Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants — NEET Botany MCQs with answers

Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants is a Class 12 Botany chapter in the NEET (UG) syllabus. NEET720 has 1,036 reviewed practice questions on it, each with a quick answer and a step-by-step explanation. The 8 questions below are free and fixed, so you can bookmark this page; the full chapter, plus mistake tracking and spaced revision, is in the app.

Topics covered

Male Reproductive Structures · Female Reproductive Structures · Pollination · Double Fertilisation and Post-Fertilisation · Apomixis and Polyembryony · Endosperm · Fruit formation · Seed formation · Post-Fertilization Events · Special Modes and Apomixis · Flower Structure and Overview · Microsporangium and Pollen Grain Development · Artificial Hybridisation Technique · Double Fertilisation and Endosperm · Embryo, Endosperm and Seed Development · Pre-fertilisation Structures and Events · Seed and fruit formation · Fertilisation mechanism · Bisexual and unisexual flowers · Fruit and seed dispersal · Bagging technique · Megasporangium (ovule) structure · In vitro fertilisation techniques · Structure of a typical flower · Hydrophily · Special modes — vivipary · Perisperm · Monocot embryo · Seed dormancy and longevity · Seed germination requirement · Anther wall layer function · Male sterility · Megasporogenesis · Fertilization · Embryo development · Seed and fruit · Reproduction · Microsporangium · Pollen grain structure · Pollen allergy and viability

8 free Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants practice questions with answers

Choose an answer in your head before opening it. Each explanation says why the correct option is right and, where relevant, why the tempting wrong option is wrong.

1. Question 1 · easy · Apomixis and Polyembryony

   Apomixis is best described as a mechanism by which:

   • A.Fruits develop without any preceding fertilisation of the ovule
   • B.Seeds are produced without the fusion of gametes, so the resulting plant is genetically identical to the parent
   • C.Male gametes fuse with the two polar nuclei instead of the egg cell
   • D.Pollen grains germinate on a stigma of a different species altogether
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: B. Seeds are produced without the fusion of gametes, so the resulting plant is genetically identical to the parent

   Apomixis is a form of asexual reproduction that mimics sexual reproduction: seeds are produced without fusion of gametes, so offspring are clones of the parent.

   Apomixis is defined in NCERT as a mechanism to produce seeds asexually without fertilisation, mimicking the sexual process (seed formation occurs, unlike apospory-free vegetative propagation). Because gametic fusion never occurs, the embryo is genetically identical to the parent sporophyte. Option A describes parthenocarpy, a distinct phenomenon producing seedless fruit with no embryo. Option C describes triple fusion, a normal step of sexual double fertilisation. Option D describes interspecific pollination, irrelevant to apomixis.

   Common mistake: Students equate apomixis with parthenocarpy simply because both involve 'no fertilisation'.

   Key point: Apomixis = asexual seed formation that mimics sexual reproduction; offspring are genetic clones of the parent.

2. Question 2 · easy · Apomixis and Polyembryony

   Polyembryony, as observed in citrus and mango seeds, refers to:

   • A.Development of many pollen tubes from a single pollen grain
   • B.Formation of many flowers from a single floral meristem
   • C.Formation of multiple ovaries within a single flower
   • D.Occurrence of more than one embryo within a single seed
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: D. Occurrence of more than one embryo within a single seed

   Polyembryony is the occurrence of more than one embryo in a single seed, classically seen in Citrus and mango.

   In many citrus and mango seeds, along with (or instead of) the zygotic embryo, additional embryos arise from nucellar cells surrounding the embryo sac (nucellar embryony), producing several embryos packed inside one seed coat — this is polyembryony. Options A, B and C describe unrelated floral or ovarian phenomena and are not what polyembryony means.

   Common mistake: Confusing 'many embryos in one seed' with 'many flowers' or 'many pollen tubes'.

   Key point: Polyembryony = more than one embryo per seed, commonly from nucellar cells in citrus/mango.

3. Question 3 · easy · Apomixis and Polyembryony

   The most common apomictic mechanism in Citrus involves:

   • A.Cells of the nucellus surrounding the embryo sac dividing and protruding into the embryo sac to form embryos
   • B.The synergid cells fusing with the egg cell to double the chromosome number
   • C.Two male gametes independently fertilising two separate egg cells in the same ovule
   • D.The antipodal cells undergoing meiosis to form haploid embryos
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: A. Cells of the nucellus surrounding the embryo sac dividing and protruding into the embryo sac to form embryos

   Nucellar embryony, the commonest apomictic route in Citrus and mango, involves nucellus cells around the embryo sac dividing and growing into the sac to form embryos without fertilisation.

