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Plant Kingdom

Description: This test will help the learning aspirants to revise the topics of plant kingdom thoroughly.
Number of Questions: 100
Created by:
Tags: Thallophytes and bryophytes Comparitive Anatomy of Monocots and Dicots Pteridophyta Zygomycetes Dicots Mosses Gymnosperms Classification of Plants as Cryptogams Monocots Rhodophycae Phycomycetes
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Which of the following statements does NOT characterise monocots?

  1. Some monocots, such as grass, have hypogeal emergence.

  2. Monocots have atactostele type of vascular tissues.

  3. Many monocots are herbaceous and do not show secondary growth.

  4. Many monocots have leaves with reticulate veins.

  5. The monocots are considered to form a monophyletic group arising early in the history of the flowering plants.


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Many monocots also have leaves with parallel veins.

Which of the following statements regarding dicots is false?

  1. The seedpod can have any number of chambers, from none to many.

  2. The flowers of dicots usually have flower parts in fours or fives.

  3. The stems of dicots are usually tough.

  4. When a dicot germinates, it produces numerous seed leaves.

  5. Dicots have two seed leaves inside the seed coat.


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

When a dicot germinates, it produces two seed leaves.

While walking along the gravel road, a young boy observed the same fungus frequently flourishing in his lawns. Which among the following fungi must the boy have observed?

  1. Straw mushrooms

  2. Shiitake

  3. Coprinus comatus

  4. Sparassis

  5. Shimeji


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Coprinus comatus is a common fungus often seen growing on lawns, along gravel roads and waste areas. The young fruit bodies first appear as white cylinders emerging from the ground, then the bell-shaped caps open out. The caps are white and covered with scales.

In plant pathology, an insect that transmits a disease is known as a vector, and the disease is referred to as a vector-borne disease. Which among the following fungal plant diseases spreads by insect vectors?

  1. Forest dieback

  2. Thousand cankers disease

  3. Oak wilt

  4. Dutch elm disease

  5. Chrysanthemum white rust


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Oak wilt is a fungal disease that can quickly kill an oak tree. It is caused by the fungus Ceratocystis fagacearum. The fungus is spread from diseased to healthy trees by insect vectors or via connections between tree roots.

Antioxidants are either man-made or natural substances which inhibit various types of cell damages occurring in the body. Which of the following fungi is a source of antioxidants?

  1. Pleurotus citrinopileatus

  2. Pleurotus dryinus

  3. Pleurotus nebrodensis

  4. Pleurotus ostreatus

  5. Pleurotus eryngii


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The golden oyster mushroom, like other species of oyster mushroom, is a wood-decay fungus. In the wild, P. citrinopileatus most commonly decays hardwoods such as elm.P. citrinopileatus mushrooms are a source of antioxidants. Extracts from P. citrinopileatus have been studied for their antihyperglycemic properties, decreasing blood sugar levels.

Which of the following ferns is most commonly associated with stomach cancer in Japan?

  1. Rumohra adiantiformis

  2. Pteridium aquilinum

  3. Microsorum pteropus

  4. Osmunda regalis

  5. Matteuccia struthiopteris


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Its fiddleheads are used as a cooked vegetable in Japan and are believed to be responsible for the high rate of stomach cancer in Japan. It is also one of the world's most important agricultural weeds, especially in the British highlands, and often poisons cattle and horses.

Which among the following statements is not true about mosses?

  1. They do not have proper roots.

  2. Moss gametophytes have stems which may be simple or branched.

  3. Mosses absorb water and nutrients through stem.

  4. Lichens may superficially look like mosses.

  5. Mosses are small flowerless plants.


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Botanically, mosses are non-vascular plants in the land plant division Bryophyta. 

A fern is a flowerless plant which has feathery or leafy fronds and reproduces by spores released from the undersides of the fronds. Which of the following statements regarding the life cycle of a typical fern is false?

  1. The fertilised egg grows by mitosis.

  2. A sperm is mobile and flagellate.

  3. The gametophyte produces gametes by mitosis.

  4. The gametophyte typically consists of a photosynthetic prothallus.

  5. A haploid sporophyte phase produces diploid spores.


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

A diploid sporophyte phase produces haploid spores by meiosis (a process of cell division which reduces the number of chromosomes by a half).

Bioremediation is the use of microbes to clean up contaminated soil and groundwater. Which among the following ferns is used as a potential bioremediation plant for absorbing arsenic from the soil?

  1. C-fern

  2. Tree fern

  3. Brake fern

  4. Vegetable fern

  5. Licorice fern


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Brake fern was discovered to have the ability to hyperaccumulate (absorb large amounts of) arsenic from soil. The fern was growing at a central Florida site contaminated with large amounts of copper arsenate in the soil. The discovery may lead to the use of this fern as a potential bioremediation plant.

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungi that are harmful to humans and domestic animals. Which of the following is a mycotoxin having immunosuppressive properties?

  1. Gyromitrin

  2. Gliotoxin

  3. Vomitoxin

  4. Zeranol

  5. Citrinolactone D


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Gliotoxin is a sulfur-containing mycotoxin produced by several species of fungi, including pathogens of humans such as Aspergillus fumigatus.It possesses immunosuppressive properties as it may suppress and cause apoptosis in certain types of cells of the immune system, including neutrophils, eosinophils, granulocytes, macrophages, and thymocytes.

Gymnosperms were comparatively diverse during the Jurassic period and thus, the Jurassic is often referred to as the age of

  1. cycads

  2. ginkgo

  3. gnetum

  4. conifers

  5. ephedra


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Cycads are an ancient group of seed plants with a crown of large compound leaves and a stout trunk. They are a minor component of the flora in tropical and subtropical regions today, but during the Jurassic period, they were a common sight in many parts of the world. 

Which among the following statements does not characterise conifers?

  1. All living conifers have monopodial growth with strong apical dominance.

  2. All extant conifers are woody plants.

  3. The wood of conifers is known as softwood.

  4. The conifers are of immense ecological importance.

  5. Boreal conifers have many summer time adaptations.


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Boreal conifers have many wintertime adaptations. The narrow conical shape of northern conifers, and their downward-drooping limbs, help them shed snow. Many of them seasonally alter their biochemistry to make them more resistant to freezing.

