Plant Systems practice questions

Sample questions

5 of 25 questions in this topic. Sign up to answer them and see the explanations.

1. Question 1Recall

   Rice (Oryza sativa) is adapted to grow in waterlogged paddy fields mainly through

   • aspecialised roots that tolerate low oxygen and hollow, flexible stems
   • ba deep taproot system and thick bark
   • cbroad leaves adapted to deep shade
   • dhaving no roots at all
2. Question 2Skills & concepts

   In a dicot root, the tissue containing meristematic (dividing) cells that give rise to lateral roots is the

   • apericycle
   • bepidermis
   • cpith
   • dcuticle
3. Question 3Recall

   Which pair of plant tissues is responsible for transporting water and nutrients?

   • aXylem and phloem
   • bEpidermis and cuticle
   • cPalisade and spongy mesophyll
   • dGuard cells and stomata
4. Question 4Strategic thinking

   Explain why a dicot stem can increase in girth (become thicker) year after year, while typical monocot stems (like maize) generally cannot.

   • aDicot stems have a vascular cambium that produces secondary growth (wood and bark) over time, while monocot stems generally lack this cambium, limiting them mostly to primary growth
   • bMonocot stems have a more active vascular cambium than dicot stems
   • cStem thickness is unrelated to the presence of a vascular cambium
   • dBoth monocot and dicot stems thicken in exactly the same way
5. Question 5Extended thinking

   A farmer wants to grow rice in a low-lying field prone to flooding after heavy rains, while a neighbour wants to grow shea trees on a hillside with a long dry season. Using their known root/stem adaptations, explain why swapping these crops between the two sites would likely fail.

   • aRice's waterlogging-tolerant roots and flexible hollow stems are unsuited to a dry hillside lacking standing water, while the shea tree's deep taproot seeking groundwater would struggle in a waterlogged field with poor oxygen at depth
   • bBoth crops would grow equally well in either location since root adaptations don't matter
   • cRice needs dry soil and shea trees need flooded soil
   • dSwapping locations would have no effect on either crop

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