   NCERT states that in some Citrus and mango varieties, nucellar cells (diploid, sporophytic tissue surrounding the embryo sac) start dividing, protrude into the embryo sac, and develop into embryos — no meiosis or gamete fusion is involved, so these embryos are genetically identical to the mother plant. Option B, C and D describe fictitious cellular events that do not represent this mechanism.

   Common mistake: Assuming apomictic embryos must still arise through some form of cell fusion or meiosis.

   Key point: Nucellar embryony: diploid nucellus cells directly form embryos inside the embryo sac, bypassing meiosis and fertilisation.

4. Question 4 · easy · Apomixis and Polyembryony

   Which statement correctly distinguishes parthenocarpy from apomixis?

   • A.Parthenocarpy produces a seedless fruit with no embryo formation, whereas apomixis produces a seed containing an embryo formed without fertilisation
   • B.Both terms describe the identical process of seed formation without fertilisation, differing only in the plant species used as examples
   • C.Parthenocarpy produces a seed without an embryo, whereas apomixis produces a fruit without a seed
   • D.Apomixis always requires pollination whereas parthenocarpy never requires pollination
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: A. Parthenocarpy produces a seedless fruit with no embryo formation, whereas apomixis produces a seed containing an embryo formed without fertilisation

   Parthenocarpy gives a seedless fruit with no embryo at all; apomixis gives a true seed with an embryo formed asexually.

   Parthenocarpy (e.g. banana) is fruit development without fertilisation, so no seed and no embryo form at all — the fruit is entirely seedless. Apomixis, by contrast, does produce a seed and an embryo, but the embryo arises through an asexual pathway (such as nucellar embryony) that bypasses gamete fusion. These are fundamentally different outcomes and must never be equated, despite both being triggered 'without fertilisation'.

   Common mistake: Treating 'no fertilisation' as sufficient to call two very different outcomes (seedless fruit vs asexual seed) the same phenomenon.

   Key point: Parthenocarpy = seedless fruit, no embryo. Apomixis = seed WITH embryo, formed asexually. Never equate the two.

5. Question 5 · medium · Apomixis and Polyembryony

   In certain apomictic species, the egg cell itself develops into an embryo without fertilisation. For this egg cell to still yield a genetically 'normal' (non-reduced) embryo, which additional event must precede its formation?

   • A.The egg cell must first fuse with a synergid to restore diploidy
   • B.Meiosis must occur normally so the egg cell is haploid before parthenogenetic development
   • C.Meiosis must be skipped (apomeiosis), so the egg cell remains diploid before developing parthenogenetically
   • D.The egg cell must undergo an extra round of fertilisation-independent mitosis after meiosis to double its chromosome number
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: C. Meiosis must be skipped (apomeiosis), so the egg cell remains diploid before developing parthenogenetically

   Apomeiosis means meiotic reduction is skipped, so the egg cell stays diploid and can develop into an embryo parthenogenetically without needing fertilisation to restore ploidy.

   In some apomictic species, megasporogenesis proceeds without a reductional (meiotic) division — a phenomenon termed apomeiosis. The resulting egg cell is therefore diploid rather than haploid. This diploid egg can then develop directly into an embryo (parthenogenesis) without needing fertilisation to restore the sporophytic chromosome number, since it was never reduced in the first place. Options B and D wrongly reintroduce meiosis or an artificial doubling step, and option A invents a fusion event that is not part of this pathway.

   Common mistake: Assuming meiosis must still occur normally even in an apomictic pathway.

   Key point: Apomeiosis = skipping meiotic reduction, keeping the egg diploid so it can develop into an embryo without fertilisation.