The hardwood of angiosperms and the softwood of conifers are distinguished on the basis of

  1. xylem parenchyma

  2. xylem fibres

  3. vascular cambium

  4. tracheids

  5. vessel element


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

A vessel element is one of the cell types found in xylem.Vessel elements are typically found in flowering plants (angiosperms) but absent from most gymnosperms such as conifers. Vessel elements are the main feature distinguishing the hardwood of angiosperms from the softwood of conifers.

Which among the following statements regarding the mycotoxins produced by fungi is incorrect?

  1. Mycotoxins get easily broken down in digestion.

  2. Mycotoxins in stored animal feed are the cause of rare phenotypical sex changes in hens.

  3. The production of mycotoxins depends on the surrounding intrinsic and extrinsic environments.

  4. Mycotoxins weaken the receiving host.

  5. Mycotoxins are not necessary for the growth or the development of fungi.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Mycotoxins can appear in the food chain as a result of fungal infection of crops, either by being eaten directly by humans or by being used as livestock feed. Mycotoxins greatly resist decomposition or being broken down in digestion, so they remain in the food chain in meat and dairy products.

Which among the following statements regarding pollen production in angiosperms is incorrect?

  1. Pollen of angiosperms must be transported to the stigma of a compatible flower.

  2. Pollen is eventually released when the anther forms openings.

  3. Each microspore divides mitotically to form an immature microgametophyte.

  4. Each microsporangium contains haploid pollen mother cells.

  5. The microsporangia form sacs or pockets (locules) in the anther.


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Each microsporangium is lined with a nutritive tissue layer called the tapetum and initially contains diploid pollen mother cells.

A transverse section of any dicot root concedes the following details. Among these, the passage cells are characteristically found in

  1. vascular bundles

  2. endodermis

  3. pericycle

  4. cortex

  5. epiblema


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

It is the innermost layer of cortex formed by compactly arranged barrel-shaped cells. Some of the cells in the endodermis are thin-walled and are known as passage cells. The passage cells allow water to pass into the xylem vessels.

The cross-section of a typical monocot root shows the following structures. Which of the following is/are formed by a single layer of compactly arranged, barrel-shaped, parenchymatous cells?

  1. Cortex

  2. Vascular bundles

  3. Epiblema

  4. Pericycle

  5. Stele


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Epiblema is the outermost covering of the root formed by single layer of compactly arranged, barrel-shaped, parenchyma cells. The cells are characteristically thin-walled since they are involved in absorption of water. A cuticle and stomata are absent. Some of the epiblema cells are produced into long unicellular projections called root hairs. Hence, the epiblema is also known as piliferous layer.

The name of which of the following bryophytes signifies its four large peristome teeth?

  1. Sphagnum

  2. Ambuchanania leucobryoides

  3. Andreaea

  4. Grimmia

  5. Tetraphis


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Tetraphis is a genus of two species of moss (Bryophyta). Its name refers to its four large peristome teeth.

A fruit results from maturation of one or more flowers. Which among the following statements does not characterise the fruit development in angiosperms?

  1. The zygote gives rise to the endosperm.

  2. Within the megagametophyte, both the sperm unites with the egg, forming a zygote.

  3. The pericarp is often differentiated into two or three distinct layers.

  4. After pollination, a tube grows from the pollen through the stigma into the ovary.

  5. After double fertilisation, the ovules become seeds.


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Within the megagametophyte one of the two sperm unites with the egg, forming a zygote, and the second sperm enters the central cell forming the endosperm mother cell, which completes the double fertilization process.

Non-vascular plants belong to the division Bryophyta, which includes mosses, liverworts and hornworts. Which of the following can be excluded from the main adaptations of non-vascular plants?

  1. The non-vascular plants usually grow in dry places.

  2. These plants possess rhizoids.

  3. The sporophyte grows as a parasite on the gametophyte.

  4. The rate of evaporation is slow.

  5. They reproduce asexually and sexually.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The non-vascular plants usually grow in moist and shady places. The moist environment is essential for easy uptake of the water since they lack the vascular tissues like the xylem and the phloem.

Which among the following statements regarding the alternation of generations in plants is incorrect?

  1. The gametophyte produces one or more gametangia.

  2. The single-celled haploid spore divides by meiosis and forms gametophyte.

  3. The sporophyte produces one or more sporangia.

  4. Zygote divides by mitosis and forms sporophyte.

  5. Two single-celled haploid gametes fuse to form a single-celled diploid zygote.


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

The single-celled haploid spore germinates, dividing by the normal process (mitosis), which maintains the number of chromosomes at n. The result is a multi-cellular haploid organism, called the gametophyte (because it produces gametes at maturity).

In all the flowering plants, the parenchyma cells are involved in different functions. Which among the following parechyma cells is meant for storage of reserve food?

  1. Prosenchyma

  2. Conjunctive parenchyma

  3. Armed parenchyma

  4. Medullary parenchyma

  5. Arenchyma


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Medullary parenchyma is the parenchyma, which is found radially arranged in between the vascular bundles in the stem. It is meant for storage of reserve food.

Greenhouses are often used for growing flowers, vegetables, fruits and transplants. Which among the following fungi is an obligate intracellular parasite found only from greenhouse cultures?

  1. Completoria

  2. Carouxella

  3. Loma salmonae

  4. Saksenaea

  5. Harpella


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Completoria is itself monotypic, containing a single species, Completoria complens. The species is rare, known only from greenhouse cultures where it grows as an obligate intracellular parasite of fern gametophytes.

Which among the following fungi thrives inside the vascular tissue of gymnosperms and blocks its water supply, thereby causing the death of the tree?

  1. Armillaria root rot

  2. Mildew

  3. Rust

  4. Anthracnose

  5. Pine pitch canker


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Pine trees are susceptible to pine pitch canker. Pine pitch canker first kills the tips of branches, then spreads down entire branches, and ultimately it can kill the whole tree. Infected trees die because the fungus thrives inside the tree's vascular tissue and blocks its water supply. The fungus is spread through the beetles that attack the pine cones.

