Fungal Cell Wall Composition — NEET Biology
✅ Asked in NEET 2016One of the major components of cell wall of most fungi is NEET 2016
One of the major components of cell wall of most fungi is NEET 2016
Which one of the following is wrong for fungi? NEET 2016
Answer & NCERT explanation
Correct answer: C — Chitin
Chitin is the major component of fungal cell walls, providing structural strength. It's a nitrogen-containing polysaccharide, unlike cellulose found in plant cell walls. Peptidoglycan is found in bacterial cell walls, while hemicellulose is a plant cell wall component along with cellulose.
Read more NCERT concept on the PYQ
With the exception of yeasts which are unicellular, fungi are filamentous. Their bodies consist of long, slender thread-like structures called hyphae. The network of hyphae is known as mycelium. Some hyphae are continuous tubes filled with multinucleated cytoplasm – these are called coenocytic hyphae. Others have septa or cross walls in their hyphae. The cell walls of fungi are composed of chitin and polysaccharides.
NTA tests students on the exact components of fungal cell walls: chitin and polysaccharides. This is distinct from plant cell walls (cellulose) and bacterial cell walls (peptidoglycan), so many students confuse them. A common trap is selecting 'cellulose' as the fungal wall component because fungi appear plant-like. Remember: chitin is the same polymer in insect exoskeletons—it's hard, protective, and uniquely fungal. This concept appears frequently in classification questions comparing fungi to plants and bacteria.
What does NCERT say about With exception yeasts which?
Has this concept appeared in NEET?
Which chapter is this from?
Through deep analysis of NEET and NTA, 88 of 90 questions from the NEET 2026 paper were matched straight from the MedicNEET Biology question bank.
88/90MedicNEET's Biology question bank is built from the same NCERT lines NTA picks repeatedly. Not random MCQs — questions crafted exactly like NTA crafts them.