Plant Kingdom: 50 Tricky NCERT-based MCQs (With Answers)
1. In plant evolution, a trend towards reliance on vascular tissues is seen. Identify the group that has vascular tissues yet relies on water for fertilization and reproduces via spores (not seeds).
- (A) Algae
- (B) Pteridophytes
- (C) Gymnosperms
- (D) Bryophytes
Answer: (B)
2. Chlamydomonas and Spirogyra are in green algae due to certain traits. Which feature does not distinguish Chlorophyceae from other algal classes?
- (A) Pyrenoids inside chloroplasts
- (B) Cell wall of inner cellulose and outer pectose
- (C) Starch as reserve food
- (D) Presence of fucoxanthin pigment
Answer: (D)
3. In mosses, both gametophyte and sporophyte stages are visible. Which best describes their relationship?
- (A) Both independent, autotrophic, equally dominant
- (B) Sporophyte attached and partially dependent on gametophyte
- (C) Gametophyte is parasitic on sporophyte
- (D) Gametophyte depends on sporophyte for water/minerals
Answer: (B)
4. In some algae, gametes look similar but differ physiologically—like in Chlamydomonas. This fusion is called:
- (A) Isogamy
- (B) Anisogamy
- (C) Physiological anisogamy
- (D) Oogamy
Answer: (C)
5. A plant group exhibits heterospory, true roots, sporophylls, and independent gametophyte generation but no seeds. Which is it?
- (A) Gymnosperms
- (B) Bryophytes
- (C) Pteridophytes
- (D) Algae
Answer: (C)
6. Which group has thalloid body, cell wall with cellulose/alginic acid, both vegetative and sexual reproduction, but no seeds?
- (A) Rhodophyceae
- (B) Phaeophyceae
- (C) Angiosperms
- (D) Gymnosperms
Answer: (B)
7. Which best describes the life cycle of Ectocarpus, where gametophyte and sporophyte are similar?
- (A) Diplontic
- (B) Haplontic
- (C) Haplo-diplontic
- (D) Asexual
Answer: (C)
8. In Pinus (a gymnosperm), what is the correct order in male cone development leading to fertilization?
- (A) Megasporangium → Female gamete → Fertilization → Zygote
- (B) Microsporangium → Microspore mother cell → Microspore → Male gamete
- (C) Megaspore → Megaspore tetrad → Archegonium → Ovule
- (D) Endosperm → Female gamete → Pollen grain → Ovule
Answer: (B)
9. Laminarin is found in a multicellular marine organism with fucoxanthin pigment. What is its group?
- (A) Rhodophyceae
- (B) Chlorophyceae
- (C) Phaeophyceae
- (D) Cyanobacteria
Answer: (C)
10. Bryophytes require moist, shaded habitats because their fertilization requires:
- (A) Pollinators
- (B) Wind
- (C) Direct fusion of gametes in flowers
- (D) Water for sperm motility
Answer: (D)
11. In the life cycle of a fern, which stage is photosynthetic, thalloid, and bears both archegonia and antheridia?
- (A) Sporophyte
- (B) Embryo
- (C) Prothallus (gametophyte)
- (D) Rhizome
Answer: (C)
12. In which of the following would you not find flagellated male gametes?
- (A) Cycas
- (B) Pteris
- (C) Moss
- (D) Wheat
Answer: (D)
13. An algal sample with a palmelloid colony, star-shaped chloroplasts, and starch reserve best fits:
- (A) Xanthophyceae
- (B) Chlorophyceae
- (C) Phaeophyceae
- (D) Rhodophyceae
Answer: (B)
14. Red algae like Polysiphonia lack motile stages in reproduction because:
- (A) Evolved on land and lost motility
- (B) Cell walls block gamete movement
- (C) Gametes are non-flagellated
- (D) All fertilization is external only
Answer: (C)
15. Which plant group represents the earliest vascular cryptogams?
- (A) Angiosperms
- (B) Gymnosperms
- (C) Pteridophytes
- (D) Bryophytes
Answer: (C)
