Question

Which of the cells in the plant is non-living?
A) Epidermis
B) Collenchyma
C) Sclerenchyma
D) Parenchyma

Answer 1

Hint: The three types of tissue in plants are Parenchyma, Collenchyma and Sclerenchyma. These are known as ground tissues. Collenchyma cells are found mainly in the cortex of the stem and in the leaves. The major function of sclerenchyma is support. It has mature cells and are generally dead and have thick walls containing lignin.

Complete answer:
The tissues are the group of cells. The tissue is made up of similar or dissimilar cells performing similar functions. The cells can be living and in some cases dead.
A) Epidermis: In plants the outermost layer is a derived layer covering the stem root, leaf flower fruit and seed parts of a plant. The epidermis has waxy cuticles which provide a protective layer against mechanical injury, water loss and infection. The modified epidermal cells help in transpiration, which increase water absorption and secrete substances.

B) Collenchyma: In plants, the supporting tissue of living cells with irregular cell walls are called collenchyma. These cells can be identified with thick deposits of cellulose in their cell walls and even appear polygonal in cross-section. These thickened cell walls help the tissue to strengthen and the longitudinal interlocking of the cells' collenchyma may form cylinders or occur as discrete strands.

C) Sclerenchyma: In plants, this component is supposed to contribute to various kinds of hard woody cells. Mature sclerenchyma cells are mostly dead cells and contain heavily thickened secondary walls having deposits of lignin. This is a non-living cell.

D) Parenchyma: These tissues comprise living cells and are thin walled, unspecialized in structure and therefore can help with differentiation to various other cells. Parenchyma is composed of thin-walled cells and makes up the photosynthetic tissues in leaves, pulp of fruits and the endosperm of name seeds.

Hence the correct answer is option ‘C’ i.e, sclerenchyma.

Note: The sclerenchyma cells are rigid and non-stretchable and are usually found in non-growing regions of plants, such as the bark or mature stems. These cells occur in many different shapes and sizes but two main types are fibres and sclereids.