Which among the following provide(s) nutrients during the early development of the angiosperms before starting the process of photosynthesis?

  1. Locules

  2. Integuments

  3. Cotyledons

  4. Calyptra

  5. Strobilus


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Two large green hemispherical structures which enclose the embryonic axis is called as the cotyledons. The cotyledons may be one or two in number depending on the type of plant. The cotyledons are important because it give nutrients during the early development of the plant before starting the process of photosynthesis.

The mycotoxin found as a major contaminant of beer and wine is

  1. patulin

  2. ergot alkaloid

  3. citrinin

  4. ochratoxin

  5. fusarium


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Ochratoxin is a mycotoxin that comes in three secondary metabolite forms, A, B, and C. All are produced by Penicillium and Aspergillus species. The three forms differ in that Ochratoxin B (OTB) is a nonchlorinated form of Ochratoxin A (OTA) and that Ochratoxin C (OTC) is an ethyl ester form Ochratoxin A. Aspergillus ochraceus is found as a contaminant of a wide range of commodities including beverages such as beer and wine.

Red Tide is a common name for a phenomenon known as an algal bloom, an event in which estuarine, marine or fresh water algae accumulate rapidly. Which among the following statements does not characterise red tides?

  1. When the algae are present in high concentrations, the water appears to be discoloured.

  2. Red tides are related to the movements of tides.

  3. Iron-rich dust influx from a large desert can cause red tides.

  4. Coastal water pollution can cause red tides.

  5. The occurrence of red tides may be natural or from human activities.


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Red tides are unrelated to movements of the tides.They are not necessarily red and many have no discoloration at all.They are

The seed dormancy observed in angiosperms due to impermeable layers developing during maturation and drying of the seed is termed as

  1. combinational dormancy

  2. morphophysiological dormancy

  3. chemical dormancy

  4. physical dormancy

  5. mechanical dormancy


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Dormancy that is caused by an impermeable seed coat is known as physical dormancy. Physical dormancy is the result of impermeable layer(s) that develops during maturation and drying of the seed or fruit.This impermeable layer prevents the seed from taking up water or gases. As a result, the seed is prevented from germinating until dormancy is broken.

In fungi, the rostrate dehiscence is a semi-fissitunicate dehiscence by which the outer ascus ruptures at the tip and part of the endoascus extrudes into a beak-like projection called rostrum. It is most commonly observed in

  1. saccharomycetes

  2. pucciniomycetes

  3. orbiliomycetes

  4. geoglossaceae

  5. lecanoromycetes


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Lecanoromycetes is the largest class of lichenized fungi.It belongs to the subphylum Pezizomycotina in the phylum Ascomycota.The asci (spore-bearing cells) of the Lecanoromycetes most often release spores by rostrate dehiscence.

Harmful algal blooms occur when colonies of algae grow out of control while producing toxic or harmful effects in organisms. The causative agent for toxic red tides is

  1. Besnoitia

  2. Frenkelia

  3. Neospora

  4. Noctiluca scintillans

  5. Ceratium furca


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Ceratium furca blooms because of coastal eutrophication. Blooms of this species cause toxic red tides (red-brown), damage fish gills and deplete dissolved oxygen causing anoxic conditions

A gill is a respiratory organ found in many aquatic organisms which helps in breathing. Which among the following is the only fungus having true gills?

  1. Aspergillus lentulus

  2. Aspergillus clavatus

  3. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

  4. Phruensis

  5. Psathyrella aquatica


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Psathyrella aquatica with true gills has been observed fruiting underwater in the clear, cold, flowing water. Fruiting bodies develop and mature in the main channel, where they are constantly submerged, and were observed fruiting over 11 wk. These mushrooms develop underwater, not on wood recently washed into the river.

In a plant kingdom, which among the following exhibit absorptive heterotrophic mode of nutrition?

  1. Cyanobacteria

  2. Pteridophytes

  3. Fungi

  4. Algae

  5. Bryophytes


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

The true fungi or the eumycetes are special types of achlorophyllous thallophytic organisms living a parasitic or a saprophytic mode of existence.

Autofluorescence is the natural emission of light in certain organisms. It is observed in which among the following algae?

  1. Cystoisospora belli

  2. Isospora belli

  3. Isospora hammondi

  4. Isospora felis

  5. Cyclospora cayetanensis


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Isospora belli is a species of internal parasites .It is responsible for the condition isosporiasis. Autofluorescence aids detection.

The oocysts of Cystoisospora belli are long and oval-shaped. Which among the following statements regarding the life cycle of Cystoisospora belli is incorrect?

  1. Trophozoites develop into schizonts.

  2. The sporozoites invade the epithelial cells of the allimentary.

  3. Transmission occurs when these mature oocysts are ingested.

  4. An oocyst with two sporoblasts is released in the stool of infected person.

  5. Each sporocyst divides twice, resulting in four sporozoites.


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

An oocyst with one sporoblast is released in stool of infected person.After the oocyst has been released, the sporoblast matures further and divides into two.

Which among the following statements does not characterise lichens?

  1. Lichens come in many colours.

  2. A lichen is made of a simple photosynthesising organism.

  3. A fungus is called a mycobiont.

  4. The fungal partner protects the alga.

  5. A lichen is a composite organism.


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

The algal partner protects the fungal partner by retaining water, serving as a larger capture area for mineral nutrients and, in some cases, provides minerals obtained from the substrate.

Mycorrhizal fungi have occurred naturally in the soil for 450 million years and form a close relationship with plant roots. Which among the following types of relationships exits between mycorrhizal fungi and plants?

  1. Symbiosis

  2. Commensalism

  3. Endemism

  4. Antagonism

  5. Parasitism


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Association between roots of higher plants e.g pine, birch and fungal hyphae is called mycorrhiza. It exhibits the phenomenon of symbiosis. Here both the organisms in association are mutually benefitted. In this, fungal hyphae take nutrition from the plant and in return increase surface area for absorption of water and minerals for the plant. Mycorrhizal roots occur in superficial layers of the soil.

Sulphur dioxide is a major air pollutant and has significant impacts on human health. Which of the following organisms are well-known as the indicator of SO2 pollution of air?

