Question 1

Before ploughing a paddock, a farmer thought the bare paddock looked weed-free. Three days after ploughing and turning over the soil, he was amazed to see thousands of tiny seedlings. What is the most likely reason for the mass germination of seeds?

Accepted Answer

A)  large seeds that needed soil disturbance to germinate 
B)  small seeds that need light to germinate 
C)  small seeds that were scarified by exposure to plough 
D)  large seeds that needed exposure to higher levels of oxygen to germinate

Question 2

Which of the following is a scientific concern related to creating genetically modified crops?

Accepted Answer

A)  Herbicide resistance may spread to weedy species. 
B)  Genetically modified crops cannot survive without the addition of great amounts of fertiliser to the soil. 
C)  The monetary costs of growing genetically modified plants are significantly greater than traditional breeding techniques. 
D)  Genetically modified plants are less stable and may revert back to parental genotypes.

Question 3

The generative cell of male angiosperm gametophytes is haploid. This cell divides to produce two haploid sperm cells. What type of cell division does the generative cell undergo to produce these sperm cells?

Accepted Answer

A)  mitosis 
B)  meiosis 
C)  mitosis without subsequent cytokinesis 
D)  meiosis without subsequent cytokinesis

Question 4

Plants produce more seeds when they reproduce asexually than sexually. Yet most plants reproduce sexually in nature. What is the probable explanation for the prevalence of sexual reproduction? Sexual reproduction ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  is more energy efficient than asexual reproduction 
B)  ensures genetic continuity from parents to offspring 
C)  mixes up alleles, contributing to variation in a species 
D)  is not dependent on other agents of pollination

Question 5

Pineapple is a ________ fruit.

Accepted Answer

A)  simple 
B)  multiple 
C)  aggregate 
D)  accessory

Question 6

The vast number and variety of flower species is probably related to various kinds of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  seed dispersal agents 
B)  pollinators 
C)  herbivores 
D)  climatic conditions

Question 7

Which of the following types of plants are incapable of self-pollination?

Accepted Answer

A)  dioecious 
B)  monoecious 
C)  wind-pollinated 
D)  insect-pollinated

Question 8

Which of the following is a potential advantage of introducing apomixis into hybrid crop species?

Accepted Answer

A)  Cultivars would be better able to cope with a rapidly changing environment. 
B)  They would have a larger potential genome than inbred crops. 
C)  All of the desirable traits of the cultivar would be passed on to offspring. 
D)  They would benefit from positive mutations in their DNA.

Question 9

Which of these activities is part of the development of crop plants from wild relatives?
I. people planting seeds of the plants with the characteristic wanted
II. people making observations of desired plant characteristics
III. people eating products from only the plants with desired characteristics
IV. people developing several varieties of crops from a wild relative

Accepted Answer

A)  I and II 
B)  I and IV 
C)  I, III, and IV 
D)  I, II, and IV

Question 10

Pollen from a plant with the S1S2 genotype is recognised and allowed to germinate on the stigma of the same plant with the S1S2 genotype. According to this, the plant is ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  self-compatible and can self-pollinate 
B)  self-compatible and must cross-pollinate 
C)  self-incompatible and can self-pollinate 
D)  self-incompatible and must cross-pollinate

Question 11

During the alternation of generations in plants, ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  meiosis produces gametes 
B)  mitosis produces gametes 
C)  fertilisation produces spores 
D)  fertilisation produces gametes

Question 12

The most immediate potential benefits of introducing genetically modified crops include ________.
I. creating crops that can grow on land previously unsuitable for agriculture
II. creating crops with better potential for biofuel production
III. creating crops with better nutritional attributes
IV. increasing crop yield
V. decreasing the mutation rate of certain genes

Accepted Answer

A)  only II, III, and IV 
B)  only I, II, III, and IV 
C)  only III, IV, and V 
D)  I, II, III, IV, and V

Question 13

In order for an ovule (egg cell) in a flower to be fertilised and form a viable seed, pollination must occur. In this process, a sperm cell is delivered to the ovule when the pollen grain lands on the stigma and grows a tube, which enters the ovary and discharges the sperm cell to form a diploid zygote when it fuses with the egg cell. Although it only takes one pollen grain to successfully deliver sperm to the egg, numerous pollen grains are generally transferred to the stigma during insect pollination of flowering plants. Which phenotypic traits of pollen would you predict to be selected upon to promote survival and fitness within an insect-pollinated flowering plant?

Accepted Answer

A)  high pollen tube growth rate and ability to detect chemicals from cells surrounding the egg 
B)  ability to produce the most cells during mitotic growth of the pollen tube 
C)  elaborate and striking UV "nectary guides" on the petals to guide an insect to the stigma 
D)  larger pollen in order to carry the tube that is necessary for delivery of the sperm cells

Question 14

Many flowering plants coevolve with specific pollinators. The Madagascar orchid has a 12-inch floral tube and is a reliable nectar source for the hawkmoth, which has a correspondingly long proboscis (tongue). Which statement most accurately describes how coevolution might have occurred for the hawkmoth and Madagascar orchid?

Accepted Answer

A)  The hawkmoths that expended the most effort to reach the nectar would be the most fit, and pass the longer tongue phenotype to their offspring. 
B)  Natural selection would favour orchids with nectar tubes just long enough to for an insect with pollen to make contact. Hawkmoths whose tongue could reach the deep tubes would be more fit. 
C)  Hawkmoths whose tongue was just long enough to obtain nectar, but not able to pick up pollen would become the most fit in the population. 
D)  It is most likely that mutations that resulted in both the length of the orchid floral tube and the length of the hawkmoth tongue occurred abruptly and simultaneously.

Question 15

Which of the following flower parts develops into a seed?

Accepted Answer

A)  ovule 
B)  ovary 
C)  stamen 
D)  carpel

Question 16

Which of the following statements regarding flowering plants is correct?

Accepted Answer

A)  The gametophyte is the dominant generation. 
B)  Female gametophytes develop from megaspores within the anthers. 
C)  Pollination is the delivery of pollen to the stigma of a carpel. 
D)  The food-storing endosperm is derived from the cell that contains one polar nucleus and two sperm nuclei.

Question 17

Which of the following is an effective method to produce plants exhibiting hybrid vigour?

Accepted Answer

A)  self-pollination 
B)  cloning 
C)  tissue culture 
D)  genetic engineering

Question 18

Suppose that 100 pollen grains land on a stigma, and 50 mature seeds are formed in the fruit. What does this indicate about the pollination process and success?

Accepted Answer

A)  50% success: 100 pollen grains grew to 50 ovules, and double fertilisation occurred. 
B)  50% success: Evidently, only 50 sperm pollinated 50 anthers. 
C)  50% success: 50 sperm fertilised 50 eggs, and 50 sperm fused with 50 polar nuclei. 
D)  50% success: 50 sperm fertilised 50 eggs, and 50 sperm fused with 100 polar nuclei.

Question 19

Which statement concerning grafting is correct?

Accepted Answer

A)  Stocks and scions refer to twigs of different species. 
B)  Stocks and scions must come from unrelated species. 
C)  Stocks provide root systems for grafting. 
D)  Grafting creates new species.

Question 20

Cottonwood, aspen, and willow trees have beige flowers, with no petals, that appear before the tree's leaves are out in the spring; and they are dioecious. What does this indicate about these trees?

Accepted Answer

A)  Their insect pollinators are specialists. 
B)  Early emerging insects are probably the pollinators. 
C)  Their pollen is dispersed by wind. 
D)  The trees are self-pollinating.

Exam 38: Angiosperm Reproduction and Biotechnology