Free Kingdom Plantae MCQs with Answers

31. Which one of the following plants is monoecious?

• A. Pinus
• B. Cycas
• C. Papaya
• D. Marchantia

Explanation: A): Monoecious plants have separate male and female flowers on the same plant. Pinus have both the male and female cones or strobili on the same tree.

32. Select one of the following pairs of important features distinguishing Gnetum from Cycas and Pinus and showing affinities with angiosperms.

• A. Perianth and two integuments
• B. Embryo development and apical meristem
• C. Absence of resin duct and leaf venation
• D. Presence of vessel elements and absence of archegonia

Explanation: (d) : In gymnosperm except Order Gnetales (Gnetum) xylem consist of xylem parenchyma and tracheids with bordered pits but lacks vessels. So, Gnetales are the most advanced among gymnosperms. They lack archegonia in female gametophyte thus showing similarity with angiosperm and act as connecting link between the two

33. In which one of the following male and female gametophytes do not have free living independent existence?

• A. Polytrichum
• B. Cedrus
• C. Pteris
• D. Funaria

Explanation: (b) : In gymnosperm (like Cedrus) the male and female gametophyte do not have an independent free living existence. They remain within the sporangia retained on the sporophytes i.e., female gametophyte with megasporangium and malegametophyte within microsporangium.

34. Which one of the following is heterosporous?

• A. Adiantum
• B. Equisetum
• C. Dryopteris
• D. Salvinia

Explanation: (d) : The sporophyte of pteridophyte produces meiospores inside sporangia , which may be homosporous (e.g., Equisetum, Adiantum, Dryopteris, etc.) or heterosporous (e.g., Salvinia, Selaginella etc.)

35. In gymnosperms, the pollen chamber represents:

• A. A cavity in the ovule in which pollen grains are stored after pollination
• B. An opening in the megagametophyte through which the pollen tube approaches the egg
• C. The microsporangium which pollen grains develop
• D. A cell in the pollen grain in which the sperms are formed

Explanation: (d) : The sporophyte of pteridophyte produces meiospores inside sporangia , which may be homosporous (e.g., Equisetum, Adiantum, Dryopteris, etc.) or heterosporous (e.g., Salvinia, Selaginella etc.).

36. Spore dissemination in some liverworts is aided by:

• A. Indusium
• B. Calyptra
• C. Peristome teeth
• D. Elaters.

Explanation: (d) : An elater is a cell (or structure attached to a cell) that is hygroscopic and therefore will change shape in response to changes in moisture in the environment. Elaters come in a variety of forms but are always associated with plant spores. In plants that do not have seeds, they function in dispersing the spores to a new location. In the liverworts, elaters are cells that develop in the sporophyte alongside the spores. They are complete cells, usually with helical thickening at maturity that respond to moisture content. In most liverworts, the elaters are unattached, but in some leafy species (such as Frullania) a few elaters will remain attached to the inside of the sporangium (spore capsule). The elaters by hygroscopic movement help in spore dispersal.

37. Flagellated male gametes are present in all three of which one of the following sets?

• A. Zygnema, Saprolegnia, and Hydrilla
• B. Fucus, Marsilea and Calotropis
• C. Riccia, Dryopteris, and Cycas
• D. Anthoceros, Funaria, and Spirogyra

Explanation: (c) : Flagellated male gametes are mostly seen lower groups of plants like algae, bryophytes, pteridophytes. It is also seen in certain gymnosperms like Cycas. The bryophytes like Riccia have the male gametes which are biflagellate.

38. If you are asked to classify the various algae into distinct groups, which of the following characters you should choose?

• A. Nature of stored food materials in the cell
• B. Structural organization of thallus
• C. Chemical composition of the cell wall
• D. Types of pigments present in the cell

Explanation: (d): Algae are a group of chlorophyllous, non­ vascular plants with thallose plant body. Different algae show different pigments present in the cell like chlorophyll ­ a, b, xanthophylls, carotenes, etc. These pigments provide the base for classification of various groups of algae into different classes. Members of Chlorophyceae possess chlorophyll ­ a, b pigments, Bacillariophyceae contains diatomin pigment whereas that of Phaeophyceae has fucoxanthin, Rhodophyceae has r­phycocyaninand r­phycoerythrin and cyanophyceae has phycobilin pigment.

39. Conifers differ from grasses in the

• A. Formation of endosperm before fertilization
• B. Production of seeds from ovules
• C. Lack of xylem tracheids
• D. Absence of pollen tubes

Explanation: a. Conifers belong to gymnosperms. They are seed bearing plants in which the sporophylls are aggregated to form cones and the seeds develop in exposed state over the surface of megasporophylls. Vascular strand consists of tracheids and sieve cells. Female gametophyte forms archegonia, provides nourishment to developing embryo and later gets transformed into food­laden tissue or endosperm inside the seed. This endosperm is formed before fertilization so it is haploid in nature. It provides nourishment for growth of seedlings at the time of seed germination. Grass is an angiospermic plant and endosperm is produced after fertilization. In conifers, endosperm formation occurs before fertilization, whereas in many angiosperms like grasses, endosperm is formed after fertilization. This is a significant difference in their reproductive processes. b. This statement is true for both conifers and grasses. Seeds are produced from ovules in both groups. c. This is not a correct difference. Both conifers and grasses have xylem tracheids. Xylem tracheids are a characteristic feature of gymnosperms, which include conifers, as well as angiosperms, which include grasses. d. This is not an accurate difference either. Both conifers and grasses have pollen tubes as part of their reproductive processes.

40. Match items in column I with those in column II.

• A. A-L; B-J; C-M; D-N; E-K
• B. A-K; B-J; C-L; D-M; E-N
• C. A-N; B-L; C-K; D-N; E-J
• D. A-J; B-K; C-N; D-L; E-K

Explanation: (a) : Flagellation is the arrangement of flagella over the body surface of a bacterial cell. Peritrichous flagellation has flagella all over the surface of a bacterial cell e.g. E. coli. Ginkgo belongs to Order Ginkgoales of gymnosperms. It is called living fossil because it is the single living genus in a big fossilized order. Macrocystis belongs to Class Phaeophyceae. It is the largest perennial alga, about 40­60 m in size. Wolffia is the smallest flowering plant. Rhizophore is a leafless, colorless, positively geotropic elongated structure that grows down from the point of bifurcation of the stem. It occurs in Selaginella. All other options are in incorrect matching order.