  1. Earthballs

  2. Cyphelloid fungi

  3. Jelly fungi

  4. Mosses

  5. Lichens


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Lichens are the indicator of pollution. By studying the behaviour of lichens the type of pollution can be detected. They are the most sensitive and die in S02 rich area.

All Utricularia are carnivorous and capture small organisms by means of bladder-like traps. Which among the following bryophytes is often compared with Utricularia?

  1. Ptilidium ciliare

  2. Folioceros

  3. Colura zoophaga

  4. Diphyscium

  5. Discelium


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Colura zoophaga is a small epiphytic liverwort . It possesses elongated water sacs formed by the fusion of the upper leaf margin rolling inward down to the rest of the leaf. A funnel-shaped channel at the lower leaf margin leads to a small opening into the water sac and is covered by a movable lid that only open inward.It is because of this bladder-like configuration that these traps have been compared to those of Utricularia.

Which among the following statements regarding hornworts is incorrect?

  1. The plant body of a hornwort is a diploid gametophyte stage.

  2. Many hornworts develop internal mucilage-filled cavities when groups of cells break down.

  3. The horn-shaped sporophyte grows from an archegonium.

  4. The pseudo-elaters are multicellular.

  5. The spores are polar.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The plant body of a hornwort is a haploid gametophyte stage. This stage usually grows as a thin rosette or ribbon-like thallus between one and five centimeters in diameter.

Which of the following lichens is composed of overlapping scales?

  1. Leprose

  2. Squamulose

  3. Fruticose

  4. Foliose

  5. Crustose


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

A squamulose lichen is a lichen that is composed usually overlapping scales called squamules. If they appear raise from the substrate and appear leafy, the lichen may appear to be a foliose lichen, but the underside does not have a skin (cortex), as foliose lichens do.

The first free-living organism to have its genome completely sequenced was a red alga. Which of the following algae is that?

  1. C. merolae

  2. A. hypnoides

  3. Galaxaura

  4. Gelidiella

  5. Nemalion


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

C. merolae is a club-shaped, unicellular red alga that lives in highly acidic environments and in warm conditions. C. merolae has a single chloroplast and a single mitochondrion, but lacks a vacuole and a cell wall. The organism's genome was the first full algal genome to be sequenced in 2004; its plastid was sequenced in 2000 and 2003, and its mitochondrion in 1998.

Which among the following is a red coloured alga characterised by the branches similar to the teeth of a comb?

  1. Nori

  2. Rhodolith

  3. Plocamium

  4. Claudea

  5. Coralline algae


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Plocamium pacificum is a beautiful red alga that can be found in both intertidal and subtidal salt water habitats. It is dark red in color and has an elastic, rubbery feel to it. Its height can range from 4-25 cm. The branches are arranged to form a dense and delicate framework. All of the branches come off of the main axes in an alternate pattern. The branchlets are small and are arranged on the branches like the teeth of a comb.

Spirogyra, chara, ulothrix and cladophora are some of the most prominent thallophytes. Which among the following statements concerning the thallophytes is false?

  1. All the thallophytes produce chlorophyll.

  2. The second subphylum of the thallophytes is called heterophytic thallophytes.

  3. The final class of thallophyta is fungi.

  4. The simplest thallophytes include sulphur-containing bacteria.

  5. The geological record of thallophytes is incomplete.


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

The thallophytes are in the most primitive plants, lacking roots, stems, leaves, and conducting cells. The simplest thallophytes are in the subphylum of autophytic thallophytes, which include blue-green bacteria (or cyanobacteria, formerly known as blue-green algae), diatoms, and algae.

Which among the following is not a characteristic of the family plocamiaceae of the algae?

  1. Within the thallus, there is a single, axially located, longitudinal filament called a uniaxial.

  2. The tetrasporangia (the reproductive structures) are zonately divided.

  3. All of the branches are singly arranged at consistent intervals on the main axis.

  4. The thalli of Plocamiaceae algae are directed upward and the fronds are flattened.

  5. The main thallus has a sympodial form.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Within the thallus there is a single, centrally located, longitudinal filament called a uniaxial. This filament is the chain of apical cells and is therefore the site of main algal growth. The apical cells are larger than the other cells and can be distinguished with a microscope.

Which among the following statements regarding the growth and development of angiosperms is incorrect?

  1. Angiosperms grow continuously throughout their lives.

  2. Primary growth takes place in young, herbaceous organs of the plants.

  3. Monocots and herbaceous dicots typically exhibit only secondary growth.

  4. Cell and organ differentiation are usually regulated by the interaction of several hormones.

  5. All physiological activities of plants are directly related to temperature.


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Monocots and herbaceous dicots typically exhibit only primary growth.The important factors affecting plant growth and development include heredity, hormones, nutrition, and environment.

Which of the following mushrooms is particularly grown on rice straw beds?

  1. Shimeji

  2. Coprinus comatus

  3. Sparassis

  4. Shiitake

  5. Straw mushroom


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Straw mushrooms are grown on rice straw beds and picked immature, during the button or egg phase and before the veil ruptures. They are adaptable and take four to five days to mature.

Traditional French Brie and Camembert cheeses are made with raw milk. The enzymes of which among the following fungi are used to make these cheeses?

  1. Tolypocladium inflatum

  2. Aspergillus oryzae

  3. Penicillium camemberti

  4. Schizosaccharomyces pombe

  5. Saccharomyces cerevisiae


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Enzymes of Penicillium camemberti play a role in the manufacture of the cheeses Camembert and Brie, while those of Penicillium roqueforti do the same for Gorgonzola, Roquefort and Stilton.

The life cycle of dinoflagellates is multi-staged. Which among the following statements regarding the life cycle of dinoflagellates is false?

  1. Vegetative fission dominates yielding motile diploid schizonts.

  2. The schizonts act as gametes.

  3. The diploid zygote constructs a new theca and resumes its motility as a planozygote.

  4. In several species, the zygote theca becomes much thicker and considerably larger than the vegetative theca.

  5. Following a period of obligate dormancy, the protoplast excysts.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

During periods favoured by rapid growth and population expansion, vegetative fission dominates yielding motile haploid schizonts.

In Asia, rhodophytes are important sources of food, such as nori. Which among the following statements does not characterise the division Rhodophyta?