6. Question 6 · medium · Apomixis and Polyembryony

   Statement I: In apomixis, some ovule cells can directly develop into an embryo without going through meiosis and fertilisation. Statement II: This capacity makes apomixis of great interest to the hybrid seed industry, since apomictically produced hybrid seeds would not segregate in the next generation. In light of the above statements, choose the correct answer:

   • A.Both Statement I and Statement II are true, and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I
   • B.Both Statement I and Statement II are true, but Statement II is NOT the correct explanation of Statement I
   • C.Statement I is true but Statement II is false
   • D.Statement I is false but Statement II is true
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: B. Both Statement I and Statement II are true, but Statement II is NOT the correct explanation of Statement I

   Both statements are independently true, but Statement II describes an application/significance, not an explanation, of the mechanism in Statement I.

   Statement I is a correct description of apomixis: nucellar or other ovule cells can develop directly into embryos bypassing meiosis and fertilisation. Statement II is also correct — since apomictic offspring are genetic clones, hybrid vigour would not segregate across generations, which is exactly why the hybrid seed industry is interested in engineering apomixis into crop hybrids. However, Statement II is a consequence/application of the fact in Statement I, not an explanation of why or how ovule cells bypass meiosis; hence the two are not in an explanation relationship.

   Common mistake: Automatically marking option A whenever both statements are true, without checking the explanatory relationship.

   Key point: Distinguish 'true and true' from 'true, true, and causally explanatory' in Statement I/II questions.

7. Question 7 · medium · Apomixis and Polyembryony

   Consider the following statements about apomixis and related phenomena: (1) Apomixis produces genetically identical offspring because it circumvents the fusion of gametes. (2) Parthenocarpy and apomixis are two names for the same seed-development process. (3) Nucellar embryony, seen in Citrus, is an example of sporophytic apomixis. (4) A seed produced apomictically never contains an embryo. How many of the above statements are correct?

   • A.One
   • B.Four
   • C.Three
   • D.Two
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: D. Two

   Statements 1 and 3 are correct; statements 2 and 4 are false, giving a total of two correct statements.

   (1) Correct: no gamete fusion means offspring are clones. (2) Incorrect: parthenocarpy is seedless fruit formation with no embryo, entirely distinct from apomixis, which does form a seed with an embryo. (3) Correct: nucellar embryony uses diploid sporophytic (nucellus) tissue to form embryos, making it a form of sporophytic apomixis. (4) Incorrect: apomictic seeds DO contain an embryo — that is precisely what distinguishes apomixis from parthenocarpy. So exactly two statements (1 and 3) are correct.

   Common mistake: Conflating parthenocarpy and apomixis (statement 2) or believing apomictic seeds lack an embryo (statement 4).

   Key point: Nucellar embryony is 'sporophytic apomixis'; apomictic seeds always contain an embryo, unlike parthenocarpic fruit.

8. Question 8 · medium · Apomixis and Polyembryony

   Presently, farmers must purchase fresh hybrid seed every planting season rather than saving seed from their own hybrid crop, mainly because:

   • A.Hybrid seeds are sterile and cannot germinate a second time
   • B.Hybrid vigour is fixed permanently once expressed, so saved seed always breeds true
   • C.Sexually reproducing hybrids undergo segregation in the next generation, so saved seed loses the desirable hybrid combination of traits
   • D.Hybrid seed production requires apomixis, which currently occurs naturally in every crop hybrid
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: C. Sexually reproducing hybrids undergo segregation in the next generation, so saved seed loses the desirable hybrid combination of traits

   Because hybrids reproduce sexually, meiotic segregation in the next generation breaks up the favourable trait combination, so hybrid vigour is lost unless fresh crosses are made every season.

   F1 hybrid seed is produced by controlled crossing of two parental lines to combine desirable traits (hybrid vigour). If farmers save and replant seed from this hybrid, normal meiosis and independent assortment in the next sexual generation segregate the parental alleles, so the offspring no longer reliably show the hybrid combination. This forces seed companies and farmers to repeat the cross every season, raising costs. If apomixis could be engineered into hybrids, the clonal, non-segregating seed would fix hybrid traits permanently, eliminating this yearly expense — this is why apomixis research is so significant for the hybrid seed industry.

   Common mistake: Believing hybrid seeds are literally sterile rather than understanding the real issue is trait segregation.

   Key point: Segregation in sexual reproduction, not sterility, is why hybrid seed must be repurchased each season; apomixis would fix hybrid traits permanently.

Questions about Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants for NEET

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Questions are original NEET720 compositions reviewed for correctness, syllabus fit and option quality. Counts update as the bank grows (1,036 active practice questions in this chapter today).