INTERACTIVE

MULTIPLE-CHOICE
QUESTIONS

Flowering Plants
The answers are provided.
Explanations of why the alternatives
are unsatisfactory are also offered

These multiple choice questions are similar to the ones set

by the GCSE and IGCSE Examination Boards except that,
in some cases, there may be more than one acceptable
answer.
For this reason, even if you select a correct answer at your
first attempt, it is worth looking at all the alternatives
(a) to see if there is a better answer and
(b) to see why some of the alternatives are
unacceptable
Question 1

Question 1
In a flowering plant, the spongy mesophyll is to be found in
(a) the roots
(b) the stem
(c) the leaf
(d) the fruit
Question 2

No

No

Yes
palisade
mesophyll
1mm
spongy
mesophyll

Vertical section through leaf

No

Question 2
In a flowering plant, sugars are transported
(a) upwards in the xylem
(a) upwards in the phloem
(c) upwards or downwards in the phloem
(d) upwards or downwards in the xylem
Question 3

No
Water and mineral ions are transported in the xylem
but not sugars

Yes and No
Sugars are transported in the phloem but not exclusively
in an upward direction

Yes
Sugars are transported in the phloem. The direction may
be upwards, e.g. from the leaves to the growing point or
the fruits, or downwards, e.g. from the leaves to the
roots or storage organs.

No
Water and mineral ions are transported in the xylem
but not sugars

Question 3
The root of a flowering plant absorbs water and mineral
ions mainly through
(a) the epidermis
(b) the root hairs
(c) the phloem
(d) the xylem
Question 4

No
The epidermis is largely impermeable except in the
region where root hairs develop

root hair

Yes
The root hairs are
extensions from some of
the epidermal cells.
They have very thin cell
walls and absorb water
and mineral ions.

epidermis

phloem
xylem

Transverse section
through a root
root hair
0.05
mm

Root hair cell

No
The phloem conducts sugars and amino acids to the
root but is not involved in the uptake of water

No
The xylem carries water from the root to the rest of
the plant but it is not the structure involved in the
entry of water

Question 4
The force responsible for water travelling up a tree is
generated mainly by
(a) evaporation from the leaves
(b) root pressure
(c) active transport
(d) osmosis
Question 5

Yes
Evaporation of water from the
leaves creates a tension which
draws water up the trunk

evaporation

No
Root pressure can force water some distance up the
trunk but is insufficient to take it all the way

No
Active transport enables the roots to take up dissolved
substances against a diffusion gradient. It is not
responsible for the flow of water up the trunk

No
Osmosis generates root pressure but this is
insufficient to force water all the way up the trunk

Question 5
Which of the following are the reproductive organs
of a flowering plant?
(a) Petals and sepals
(b) Style and stigma
(c) Pollen nucleus and egg cell
(d) Stamens and ovary
Question 6

No
The sepals protect the flower when it is in bud. The colour
and scent of the petals (in insect-pollinated plants) attract
insects which pollinate the flower

No
The style and stigma are attached to the ovary and play a
part in the transfer of the pollen nucleus to the egg cell in
the ovule

No
The pollen nucleus and the egg cell are the gametes. The
pollen nucleus is the male gamete and the egg cell is the
female gamete

Yes

petal

Stamens are the male

organs and the ovary
is the female organ
stamen
sepal

style and
stigma

ovary

Flower structure of Stitchwort

Question 6
The seeds in this fruit will be
dispersed by
(a) an explosive method
(b) water
(c) wind
(d) animals
Question 7

Yes
The pod (fruit) wall dries out,
splits and curls back suddenly,
flicking out the seeds.
Examples are gorse and lupin

No
If the seeds landed in a stream they might be
dispersed by the current, provided they did not sink,
but they are not adapted for water dispersal

No
The seeds are smooth with no feathery or fluffy
structures which would be expected for wind dispersal.
Also they are too heavy

No
Seeds dispersed by mammals have tiny hooks which
catch in the animals fur. Sometimes the hooks are on
the fruit, and the seeds fall out as the animal moves
about.
Seeds dispersed by birds are usually contained in an
edible fruit.

Question 7
Which of the following statements is the most accurate?
In order to germinate most seeds need
(a) water, carbon dioxide, sunlight and a suitable
temperature
(b) water, oxygen, nitrates, and a suitable
temperature
(c) water, oxygen and a suitable temperature
(d) water, oxygen and light
Question 8

No
Carbon dioxide and sunlight are not needed for
germination but they will be needed when photosynthesis
begins in the seedling.

No
Nitrates are not needed for germination, but they will
be when the seedling grows and starts to make amino
acids and proteins

Yes
Most seeds need only these three conditions although some
seeds need to undergo a period of low temperature before
they will germinate.

It depends
Most seeds do not need light to germinate but a few do.
e.g. some species of lettuce.These seeds need a light
stimulus only in order to get started. Once germination
has begun, light is not needed

Question 8
The drawing shows a bean
seed germinating. Which of
the structures is the
hypocotyl

A
B
C
D
Question 9

B
D

No

This is the cotyledon being withdrawn from the testa

Yes
The hypocotyl is the part of the stem below the
cotyledons

No
This is the root which has developed from the radicle

No
This is a lateral root

Question 9
A group of plants derived by vegetative reproduction from a
single parent is called
(a) a population
(b) a colony
(c) a clone
(d) a community

No
A population is made up of all the members of the
same species in a habitat. It does not matter whether
they are derived sexually or asexually.

No
The plants may well form a colony but this could be
produced from seed as well as vegetatively

Yes
Any population of organisms derived asexually from a
single parent is called a clone. The organisms will be
genetically identical.

No
A community consists of all the living organisms
occupying the same habitat

End of questions
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