  1. Red algae are some of the oldest eukaryotic organisms on the planet.

  2. Red algae contain phycobilins.

  3. Red algae do not have flagella at any stage of their life cycle.

  4. Red algae act as habitat and food for some organisms.

  5. Red algae are typically found in fresh running water.


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

They are very abundant in tropical and warm waters, although many are found in cooler waters.Red algae are typically found in marine waters attached to rocks or other plants in the calmer, deeper waters beyond the tidal zone.

Which among the following algae is capable of reducing mercury levels in human beings?

  1. Palmaria palmata

  2. Ulva lactuca

  3. Chlorella

  4. Chondrus crispus

  5. Aphanizomenon flos-aquae


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Chlorella is very popular in Japan. It is also used as a nutritional supplement with possible effects on metabolic rate.It can reduce mercury levels in humans by chelation of the mercury to the cell wall of the organism.

Which among the following fungi causes collar rot diseaes in coffee seedlings worldwide?

  1. Gibberella cyanogena

  2. Gibberella fujikuroi

  3. Gibberella pulicaris

  4. Gibberella stilboides

  5. Gibberella acuminata


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Gibberella stilboides is a nectriacine fungus. It is a plant pathogen, and causes collar rot in coffee seedings.

Carrageenan is a general name for polysaccharides extracted from certain kinds of algae. Which among the following algae is used for extracting carrageenan?

  1. Porphyra

  2. Gracilaria

  3. Pelvetia canaliculata

  4. Eucheuma

  5. Chlorella


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Eucheuma is a group of red seaweeds representing the Tribe Eucheumatoideae used in the production of carrageenan, an important product used in cosmetics, food processing, and industrial uses, as well as a food source for those living in Indonesia and the Philippines.

A doctor told a couple that their son is suffering from dermatitis, which is a severe skin disease. Which of the following algae is associated with dermatitis?

  1. Anabaena

  2. Cylindrospermopsis

  3. Nodularia

  4. Microcystis aeruginosa

  5. Oscillatoria


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Oscillatoria is blue greenish in colour, usually free floating or entwined with other algae. It is widespread. There are approximately 150 known species of which 47 are known to occur in Australia. Some species causes contact irritation leading to severe dermatitis.

Which among the following statements regarding the characteristics of dinoflagellates is incorrect?

  1. Many are thecate, having an internal skeleton of cellulose-like plates.

  2. Their chromosomes are always condensed.

  3. They are small.

  4. Dinoflagellates usually reproduce sexually.

  5. They are planktonic.


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

The most form of reproduction is asexual, where daughter cells form by simple mitosis and division of the cell. The daughter cells will be genetically identical to that of the original cell. The thecal plates may either be divided, or completely shed and then reformed.

Antioxidants are the compounds that block the harmful action of free radicals in our body. Which among the following algae contains antioxidants?

  1. Filamentous

  2. Spirogyra

  3. Chlorella

  4. Hydrodictyon

  5. Chara


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Chlorella is a single-celled freshwater alga. Chlorella contains vitamin C and carotenoids, both of which are antioxidants . It also  contains high concentrations of iron and B-complex vitamins

Blue-green algae are able to produce highly potent toxins. Which among the following toxins is/are not produced by blue-green algae?

  1. Endotoxins

  2. Non-specific toxins

  3. Hepatotoxins

  4. Gyromitrin

  5. Neurotoxins


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Gyromitrin is a toxin and carcinogen present in several members of the fungal genus Gyromitra, most notably the false morel G. esculenta. It is unstable and is easily hydrolyzed to the toxic compound monomethylhydrazine, a component of some rocket fuels.

Which among the following statements regarding blue-green algae is false?

  1. The DNA in blue-green algae is contained within a single, circular, looping chromosome.

  2. Blue-green algae have the ability to produce toxins.

  3. Most blue-green algae may appear red, yellow, green, brown or black.

  4. Blue-green algae do not exhibit sexual reproduction.

  5. Homocystous cells can perform nitrogen fixation.


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Heterocystous cells can perform nitrogen fixation by absorbing free nitrogen in the air and transform free nitrogen to organic substances that may be used to fertilize the soil. The number and position of heterocysts are important features used to classify blue-green algae.

Edible mushrooms are thick and soft fruit bodies of macrofungi. Which among the following mushrooms is edible?

  1. Blackening waxcap

  2. White saddle

  3. False morel

  4. Funeral bell

  5. Beefsteak fungus


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

The Beefsteak fungus is large, dark red and slimy on top, and pale yellow underneath. Its flesh resembles a raw steak (hence the common name) and, when the fungus is young, oozes red droplets that look like blood. It is edible.

The most common mode of reproduction in diatoms is asexual. Which among the following diatoms differs from closely related species by its sexual reproduction and movement in response to light?

  1. Craspedodiscus elegans

  2. Bacteriastrum delicatulum

  3. Craticula

  4. Tabellaria

  5. Pinnularia


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Craticula is a genus of diatom that lies on or in the top layers of sediments in the freshwater to brackish water environments it inhabits.In addition to frustule morphology the genus differs from closely related species by its sexual reproduction and movement in response to light.

The diatoms are one of the largest and ecologically most significant groups of organisms on Earth. Which diatom is responsible for producing about a quarter of all the oxygen within Earth's biosphere?

  1. Bacteriastrum

  2. Ditylum brightwelli

  3. Odontella aurita

  4. Phaeodactylum tricornutum

  5. Navicula


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Navicula is a genus of boat-shaped diatom.Navicula play an important role in global ecology, producing about a quarter of all the oxygen within Earth's biosphere and serving as keystone species in the food chain of many environments where they provide a staple for the diets of many aquatic species.

Which among the following statements does not characterise diatoms?

  1. Araphid pennate diatoms are capable of gliding movement.

  2. The daughter cell that receives the original epitheca remains of the same size as the parent.

  3. The most common mode of reproduction in diatoms is asexual by cell division.

  4. The epicingulum and hypocingulum are collectively known as the girdle.

  5. The frustule is frequently in a high state of differentiation in diatoms.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Raphid pennate diatoms are capable of gliding movement that is caused by the secretion of mucopolysaccharides, derived from vesicles or crystalline bodies, through the raphe. Araphid pennate diatoms lack a raphe and posses a central, unornamented area known as the sternum or pseudoraphe. No centric diatom has a raphe.

