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#	Question	Answer
1	Who was Panchanan Maheshwari?	Panchanan Maheshwari was one of the most distinguished botanists of India and the world.
2	What are the end products of sexual reproduction in flowering plants?	Fruits and seeds.
3	What occurs before the actual flower appears on a plant?	The decision that the plant is going to flower takes place.
4	What does the gynoecium represent?	The female reproductive organ.
5	What is meant by a dithecous anther?	A bilobed anther with two theca in each lobe.
6	What do pollen sacs contain?	Pollen grains.
7	What is special about tapetal cells?	They possess dense cytoplasm and generally have more than one nucleus.
8	What is another name for pollen mother cell?	Potential pollen or microspore mother cell.
9	What is the usual shape and size of pollen grains?	They are generally spherical and measure about 25–50 micrometers in diameter.
10	What are germ pores?	Apertures in the exine where sporopollenin is absent.
11	Describe the vegetative cell of a pollen grain.	It is bigger, has abundant food reserve, and a large irregularly shaped nucleus.
12	Which plant is commonly known as carrot grass and causes pollen allergy?	Parthenium.
13	Why are pollen grains used as food supplements?	Because they are rich in nutrients.
14	Give examples of plants having a single ovule in the ovary.	Wheat, paddy, and mango.
15	What is micropyle?	A small opening at the tip of the integuments.
16	How many embryo sacs are generally present in an ovule?	Usually one embryo sac.
17	What is the result of meiosis in MMC?	Formation of four megaspores.
18	What happens during the formation of the embryo sac from the functional megaspore?	The nucleus of the functional megaspore divides mitotically to form two nuclei that move to opposite poles.
19	How many nuclei are surrounded by cell walls in the mature embryo sac?	Six nuclei.
20	What is the function of filiform apparatus in synergids?	It guides pollen tubes into the synergid.
21	Why is complete autogamy rare in open flowers?	Because it requires synchrony in pollen release and stigma receptivity and close positioning of anthers and stigma.
22	What is the advantage of cleistogamous flowers?	They produce assured seed-set even in the absence of pollinators.
23	Which type of abiotic pollination is more common in flowering plants?	Wind pollination.
24	What is a common feature of ovaries in wind-pollinated flowers?	They often contain a single ovule.
25	How does pollination occur in Vallisneria?	Female flowers reach the water surface by long stalks and male flowers or pollen grains are carried by water currents to the stigma.
26	Which unusual animals have also been reported as pollinators?	Primates, arboreal rodents, and reptiles like gecko and garden lizards.
27	What are the common floral rewards offered to pollinators?	Nectar and pollen grains.
28	Why do flowering plants develop outbreeding devices?	To discourage self-pollination and encourage cross-pollination.
29	How does self-incompatibility inhibit fertilisation?	By preventing pollen germination or pollen tube growth in the pistil.
30	Which plant is given as an example of dioecy?	Papaya.
31	Through what structure does the pollen grain germinate on the stigma?	Through one of the germ pores.
32	Through which opening does the pollen tube enter the ovule?	Micropyle.
33	Which plants are suggested for studying pollen germination?	Pea, chickpea, Crotalaria, balsam, and Vinca.
34	What is emasculation?	Removal of anthers from bisexual flower buds before anther dehiscence using forceps.
35	Why is emasculation not required in unisexual female flowers?	Because they do not possess anthers.
36	What is triple fusion?	Fusion of the second male gamete with the two polar nuclei in the central cell.
37	What develops from the zygote?	Embryo.
38	What happens after free-nuclear divisions in endosperm development?	Cell wall formation occurs and the endosperm becomes cellular.
39	Where does the embryo develop in the embryo sac?	At the micropylar end where the zygote is situated.
40	What is plumule?	The stem tip of the embryo.
41	What is the cotyledon in grasses called?	Scutellum.
42	What are the main components of a seed?	Seed coats, cotyledons, and embryo axis.
43	Give examples of albuminous seeds.	Wheat, maize, barley, and castor.
44	What happens to seed water content during maturation?	It is reduced and seeds become relatively dry.
45	What is pericarp?	The wall of the fruit developed from the ovary wall.
46	What are true fruits?	Fruits that develop only from the ovary.
47	Why is seed formation more dependable in angiosperms?	Because pollination and fertilisation are independent of water.
48	How long can seeds remain viable in some species?	For several years or even hundreds of years.
49	What is fruit production without fertilisation called?	Parthenocarpy.
50	What is a major problem associated with hybrid seeds?	Hybrid seeds must be produced every year because progeny segregate and lose hybrid characters.
51	What are the male reproductive organs in flowers?	Androecium consisting of stamens.
52	What process forms tetrads of microspores?	Microsporogenesis.
53	What cells may be present in pollen grains at shedding?	Either two cells (vegetative and generative) or three cells (vegetative and two male gametes).
54	What is self-incompatibility?	A genetic mechanism that prevents self-pollen from fertilising ovules.
55	Where does triple fusion take place?	In the central cell of the embryo sac.
56	Differentiate between integument and testa.	Integuments are protective coverings of the ovule, while testa is the outer seed coat formed after maturation.