Which of the following pairs of microscope views best represents a eukaryotic cell and a prokaryotic cell, respectively?

• A. A cell with a cell wall and chloroplasts; a cell with a nucleus and mitochondria
• B. A cell with a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles; a cell lacking a nucleus and organelles
• C. A cell with flagella and pili; a cell with ribosomes and plasmids
• D. A cell with circular DNA in a nucleoid region; a cell with linear DNA in the cytoplasm

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the key differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Eukaryotic cells have a true nucleus enclosed by a nuclear membrane and contain membrane-bound organelles such as mitochondria and chloroplasts. Prokaryotic cells lack a true nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.
2. Step 2: Analyze each option by identifying which features correspond to eukaryotic cells and which correspond to prokaryotic cells. For example, the presence of a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles indicates a eukaryotic cell, while the absence of these features indicates a prokaryotic cell.
3. Step 3: Evaluate the first option: 'A cell with a cell wall and chloroplasts; a cell with a nucleus and mitochondria.' Chloroplasts and cell walls are typical of plant eukaryotic cells, but the second part describes a cell with a nucleus and mitochondria, which is also eukaryotic, so this pair does not represent eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells respectively.
4. Step 4: Evaluate the second option: 'A cell with a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles; a cell lacking a nucleus and organelles.' This matches the fundamental distinction between eukaryotic (with nucleus and organelles) and prokaryotic (without nucleus and organelles) cells.
5. Step 5: Confirm that the other options describe features that do not clearly distinguish eukaryotic from prokaryotic cells in the correct order, such as flagella and pili (both can be found in prokaryotes), or DNA structure without proper context. Therefore, the best representation is the second option.