16. What is unique in reproduction (fertilization) of gymnosperms like Pinus/Cycas?
- (A) External in water
- (B) Pollination without water dependence
- (C) Double fertilization forms endosperm
- (D) Only motile gametes in pollen tubes
Answer: (B)
17. Rhodophyceae’s red color is due to the dominance of which pigment?
- (A) Fucoxanthin
- (B) Phycoerythrin
- (C) Phycocyanin
- (D) Xanthophyll
Answer: (B)
18. Moss alternates between a haploid, photosynthetic generation with sex organs and a diploid, dependent, spore-bearing one. This is:
- (A) Dominant sporophyte alternation
- (B) No alternation
- (C) Haplo-diplontic life cycle
- (D) Asexual reproduction
Answer: (C)
19. Oogamous reproduction, food as floridean starch, and non-flowering marine thallus are traits of:
- (A) Paramecium
- (B) Rhodophyceae
- (C) Chlorophyceae
- (D) Bryophyta
Answer: (B)
20. In Selaginella, two spore types develop (heterospory). Why is this key in evolution?
- (A) No significance
- (B) Enables external fertilization
- (C) Produces unisexual gametophytes
- (D) Spores disperse by water
Answer: (C)
21. Fucus, an alga from cold sea waters, lacks a multicellular gametophyte but produces gametes directly. Which lifecycle type is this?
- (A) Diplontic
- (B) Haplontic
- (C) Haplo-diplontic
- (D) Triplontic
Answer: (A)
22. Marchantia produces gemmae, facilitating asexual reproduction. Where do gemmae develop?
- (A) Underside of leaves
- (B) On specialized stalks known as gemma cups
- (C) Inside antheridia
- (D) In archegonia
Answer: (B)
23. Moss sporophyte consists of three regions: foot, seta, and capsule. Which is correct?
- (A) Capsule absorbs nutrients
- (B) Foot absorbs nutrients
- (C) Seta bears sex organs
- (D) Capsule never releases spores
Answer: (B)
24. In gymnosperms, pollination occurs through:
- (A) Water
- (B) Insects
- (C) Wind
- (D) Animals
Answer: (C)
25. Brown algae have unique features, including:
- (A) Food as starch only
- (B) Cell wall with cellulose, alginic acid
- (C) Always flagellated gametes
- (D) Pigments only chlorophyll a, b
Answer: (B)
26. Fern gametophytes are:
- (A) Unicellular
- (B) Thalloid, multicellular, photosynthetic
- (C) Motile and filamentous
- (D) Always parasitic
Answer: (B)
27. Syngamy in brown algae usually takes place:
- (A) Inside archegonia
- (B) In water (external)
- (C) Inside pollen tubes
- (D) Among rhizoids
Answer: (B)
28. Who among the following never produces seeds?
- (A) Gymnosperms
- (B) Angiosperms
- (C) Bryophytes
- (D) Pines
Answer: (C)
29. Select the group where male gametes are always non-motile:
- (A) Angiosperms
- (B) Bryophytes
- (C) Pteridophytes
- (D) Algae
Answer: (A)
30. Which is true about heterospory in plants?
- (A) Both gametophytes are identical
- (B) Microspores and megaspores produce male and female gametophytes respectively
- (C) Spores are always unicellular
- (D) Seen in all plants
Answer: (B)
31. Oogonium and antheridium are produced in which plants?
- (A) Only angiosperms
- (B) Phaeophyceae and other thallophytes
- (C) Cycads only
- (D) None of these
Answer: (B)
32. Which class of algae stores food as floridean starch?
- (A) Chlorophyceae
- (B) Phaeophyceae
- (C) Rhodophyceae
- (D) Euglenophyceae
Answer: (C)
33. The protonema stage is typical in life cycle of:
- (A) Fern
- (B) Moss
- (C) Cycad
- (D) Ulva
Answer: (B)
