is built up from cells in an organised way. The discovery of the cell and the understanding that all living things are made of cells was one of the most important developments in the history of biology. The study of the cell is fundamental to the understanding of living things. For PPSC and other competitive examinations, the key points to remember are that the smallest structural and functional unit of life is called the cell, that all living things are made up of cells, some consisting of a single cell and others of very large numbers of cells, that the cell is the basic building block of the bodies of living things and the place where the basic processes of life are carried out, and that in larger living things cells are grouped into tissues, tissues into organs, and organs into systems.
