Chapter 11: Photosynthesis in Higher Plants
50 sample Photosynthesis in Higher Plants flashcard questions and answers for NEET-UG Biology - Class 11, laid out as a readable study sheet. Read them straight on this page, print them, or save them as a PDF using your browser's print dialog.
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| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What are the two major perspectives on biology ? | One perspective describes life at the organismic and ecological level, while the other describes life at the cellular and molecular level. |
| Why are green plants called autotrophs? | Because they synthesise their own food through photosynthesis. |
| What are organisms called that depend on green plants for food? | Heterotrophs. |
| Define photosynthesis. | It is a physico-chemical process by which green plants use light energy to synthesise organic compounds. |
| What is the ultimate source of energy for all living forms on Earth? | Sunlight. |
| Why is photosynthesis important? | It is the primary source of all food on Earth and is responsible for releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. |
| In which parts of the leaf does photosynthesis occur? | In the green parts of the leaf exposed to light. |
| What experiment demonstrated that light is necessary for photosynthesis? | Testing partially covered or variegated leaves for starch formation after exposure to light. |
| Why are green plants called autotrophs? | Because they synthesise their own food through photosynthesis. |
| What are organisms called that depend on green plants for food? | Heterotrophs. |
| Define photosynthesis. | Photosynthesis is a physico-chemical process by which green plants use light energy to drive the synthesis of organic compounds. |
| What is the ultimate source of energy for all living forms on Earth? | Sunlight. |
| Why is photosynthesis important? | It is the primary source of all food on Earth and is responsible for the release of oxygen into the atmosphere. |
| What did the variegated leaf experiment demonstrate? | Photosynthesis occurs only in the green parts of leaves in the presence of light. |
| Who performed experiments in 1770 revealing the essential role of air in plant growth? | Joseph Priestley. |
| What gas did Joseph Priestley discover in 1774? | Oxygen. |
| What observation did Priestley make when a mint plant was placed in the bell jar? | The mouse stayed alive and the candle continued to burn. |
| What hypothesis did Priestley propose from his experiments? | Plants restore to the air whatever breathing animals and burning candles remove. |
| Who showed that sunlight is essential for the plant process that purifies air? | Jan Ingenhousz. |
| What did Ingenhousz observe in aquatic plants kept in bright sunlight? | Small bubbles formed around the green parts. |
| What were the bubbles observed by Ingenhousz later identified as? | Oxygen. |
| Who provided evidence for the production of glucose in plants in 1854? | Julius von Sachs. |
| In what form is glucose usually stored in plants? | As starch. |
| What did Julius von Sachs discover about chlorophyll? | He showed that chlorophyll is located in special bodies later called chloroplasts. |
| Which parts of plants did Sachs identify as the site of glucose formation? | The green parts of plants. |
| Who performed experiments using Cladophora and aerobic bacteria? | T.W. Engelmann. |
| Which pigments roughly match the action spectrum of photosynthesis? | Chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b. |
| Who made a milestone contribution to understanding photosynthesis through studies on purple and green bacteria? | Cornelius van Niel. |
| According to van Niel, what is photosynthesis essentially? | A light-dependent reaction in which hydrogen from an oxidisable compound reduces carbon dioxide to carbohydrates. |
| What is oxidised to oxygen in green plants during photosynthesis? | Water. |
| Which organisms do not release oxygen during photosynthesis? | Some purple and green sulphur bacteria. |
| What is released instead of oxygen in sulphur bacteria during photosynthesis? | Sulphur or sulphate. |
| How was it proved that oxygen released in photosynthesis comes from water? | By using radioisotopic techniques. |
| Is photosynthesis a single reaction? | No, it is a multistep process. |
| Where does photosynthesis mainly take place in plants? | In the green leaves and chloroplasts. |
| Which cells in leaves contain a large number of chloroplasts? | Mesophyll cells. |
| Why do chloroplasts align themselves along the walls of mesophyll cells? | To receive optimum incident light. |
| Name the three components of the chloroplast membranous system. | Grana, stroma lamellae, and matrix stroma. |
| Which part of the chloroplast is responsible for trapping light energy and synthesising ATP and NADPH? | The membrane system. |
| In which part of the chloroplast are sugars synthesised? | Stroma. |
| What are light-driven reactions of photosynthesis called? | Light reactions or photochemical reactions. |
| Why are dark reactions also called carbon reactions? | Because they depend on ATP and NADPH produced during light reactions and involve carbon fixation. |
| How many major pigments are involved in photosynthesis according to chromatographic separation? | Four pigments are involved. |
| Name the four pigments found in green leaves. | Chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, xanthophylls, and carotenoids. |
| What colour does chlorophyll a appear in a chromatogram? | Bright or blue-green. |
| What colour does chlorophyll b appear in a chromatogram? | Yellow-green. |
| What is the colour of xanthophylls? | Yellow. |
| What is the colour range of carotenoids? | Yellow to yellow-orange. |
| What are pigments? | Substances that have the ability to absorb light at specific wavelengths. |
| Which is the chief pigment associated with photosynthesis? | Chlorophyll a. |
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