Question

In 1665, Robert Hooke first observed cells in
A. Leaf
B. Cork
C. Intestine
D. Liver

Answer 1

Hint:- All the living organisms look very different from each other, but internally they all are made up of the same basic component, be it an amoeba or an elephant. Cell is the basic unit, the building block found in all the living things. Presence of a cell is one of the basic conditions required to be called living. Cells perform different functions starting from making the basic body structure to metabolism of food.

Complete step-by-step solution:-
Robert Hooke was an all rounder; he was a well known scientist, an architect, and a mathematician. He was the first person to visualise microorganisms using a microscope. He was also the first person to observe/discover the cell in 1665. The discovery of the cell would not have been done if advanced techniques like microscopes were not discovered.
Curious to learn more about the microscopes, Robert observed different things under his microscope, one of these were cells. His microscope was made up of three lenses and a stage with a light source. This advanced technique helped Hooke to see the world at the microscopic level. He described a cell as a small chamber (with tiny pores) inhabited by monks and named it ‘cell’. The word cell was derived from a Latin word ‘cella’ which means a small chamber or compartment or room. He wrote about this discovery and characteristics of the cell in his book “Micrographia”. He observed the cells of a plant cork (dead) and thought that the cells were a dead material. Thus the correct option is (B) Cork.

Note:- Robert’s observation did not go too far as he did not notice nucleus or any other organelles present in the cell. After Robert, Anton van Leeuwenhoek observed the cells and found moving objects in it, thus confirming that cells are living.