Which of the following pairs is INCORRECTLY matched?

Correct - D. The pairing that fails is Nucleus: Lipid metabolism.

Lipid synthesis is the work of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum. The nucleus contains the chromosomes and controls the cell's activities, so calling it the site of lipid metabolism misdescribes it.

The other three are standard textbook labels and each holds, which makes option (d) the incorrectly matched pair the stem is asking for.

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Lysosomes: Suicidal bags — Correctly matched, so not the answer. Lysosomes carry powerful digestive enzymes and can burst and digest the cell itself, which is why they are called suicidal bags.
• (b)
  Ribosomes: Protein factory — Correctly matched, so not the answer. Ribosomes are the sites of protein synthesis, assembling amino acids into chains - the textbook protein factory of the cell.
• (c)
  Mitochondria: Power house of the cell — Correctly matched, so not the answer. Mitochondria release energy as ATP through aerobic respiration, which earns them the label power house of the cell.

These four labels come straight from the NCERT chapter on the cell, and SSC asks them as pairs.

Division of labour inside the cell is the idea being tested: the nucleus stores and directs genetic information, the smooth ER makes lipids and detoxifies in liver cells, the rough ER carries ribosomes for protein export, mitochondria supply energy, and lysosomes clear waste.

A NOT question rewards knowing the whole set, because three of the four options are there to confirm what you already know.

Key facts

• The smooth endoplasmic reticulum synthesises lipids and, in liver cells, detoxifies drugs and poisons.
• The nucleus contains the chromosomes and directs the activities of the cell.
• Lysosomes are called suicide bags because their enzymes can destroy the cell that holds them.
• Christian de Duve discovered lysosomes and gave them their name.

Common traps

• Answering with the pair you know best instead of reading the word INCORRECTLY in the stem.
• Assigning lipid synthesis to the rough ER, which is studded with ribosomes and handles proteins.

No directly related past PYQ was found.