34. Which bryophyte-like property do pteridophytes lack?
- (A) Independent gametophyte
- (B) Well-developed vascular tissue
- (C) Unisexual gametophyte
- (D) Presence of archegonia
Answer: (B)
35. In gymnosperms, ovules are:
- (A) Exposed on megasporophylls
- (B) Enclosed in ovary
- (C) Absent
- (D) Replaced by gemmae
Answer: (A)
36. In pteridophytes, fertilization occurs in:
- (A) Archegonium on gametophyte
- (B) Capsule
- (C) Sporangium
- (D) Prothallus surface
Answer: (A)
37. Choose the correct match for algae storage product:
- (A) Brown algae: Mannitol/laminarin
- (B) Green algae: Glycogen
- (C) Red algae: Amylose
- (D) Brown algae: Floridean starch
Answer: (A)
38. The reproductive structure unique to gymnosperms, but not found in angiosperms, is:
- (A) Sporophyll
- (B) Cone
- (C) Capsule
- (D) Fruit
Answer: (B)
39. What is the generation sequence in bryophytes?
- (A) Sporophyte → Gametophyte → Sporophyte
- (B) Only Gametophyte phase
- (C) Only Sporophyte phase
- (D) Alternation without visible stages
Answer: (A)
40. Which algae can fix nitrogen?
- (A) Volvox
- (B) Spirogyra
- (C) Nostoc
- (D) Padina
Answer: (C)
41. Identify plant kingdom member with phycobilin pigments:
- (A) Bryophytes
- (B) Gymnosperms
- (C) Cyanobacteria
- (D) Ferns
Answer: (C)
42. Liverworts differ from mosses because they:
- (A) Always form fruiting bodies
- (B) Have flattened, thalloid gametophyte
- (C) Are woody perennials
- (D) Show vascular bundles
Answer: (B)
43. Sorus in ferns is a cluster of:
- (A) Archegonia
- (B) Antheridia
- (C) Sporangia
- (D) Seeds
Answer: (C)
44. Which one is NOT characteristic of moss protonema?
- (A) Develops from spore
- (B) Multicellular with chloroplasts
- (C) Anchors plant
- (D) Flower-like
Answer: (D)
45. The thallus in Spirogyra is:
- (A) Branched
- (B) Unbranched filamentous
- (C) Spherical
- (D) Sheet-like
Answer: (B)
46. Polytrichum is a:
- (A) Moss
- (B) Liverwort
- (C) Gymnosperm
- (D) Fern
Answer: (A)
47. Elaters, aiding in spore dispersal, are found in:
- (A) Mosses
- (B) Bryophytes
- (C) Liverworts
- (D) Gymnosperms
Answer: (C)
48. Choose the correct pigment combination for brown algae:
- (A) Chlorophyll a, c, fucoxanthin
- (B) Chlorophyll a, b, phycoerythrin
- (C) Only xanthophylls
- (D) Chlorophyll a and b only
Answer: (A)
49. In the alternation of generations, which group shows dominant gametophyte generation?
- (A) Mosses
- (B) Ferns
- (C) Gymnosperms
- (D) Angiosperms
Answer: (A)
50. Choose an alga from the following that forms symbiotic associations with fungi in lichens:
- (A) Spirogyra
- (B) Nostoc
- (C) Fucus
- (D) Padina
Answer: (B)
🧾 Answer Key – 50 MCQs on Plant Kingdom (NCERT-Based)
- 1: B
- 2: D
- 3: B
- 4: C
- 5: C
- 6: B
- 7: C
- 8: B
- 9: C
- 10: D
- 11: C
- 12: D
- 13: B
- 14: C
- 15: C
- 16: B
- 17: B
- 18: C
- 19: B
- 20: C
- 21: A
- 22: B
- 23: B
- 24: C
- 25: B
- 26: B
- 27: B
- 28: C
- 29: A
- 30: B
- 31: B
- 32: C
- 33: B
- 34: B
- 35: A
- 36: A
- 37: A
- 38: B
- 39: A
- 40: C
- 41: C
- 42: B
- 43: C
- 44: D
- 45: B
- 46: A
- 47: C
- 48: A
- 49: A
- 50: B