Swimmers always suffer from the irritation of skin and mucous membranes of the body. Which among the following algae causes such irritation to humans while swimming?

  1. Euglena

  2. Microcystis

  3. Dictyosphaerium anabaena

  4. Nodularia

  5. Oscillatoria


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Oscillatoria, is part of the Blue Green Algae (Cyanobacteria) family. It is blue greenish in colour, usually free floating, cylindrical or sometimes slightly tapering, unbranched filaments in aquatic environments.It is implicated in irritation of skin and mucous membranes suffered by people swimming.

The leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds. Which among the following statements regarding fronds is incorrect?

  1. Fronds may bear hairs, scales and glands.

  2. Fern fronds arise from the stem.

  3. Fern fronds lack sporangia.

  4. Some fronds are not pinnately compound.

  5. If a frond is divided into pinnae, the frond is called once pinnate.


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Fern fronds often bear sporangia, where the plant's spores are formed, usually on the underside (abaxial surface) of the pinnae, but sometimes marginally or scattered over the frond.

Ferns grow in many different habitats around the world. Which among the following ferns is commonly known as mountain kiokio?

  1. Blechnum procerum

  2. Asplenium polyodon

  3. Asplenium listeri

  4. Adiantum tenerum

  5. Angiopteris evecta


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Blechnum procerum, commonly known as mountain kiokio or small kiokio, is a species of fern found in New Zealand. Mountain kiokio is found from lowland to alpine areas amongst forest, scrub and tussock.

Which among the following plants appears to resurrect from the dead and thus, is commonly known as resurrection fern?

  1. Corpse lily

  2. Selaginella lepidophylla

  3. Living rock

  4. Venus fly trap

  5. Ball moss


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Also called resurrection fern this autotroph is interesting in that it appears to resurrect from the dead. It lives in very dry climates and when there is a lack of water, it shrivels up into a grey ball and can stay like this for a number of years. When it finally rains, the resurrection fern grows and turns green.

The oil used in biofeeds and biofuels is obtained from which among the following algae?

  1. Vaucheria

  2. Tribonema

  3. Synurids

  4. Schizochytrium

  5. Sagenista


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Schizochytrium is a genus of unicellular protists found in coastal marine habitats. They are assigned to the stramenopiles, a group which also contains kelp and various of micro-algae. Certain species produce large amounts of docosahexaenoic acid and are grown commercially for production of this oil for biofeeds, biomass and biofuels.

The largest class of lichenised fungi is

  1. saccharomycetes

  2. pucciniomycetes

  3. orbiliomycetes

  4. lecanoromycetes

  5. geoglossaceae


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Lecanoromycetes is the largest class of lichenized fungi.It belongs to the subphylum Pezizomycotina in the phylum Ascomycota.The asci (spore-bearing cells) of the Lecanoromycetes most often release spores by rostrate dehiscence.

Which among the following statements regarding green algae is incorrect?

  1. Green algae have chloroplasts that contain chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b.

  2. All green algae have mitochondria with curved cristae.

  3. Green algae have served as model experimental organisms to understand the mechanisms of osmoregulation.

  4. Green algae contain sulfated polysaccharides.

  5. Green algae are eukaryotic organisms.


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

All green algae have mitochondria with flat cristae. When present, paired flagella are used to move the cell. They are anchored by a cross-shaped system of microtubules and fibrous strands.

In all the angiospermic plants, there are six types of leaf layers. The layer of which of the following parts plays a vital role in holding the products of photosynthesis?

  1. Palisade mesophyll

  2. Epidermis

  3. Guard cells

  4. Spongy mesophyll

  5. Stomata


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

They are the layers of cells, which are loosely packed and are located just beneath the palisade mesophyll. It plays a vital role in holding the products of photosynthesis.

Urtica urens is a dicot, annual herb found worldwide. Which among the following types of leaves are found in this plant?

  1. Sinuate

  2. Lobate

  3. Pungent

  4. Palmately lobed

  5. Serrate


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Serrate leaves are saw-toothed with asymmetrical teeth pointing forward, such as Urtica.

Flowering plants include both monocots and dicots. Which among the following is not a characteristic of self-pollination in flowering plants?

  1. Progeny shows greater vigour due to continuous self-pollination.

  2. Self-pollinated plants can grow in Arctic regions or in regions of high elevations.

  3. Self-pollination results in inconspicuous flowers.

  4. Self-pollination produces self-fertile offspring.

  5. The purity of race is always maintained.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

New species are not produced due to self-pollination. Progeny shows less vigour due to continuous self-pollination. New characters are not introduced.

Oxalis is an annual dicot plant bearing bright coloured chasmogamous flowers. Which among the following is not a characteristic of chasmogamous flower?

  1. Genes are exchanged between individuals.

  2. Chasmogamous flowers produce nector.

  3. Chasmogamous flowers exhibit self-fertilisation.

  4. Chasmogamous flowers are large in size.

  5. Fertilisation in a chasmogamous flower usually fails.


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

A chasmogamous flower is usually smaller and requires less energy to reproduce. It is also structured to bring its reproductive organs into contact, making it more likely that fertilisation will be successful.

Legume seeds including pea, beans, lentils, peanuts, etc. are dicots. Which among the following sclereids are found in the sub-epidermal covering of legume seeds?

  1. Brachysclereids

  2. Osteosclereids

  3. Astrosclereids

  4. Macrosclereids

  5. Filiform sclereids


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

These are bone-like or columnar with swollen ends. For example: sub-epidermal covering of legume seeds.

In which of the following processes is an embryo formed from cells of the diploid sporophyte?

  1. Recurrent apomixis

  2. Non-recurrent apomixis

  3. Adventive embryony

  4. Vegetative apomixis

  5. Adventitious embryony


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Adventitious embryony is a type of agamospermy where there is no development of gametophytes. The embryo is formed from cells of the diploid sporophyte like the integument.

