55 free MCQs on Plant Kingdom with worked answers and explanations. Classification of plants from algae to angiosperms. Understanding plant diversity is essential for NEET.
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Plants evolved from water-dependent algae through increasingly land-adapted groups, gaining vascular tissue (Pteridophyta), then seeds (Gymnosperms), and finally fruit-enclosed seeds (Angiosperms) — each step reducing dependence on water for reproduction.
Q1.
Which group of plants is called the amphibians of the plant kingdom?
Answer: B. Bryophytes
Why: Bryophytes (mosses, liverworts) are called amphibians of the plant kingdom because they need water for fertilization but can live on land. They lack true vascular tissue.
Q2.
What kind of seeds do gymnosperms have?
Answer: B. Naked (not enclosed in fruit)
Why: Gymnosperms have naked seeds not enclosed in a fruit. The name means 'naked seed' in Greek. Examples: Pinus, Cycas, Ginkgo.
Q3.
Which plant group was the first to develop vascular tissue?
Answer: C. Pteridophytes
Why: Pteridophytes (ferns, horsetails, club mosses) were the first plants to develop true vascular tissue (xylem and phloem) for water and food transport.
Q4.
Angiosperms are also called flowering plants because they
Answer: B. Produce flowers and seeds enclosed in fruits
Why: Angiosperms produce flowers for reproduction and their seeds are enclosed in fruits (developed from the ovary). They are the most diverse and widespread plant group.
Q5.
How many cotyledons do monocots have?
Answer: A. One
Why: Monocots (monocotyledons) have one cotyledon (seed leaf) in their seeds. Examples include rice, wheat, maize, grass, onion, and lilies.
Q6.
Which is the dominant phase in bryophytes?
Answer: B. Gametophyte
Why: In bryophytes, the gametophyte (haploid, n) is the dominant, independent phase. The sporophyte is dependent on the gametophyte for nutrition.
Q7.
What type of root system do monocots have?
Answer: B. Fibrous root
Why: Monocots have a fibrous root system where many roots of similar size arise from the base of the stem. Dicots have a tap root system with a main primary root.
Q8.
Rice and wheat belong to which group?
Answer: C. Monocots
Why: Rice (Oryza sativa) and wheat (Triticum) are monocots. They have parallel leaf venation, one cotyledon, and fibrous roots. They are in the grass family (Poaceae).
Q9.
The study of plants is called
Answer: C. Botany
Why: Botany is the branch of biology that studies plants, including their structure, physiology, genetics, ecology, distribution, and classification.
Q10.
Which is an example of a gymnosperm?
Answer: B. Pinus
Why: Pinus (pine tree) is a gymnosperm with naked seeds in cones. Other examples include Cycas, Ginkgo, and Cedrus. Mango is an angiosperm, fern is a pteridophyte.
Q11.
Algae are mainly found in
Answer: B. Aquatic environments
Why: Algae are primarily aquatic organisms found in oceans, rivers, lakes, and other water bodies. Some can also live in moist terrestrial environments.
Q12.
Ferns belong to which plant group?
Answer: B. Pteridophyta
Why: Ferns are pteridophytes. They have true roots, stems, and leaves, plus vascular tissue, but reproduce by spores not seeds. Examples: Dryopteris, Pteris.
Q13.
Which class of angiosperms has floral parts in multiples of 3?
Answer: B. Monocots
Why: Monocots have floral parts (petals, sepals, stamens) in multiples of 3. Dicots have them in multiples of 4 or 5. This is one of the key distinguishing features.
Q14.
What is the leaf venation pattern in dicots?
Answer: B. Reticulate (net-like)
Why: Dicots have reticulate (net-like) venation where veins form a network. Monocots have parallel venation where veins run parallel from base to tip.
Q15.
Liverworts belong to which division?
Answer: C. Bryophyta
Why: Liverworts (Marchantia) belong to Bryophyta. Bryophytes include mosses (Funaria), liverworts (Marchantia), and hornworts. They are non-vascular land plants.
Q16.
Which of the following does NOT produce seeds?
Answer: C. Pteridophytes
Why: Pteridophytes (ferns, horsetails) reproduce by spores, not seeds. All gymnosperms and angiosperms produce seeds. Seed production was a major evolutionary advancement.
