The function of lysosomes in cells is:

Correct — B. Lysosomes are membrane-bound sacs rich in hydrolytic enzymes (lipases, proteases, carbohydrases) that work best at an acidic pH.

They digest material inside the cell: foreign matter such as bacteria or food, and worn-out organelles. That is intracellular digestion → option (b).

If a lysosome bursts, its enzymes digest the cell itself, which is why lysosomes are called suicide bags.

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Protein synthesis — Ribosomes make proteins, reading mRNA and joining amino acids, free in the cytoplasm or on the rough endoplasmic reticulum. Lysosomes break proteins down; they do not build them.
• (c)
  Energy production — Mitochondria produce energy. Aerobic respiration there makes most of the cell's ATP, which is why they are called the powerhouse of the cell.
• (d)
  Genetic information storage — The nucleus stores genetic information: its DNA, packed in chromosomes, directs the cell's activities. Lysosomes carry enzymes, not genes.

The cell divides its work among organelles, and this question pairs one of them with its job.

NCERT describes lysosomes as membrane-bound vesicles formed by packaging in the Golgi apparatus. Their enzymes can digest carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids, and the membrane keeps them away from the rest of the cell.

Christian de Duve discovered lysosomes and named them. He shared the 1974 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Key facts

• Lysosomes are membrane-bound vesicles formed by packaging in the Golgi apparatus (NCERT Class XI).
• Their hydrolytic enzymes, lipases, proteases and carbohydrases, are most active at an acidic pH.
• Lysosomes are called suicide bags because their enzymes can digest the cell that holds them.
• Christian de Duve discovered lysosomes and shared the 1974 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Common traps

• Confusing lysosomes with ribosomes because the names look alike: ribosomes build proteins, lysosomes break them down.
• Mixing up lysosomes and peroxisomes: lysosomes digest with hydrolytic enzymes, peroxisomes run oxidation reactions that produce hydrogen peroxide.

No directly related past PYQ was found.