All the species of the genus Puccinia are obligate plant pathogens. Which among the following Puccinia species is an autoecious fungus?

  1. Puccinia striiformi

  2. Puccinia poarum

  3. Puccinia mariae-wilsoniae

  4. Puccinia graminis

  5. Puccinia asparagi


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Puccinia asparagi is the causative agent of asparagus rust. It is an autoecious fungus, meaning that all stages of its life cycle – pyciniospores, aeciospores, and teliospores all develop upon the same host plant .

Fusarium head blight is a devastating disease of wheat and barley. Which among the following is a causative agent of this deadly disease?

  1. Fusarium culmorum

  2. Fusarium graminearum

  3. Cochliobolus sativus

  4. Claviceps purpurea

  5. Tilletia controversa


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Fusarium graminearum, is a plant pathogen which causes fusarium head blight, a devastating disease on wheat and barley.

Which among the following pathogenic fungi of plants can persist as a saprotrophic soil organism?

  1. Puccinia sessilis

  2. T. basicola

  3. Verticillium albo-atrum

  4. Magnaporthe grisea

  5. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

It causes Verticillium Wilt or Maple Wilt. It attacks over 300 different cultivated plants and can persist as a saprotrophic soil organism for more than 15 years.

Algal biofuel is an alternative to fossil fuel in this modern era. Which among the following biofuels is made from algae by using only a solar powered biorefinery?

  1. Green diesel

  2. Biodiesel

  3. Methane

  4. Butanol

  5. Biogasoline


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Butanol can be made from algae or diatoms using only a solar powered biorefinery. This fuel has an energy density 10% less than gasoline, and greater than that of either ethanol or methanol. In most gasoline engines, butanol can be used in place of gasoline with no modifications.

Which among the following statements regarding the life cycle of red algae is FALSE?

  1. The spores of a sporophyte produce either of the tetrasporophytes.

  2. The gametophyte may replicate using carpospores.

  3. Carpospores may also germinate directly into thalloid gametophytes.

  4. They display alternation of generations.

  5. Red algae lack motile sperm.


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

The gametophyte may replicate using monospores, but produces sperm in spermatangia, and eggs in carpogonium.

Iodine is needed for the normal metabolism of cells. Which alga was considered as the original source of iodine in ancient times?

  1. Fucus spiralis

  2. Fucus vesiculosus

  3. Laminaria digitata

  4. Sargassum

  5. Chondrus crispus


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Fucus vesiculosus was the original source of iodine, discovered in 1811, and was used extensively to treat goitre, a swelling of the thyroid gland related to iodine deficiency.

Which among the following fungi thrives inside the tree's vascular tissue and blocks its water supply, thereby causing the death of the tree?

  1. Armillaria root rot

  2. Mildew

  3. Pine pitch canker

  4. Anthracnose

  5. Rust


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Pine trees are susceptible to pine pitch canker. Pine pitch canker first kills the tips of branches, then spreads down entire branches, and ultimately it can kill the whole tree. Infected trees die because the fungus thrives inside the tree's vascular tissue and blocks its water supply. The fungus is spread through the beetles that attack the pine cones.

The fading of the woollen textiles has been found to be a common problem in tropics. Which among the following fungi is found to be associated with such fading of the woollen textiles?

  1. Uncinula necator

  2. Taphrina deformans

  3. Prunus persica

  4. Blue-green mold

  5. Stachybotrys chartarum


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Members of the Ascomycota such as Stachybotrys chartarum are responsible for fading of woollen textiles, which is a common problem especially in the tropics.

Which among the following fungi secretes highly poisonous and carcinogenic alkaloids 'mycotoxins'?

  1. Candida albicans

  2. Epidermophyton

  3. Aspergillus flavus

  4. Ergot

  5. Cochliobolus heterostrophus


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Ergot (Claviceps purpurea) is a direct menace to humans when it attacks wheat or rye and produces highly poisonous and carcinogenic alkaloids, causing ergotism if consumed. Symptoms include hallucinations, stomach cramp, and a burning sensation in the limbs (Saint Anthony's Fire).

Many of the true yeasts belong to which among the following subphyla of fungi?

  1. Ustilaginomycotina

  2. Mucoromycotina

  3. Pezizomycotina

  4. Taphrinomycotina

  5. Saccharomycotina


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

The Saccharomycotina comprise most of the true yeasts, such as baker's yeast and Candida, which are single-celled (unicellular) fungi, which reproduce vegetatively by budding. Most of these species were previously classified in a taxon called Hemiascomycetes.

Basidia are specialised end-cells on which the fungi that possess them produce their spores. Which among the following fungi is characterised by their unique tuning fork basidia?

  1. Dibotryon morbosum

  2. Cloud ear fungus

  3. Calocera cornea

  4. Ergot

  5. Morchella


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Calocera cornea is a jelly fungus that grows on decaying wood. It is a member of the Dacrymycetales, an order of fungi characterized by their unique tuning fork basidia.

Which among the following fungi is a well-known worldwide insect parasite?

  1. Beauveria bassiana

  2. Rhizopus oryzae

  3. Aspergillus fumigatus

  4. Saksenaea vasiformis

  5. Fusarium


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

This fungi is usually isolated as a saprophytic contaminant. World-wide, known as an insect parasite. Sympodial development of single-celled conidia on a narrow geniculate or zig-zag rachis emanating from a flask-shaped conidiophore.

Which among the following statements regarding the characteristics of mushrooms is incorrect?

  1. Mushrooms play a vital role in the development of new biological remediation techniques.

  2. Mushrooms are a high-calorie food.

  3. Mushrooms can be used for dyeing wool.

  4. Many mushrooms have psychoactive properties.

  5. China is the world's largest producer of edible mushroom.


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Mushrooms are a low-calorie food eaten cooked, raw or as a garnish to a meal. In a 100 g (3.5 ounce) serving, mushrooms are an excellent source (higher than 20% of the Daily Value, DV) of B vitamins, such as riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid, an excellent source of the essential minerals.

Immunodeficient patients are most susceptible to be infected by which among the following fungi?

  1. Malassezia furfur

  2. Candida

  3. Aspergillus

  4. Cryptococcus

  5. Mucor


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Patients with primary immunodeficiencies are susceptible to Aspergillus species infections particularly when cell-mediated immunity is compromised.