Q17.
Viruses are
Answer: B. Non-cellular obligate intracellular parasites
Why: Viruses are non-cellular entities (acellular) that can only replicate inside living host cells. They contain either DNA or RNA (not both) enclosed in a protein coat (capsid).
Q18.
Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) contains which type of nucleic acid?
Answer: B. RNA
Why: TMV is an RNA virus (single-stranded RNA). It was the first virus to be discovered and crystallized (by Wendell Stanley in 1935). It infects tobacco plants.
Q19.
The plant kingdom is divided into how many major groups?
Answer: C. Four
Why: The plant kingdom has four major groups: Thallophyta (algae), Bryophyta, Pteridophyta, and Spermatophyta (seed plants = gymnosperms + angiosperms).
Q20.
What is the process by which gymnosperms transfer pollen to female cones?
Answer: B. Anemophily (wind pollination)
Why: Gymnosperms are primarily wind-pollinated (anemophily). They produce large amounts of light, dry pollen that is carried by wind to female cones.
Q21.
The alternation of generations in plants refers to
Answer: C. Alternation between sporophyte (2n) and gametophyte (n) generations
Why: In alternation of generations, the diploid sporophyte (2n) produces haploid spores by meiosis, which grow into the haploid gametophyte (n) that produces gametes by mitosis. Fertilization restores 2n.
Q22.
In angiosperms, which generation is dominant?
Answer: B. Sporophyte
Why: In angiosperms (and all seed plants), the sporophyte (2n) is the dominant, long-lived, conspicuous plant. The gametophyte is highly reduced: male gametophyte is pollen grain; female is embryo sac.
Q23.
What distinguishes Class Monocotyledonae from Class Dicotyledonae in angiosperms?
Answer: B. Number of cotyledons in seeds
Why: The fundamental distinction is number of cotyledons: monocots have 1, dicots have 2. This correlates with other features: leaf venation, floral parts, root system, and stem anatomy.
Q24.
Which plant group shows the most reduced gametophyte generation?
Answer: D. Angiosperms
Why: Angiosperms show the most reduced gametophyte. The male gametophyte is just a 2/3-celled pollen grain; the female gametophyte (embryo sac) has only 7 cells (8 nuclei).
Q25.
Vascular bundles in monocot stems are
Answer: B. Scattered throughout the ground tissue
Why: Monocot stems have scattered vascular bundles throughout the ground tissue (no distinct cortex or pith). Dicot stems have vascular bundles arranged in a ring, allowing for secondary growth.
Q26.
What is heterospory in pteridophytes?
Answer: B. Production of two types of spores (microspores and megaspores)
Why: Heterospory: production of two kinds of spores. Microspores develop into male gametophytes; megaspores into female gametophytes. Examples: Selaginella, Marsilea. It is an evolutionary step toward seed habit.
Q27.
Which of the following is a characteristic feature of gymnosperms?
Answer: C. Polyembryony is common
Why: Polyembryony (presence of multiple embryos in a seed) is common in gymnosperms (e.g., Cycas, Pinus). Gymnosperms lack double fertilization and vessels (except Gnetum). They do not form true fruits.
Q28.
Agar, used in microbiology culture media, is obtained from
Answer: C. Red algae
Why: Agar is a polysaccharide obtained from red algae (Rhodophyta), particularly Gelidium and Gracilaria. It is used as a solidifying agent in microbiological culture media.
Q29.
What is the economic importance of Cycas?
Answer: B. Yields sago (food starch from stem pith)
Why: Cycas revoluta (Sago palm) yields sago, a starch food extracted from the stem pith. Cycas is also used as an ornamental plant. It is considered a living fossil as it is an ancient gymnosperm.
Q30.
Which algal division contains photosynthetic pigment phycoerythrin?
Answer: C. Rhodophyta
Why: Rhodophyta (red algae) contain phycoerythrin (red pigment) and phycocyanin in addition to chlorophyll. Phycoerythrin allows them to absorb blue-green light and live at greater depths.
Q31.
The term gymnosperm comes from Greek words meaning
Answer: B. Naked seed
Why: Gymnosperm = Greek 'gymnos' (naked) + 'sperma' (seed). This refers to the exposed seeds not enclosed in a fruit, unlike angiosperms (angio = vessel/covered).
