A teacher shows two diagrams of living organisms at the same scale (scale bar 25 µm). Organism A shows one cell boundary. Organism B shows many cell boundaries. A student claims: “Organism B must be able to do more functions because it has more cells.”
Which choice best evaluates the student’s claim using only the visual evidence provided?
- The claim is supported because having more cells always means an organism can do more functions
- The claim is supported because Organism B is larger, so it must do more functions
- The claim is not supported because the diagrams only provide evidence about number of cells, not what functions the organisms can do (correct answer)
- The claim is not supported because Organism A is not living if it has one cell
Explanation: The core skill is evaluating claims about organism functions based solely on cell number evidence. Some organisms operate as one cell, while others function through many coordinated cells. Diagrams clarify cell number by depicting boundaries, but they don't show functional capabilities. A checking strategy is to limit evaluation to what the visual evidence directly provides, like cell count, without inferring functions. A common misconception is that more cells mean more functions, but diagrams only confirm cell number, not abilities. Both unicellular and multicellular organisms are living and can perform necessary life functions effectively. For instance, single-celled organisms like paramecia move and feed, just as many-celled organisms do.