The gasteroid fungi are a group of fungi in the phylum Basidiomycota. The monotypic genus containing the single gasteroid species is

  1. arachnion

  2. araneosa

  3. acutocapillitium

  4. allopsalliota

  5. attamyces


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Araneosa is a fungal genus in the family Agaricaceae. This is a monotypic genus, containing the single gasteroid species Araneosa columellata.

Psychoactive substances affect the brain functioning, causing changes in behaviour, mood and consciousness. Which among the following is a psychoactive basidiomycete fungus?

  1. Typhula

  2. Fly agaric

  3. Beefsteak fungus

  4. Jack-o'-lantern mushroom

  5. Destroying angel


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Fly agaric is a mushroom and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus.The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually red mushroom, one of the most recognisable and widely encountered in popular culture.

Which among the following fungi was the causative agent of Great Irish Famine?

  1. Ustilago

  2. Rhizoctonia

  3. Xanthomonas

  4. Pythium

  5. Phytophthora


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Phytophthora spp. are mostly pathogens of dicotyledons, and are relatively host-specific parasites. Many species of Phytophthora are plant pathogens of considerable economic importance. Phytophthora infestans was the infective agent of the potato blight that caused the Great Irish Famine

The species of which among the following fungal orders produces gelatinous basidiocarps on dead wood?

  1. Agaricales

  2. Sebacinales

  3. Auriculariales

  4. Dacrymycetes

  5. Tremellales


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

The majority of species within the Auriculariales produce gelatinous basidiocarps (fruit bodies) on dead wood. In some these are conspicuous and may be ear-shaped, button-shaped, lobed, or effused. Their hymenophores (spore-bearing surfaces) may be smooth, warted, veined, toothed (as in the genus Pseudohydnum), or poroid (as in the genera Elmerina and Protomerulius).

Yeast is a microscopic unicellular fungus that is used to make bread, wine and beer. Which among the following statements regarding yeasts is incorrect?

  1. Nutritional yeast is an excellent source of B-complex vitamins.

  2. Yeasts can also tolerate high concentrations of salt and heavy metals.

  3. The most common mode of vegetative growth in yeast is asexual reproduction by regeneration.

  4. Yeasts are chemoorganotrophs.

  5. Yeasts can generate electricity in microbial fuel cells.


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Yeasts, like all fungi, may have asexual and sexual reproductive cycles. The most common mode of vegetative growth in yeast is asexual reproduction by budding. Here, a small bud (also known as a bleb), or daughter cell, is formed on the parent cell.

Which of the following is an artificial group of fungi lacking sexual reproductive cycle?

  1. Zygomycota

  2. Glomeromycota

  3. Ascomycota

  4. Basidiomycota

  5. Deuteromycota


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Deuteromycota, or imperfect fungi, is an artificial group comprising fungi for which no sexual reproductive cyclehas been observed. Penicillium, from which penicillin is obtained, is a deuteromycete.

Which among the following classes of fungi contains 5 orders and 21 families?

  1. Cystobasidiomycetes

  2. Pucciniomycetes

  3. Classiculomycetes

  4. Atractiellomycetes

  5. Agaricostilbomycetes


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

The Pucciniomycetes (formerly known as the Urediniomycetes) are a class of fungi in the Pucciniomycotina subdivision of the Basidiomycota. The class contains 5 orders, 21 families, 190 genera, and 8016 species. It includes several important plant pathogens causing forms of fungal rust.

Recombinant DNA (or rDNA) is made by combining DNA from two or more sources. The yeast most commonly used for protein expression using recombinant DNA techniques in different organisms is

  1. Fleischmann's yeast

  2. Pichia stipitis

  3. Pichia pastoris

  4. Pichia methanolica

  5. Candida guilliermondii


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Pichia pastoris is a species of methylotrophic yeast. Pichia is widely used for protein expression using recombinant DNA techniques. Hence, it is used in biochemical and genetic research in academia and the biotechnical industry.

A living fossil is a species that closely resembles its fossil ancestors. Which among the following ferns is a living fossil?

  1. Christensenia aesculifolia

  2. Ophioglossoid fern

  3. Whisk fern

  4. Equisetum

  5. Leptosporangiate fern


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Equisetum is the only living genus in Equisetaceae, a family of vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds. It is a living fossil as it is the only living genus of the entire class Equisetopsida, which for over one hundred million years was much more diverse and dominated the understory of late Paleozoic forests.

Which of the following statements does not characterise ferns?

  1. The gametophyte of ferns is a free-living organism.

  2. Ferns are vascular plants, similar to lycophytes.

  3. They have a life cycle referred to as alternation of generations.

  4. Ferns are grown to remove some chemical pollutants from the air.

  5. Ferns first appeared in the fossil record 360 million years ago in the late Devonian period.


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Ferns are vascular plants differing from lycophytes by having true leaves (megaphylls), which are often pinnate. They differ from seed plants (gymnosperms and angiosperms) in their mode of reproduction lacking flowers and seeds.

Dicot plants are generally characterised by dorsiventral leaves. Which among the following statements regarding the transverse section through the midrib region of a typical dorsiventral leaf is false?

  1. Veins represent the vascular bundles.

  2. Spongy parenchyma contains very few chloroplasts.

  3. Palisade parenchyma contains a very large number of chloroplasts.

  4. Mesophyll is exclusively composed of sclerenchymatous cells.

  5. Intercellular spaces are absent in epidermis.


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Mesophyll is the ground tissue that occurs between the two epidermal layers. It is exclusively composed of chlorenchyma cells. The mesophyll is characteristically differentiated into two regions, namely an upper palisade parenchyma and a lower spongy parenchyma.

Which among the following ferns is popularly known as Snow Brook-moss?

  1. Hygrohypnum styriacum

  2. Funaria hygrometrica

  3. Fontinalis

  4. Flatbergium sericeum

  5. Flabellidium spinosum


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Hygrohypnum styriacum, commonly known as Snow Brook-moss or Hygrohypnum Moss, is a species of moss found in the Northern Hemisphere. It is present in Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Scotland and Spain.

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