Q32.
In which plant group do seeds first appear as an evolutionary development?
Answer: D. Gymnosperms
Why: Seeds first appeared in gymnosperms. The seed habit (heterospory + seed formation) represents a major evolutionary advantage, allowing survival in dry conditions without dependence on water for fertilization.
Q33.
Kelp (large brown algae) belongs to which division?
Answer: B. Phaeophyta
Why: Kelp belongs to Phaeophyta (brown algae). Brown algae contain fucoxanthin (brown pigment). They form kelp forests in cold marine waters. Kelp can grow up to 50-60 meters.
Q34.
What is the function of rhizoids in bryophytes?
Answer: C. Absorption and anchorage (like roots)
Why: Rhizoids are filamentous structures in bryophytes that serve for anchorage and absorption. They are NOT true roots as they lack vascular tissue.
Q35.
Marchantia is the example of a
Answer: B. Liverwort
Why: Marchantia polymorpha is a liverwort (class Hepaticopsida). It has a flat, ribbon-like thallus and reproduces both sexually and asexually (by gemmae cups).
Q36.
Which compound makes the cell walls of fungi unique?
Answer: D. Chitin
Why: Fungal cell walls are made of chitin, a polysaccharide of N-acetylglucosamine. This distinguishes fungi from plants (cellulose) and bacteria (peptidoglycan).
Q37.
What is mycorrhiza?
Answer: B. Symbiotic association between fungi and plant roots
Why: Mycorrhiza is the mutualistic symbiosis between fungi (myco-) and plant roots (-rhiza). The fungus increases nutrient (especially phosphorus) and water absorption; the plant provides carbohydrates to the fungus.
Q38.
Which group of plants produces both microspores and megaspores in separate structures?
Answer: C. Angiosperms
Why: In angiosperms, microspores are produced in anthers (microsporangia) and megaspores in the ovule (megasporangium). This represents the complete development of heterospory into the seed habit.
Q39.
Penicillin is produced by which organism?
Answer: B. Fungus Penicillium
Why: Penicillin is produced by the fungus Penicillium notatum (now P. chrysogenum). Alexander Fleming discovered it in 1928. It is a beta-lactam antibiotic that inhibits bacterial cell wall synthesis.
Q40.
In the life cycle of Fucus (brown alga), which generation is dominant and what type of life cycle does it show?
Answer: B. Dominant sporophyte; diplontic
Why: Fucus shows a diplontic life cycle where the diploid sporophyte is dominant. It does NOT have a free-living gametophyte. Meiosis occurs directly to produce gametes.
Q41.
What is the significance of the seed habit in plant evolution?
Answer: B. Seeds provide independence from water for fertilization and protect the embryo
Why: The seed habit was a major evolutionary advantage: pollen (male gametophyte) eliminated dependence on water for fertilization; the seed coat protects the embryo; stored food (endosperm) aids germination. This enabled colonization of dry land.
Q42.
What is the difference between homospory and heterospory? Why is heterospory considered a precursor to seed habit?
Answer: B. Heterospory produces two types of spores which develop into separate male and female gametophytes, a precursor to pollen and ovule
Why: Homospory: one type of spore. Heterospory: microspores (smaller, male) and megaspores (larger, female). This separate sexes at the gametophyte stage. Megaspores retained within the parent sporophyte became the ovule, leading to seed habit.
Q43.
Prothallus in pteridophytes is
Answer: B. The free-living, independent gametophyte
Why: The prothallus is the free-living, independent, photosynthetic gametophyte of pteridophytes. It is small, flat, heart-shaped, and bears the sex organs (antheridia and archegonia). It represents the haploid (n) phase.
Q44.
What is the economic importance of Porphyra (red alga)?
Answer: B. Used as food (nori in Japanese cuisine) and for agar production
Why: Porphyra is eaten as nori (dried sheets used in sushi). Red algae also provide agar (from Gelidium) used in microbiology and food industry, and carrageenan (from Chondrus) used as a food thickener.
Q45.
