Final answer:
Robert Hooke observed box-like structures in cork tissue under a lens and coined the term "cell". The correct answer is B) Microorganisms under a microscope, although Hooke was actually observing cork, not microorganisms, when he named the cell.
Step-by-step explanation:
The scientist in question, Robert Hooke, was looking at cork tissue under a lens when he came up with the name "cell". His observations, detailed in the 1665 publication Micrographia, described box-like structures in the cork tissue, which he likened to small rooms or cells in a monastery. In the 1670s, subsequent advances enabled other scientists to observe microorganisms under a microscope and led to the discovery of bacteria and protozoa by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. These advances in lens quality, microscope construction, and staining techniques also allowed scientists to study the components within cells.
The correct answer to the student's question is B) Microorganisms under a microscope, as Hooke's observation that led him to coin the term "cell" was made while viewing cork, not microorganisms. However, it is worth noting this vocabulary did pave the way for viewing microorganisms and further cell study in the future.