The three-kingdom system of Whittaker included plants, animals, and
Answer: B. Fungi
Why: R.H. Whittaker proposed the Five Kingdom system (1969): Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia. In earlier three-kingdom classifications, fungi were placed in Plantae. Whittaker recognized fungi as a distinct kingdom based on heterotrophic nutrition.
Q46.
What is the difference between the xylem of gymnosperms and angiosperms?
Answer: B. Gymnosperm xylem lacks vessels (mostly tracheids); angiosperm xylem has both vessels and tracheids
Why: Gymnosperms (except Gnetum) have xylem composed mainly of tracheids (no vessels). Angiosperms evolved true vessels, which are wider and more efficient for water conduction. This is one reason angiosperms are more diverse and widespread.
Q47.
In bryophytes, the sporophyte is dependent on the gametophyte for nutrition. What does this indicate about evolution?
Answer: B. Bryophytes represent an early stage where sporophyte has not yet become fully autotrophic and independent
Why: In bryophytes, the sporophyte is partially dependent on the gametophyte (receives water and nutrients via haustoria). In pteridophytes and higher plants, the sporophyte is fully independent. This reflects the evolutionary trend toward sporophyte dominance.
Q48.
What is the role of archegonium in the plant kingdom?
Answer: B. Female sex organ that contains the egg cell; found in bryophytes, pteridophytes, and some gymnosperms
Why: Archegonium is the flask-shaped female sex organ in bryophytes, pteridophytes, and gymnosperms (not in angiosperms). It contains a single egg cell. Fertilization occurs inside the archegonium.
Q49.
Why are cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) placed in Kingdom Monera and not in Plantae?
Answer: B. They are prokaryotes (no membrane-bound nucleus) unlike plants which are eukaryotes
Why: Cyanobacteria are prokaryotes: no membrane-bound nucleus, no membrane-bound organelles, no true chloroplasts (photosynthetic membranes are in the cytoplasm). All true plants are eukaryotes. Hence cyanobacteria belong to Monera.
Q50.
What is double fertilization and in which plant group is it exclusively found?
Answer: B. One sperm fertilizes the egg AND another fuses with polar nuclei to form triploid endosperm; found exclusively in angiosperms
Why: Double fertilization: one sperm (n) + egg (n) = zygote (2n); second sperm (n) + two polar nuclei (n+n) = triploid endosperm (3n). This is unique to angiosperms and was discovered by Nawaschin and Guignard.
Q51.
Which type of life cycle is called diplohaplontic?
Answer: C. Both diploid and haploid phases are free-living and independent
Why: Diplohaplontic life cycle has BOTH a free-living sporophyte (2n) AND a free-living gametophyte (n). Found in algae like Ulva (sea lettuce) and many pteridophytes. In contrast, angiosperm gametophytes are not free-living.
Q52.
What distinguishes Cycas from other gymnosperms and makes it a living fossil?
Answer: B. It has changed very little from its ancestors 280 million years ago and has features of both ferns and gymnosperms
Why: Cycas is called a living fossil because it is morphologically similar to its Mesozoic ancestors (~280 mya). It shows features linking ferns and gymnosperms: motile sperm (like ferns), compound leaves resembling tree ferns, but has ovules and seeds.
Q53.
In which group is the gametophyte represented by a single cell?
Answer: D. Angiosperms
Why: In angiosperms, the male gametophyte is just a pollen grain (2-3 cells) and the female gametophyte is the 7-celled embryo sac. This represents the maximum reduction of gametophyte in plant evolution.
Q54.
What is the economic and ecological role of mycorrhizal fungi?
Answer: B. They enhance plant nutrient uptake (especially P) and improve soil structure; used in agriculture
Why: Mycorrhizal fungi (ecto- and endomycorrhizae/arbuscular mycorrhizae) form mutualistic associations with ~90% of plant species. They dramatically increase phosphorus uptake, improve drought resistance, and are essential for forest ecosystems. Used as biofertilizers.
Q55.
What is heterothallism in fungi?
Answer: B. Requiring two compatible mating types (+/-) from different individuals for sexual reproduction
Why: Heterothallic fungi require two compatible mating types (+ and -) from different individuals for sexual reproduction. Homothallic fungi can self-fertilize. Understanding this is important for fungal genetics and breeding programs.