Chapter 1 Nutrition in Plants

Question and Answers

• Do the following work legibly and neatly in SCIENCE FAIR NOTEBOOK
ONLY)
• Incomplete/ Imperfect work will not be checked

SECTION A
Choose the correct option from the following (Answers are typed in BOLD)
1. Plants take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere mainly through their:
(i) roots (ii) stem (iii) flowers (iv) leaves

2. (a) Cuscuta is an example of:

(i) autotroph (ii) parasite (iii) saprotroph (iv) host

3. The plant which traps and feeds on insects is:

(i) Cuscuta (ii) china rose (iii) pitcher plant (iv) rose

4. The pigments which traps sunlight in plant

(i) Chlorophyll (ii) Haemoglobin (iii) Haemocyanin (iv) Iodine

5. Symbiotic Association between algae and fungi

(i) Lichen (ii) saprotroph (iii) parasite (iv) mycorrhiza

SECTION B
Answer the following questions in short

1. Distinguish between a parasite and a saprophyte.

Saprophytes Parasites

Acquire nutrients from dead Parasites live on or in a host and get its
and decaying matter food at the expense of its host
They act as natural cleaners They always harm their host

Example: Fungi Example: roundworm, cuscuta,

mistletoe etc

2. Name the following:

i) A parasitic plant with yellow, slender and branched stem.- Cuscuta
ii) A plant that is partially autotrophic.- pitcher plant
iii) The pores through which leaves exchange gases.- Stomata
 3. Why do farmers grow many fruits and vegetable crops inside large
greenhouses? What are the advantages to the farmers?
Ans. Fruits and vegetable crops are grown in large greenhouses because ;
It protects crops from diseases and adverse climatic conditions and to provide suitable
temperature for the growth of crop
It protects crops from wind and rodents.

4. Show with the help of a sketch that plants are the ultimate source of food.

5. Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plant growth. But farmers who cultivate
pulse crops like green gram, bengal gram, black gram, etc. do not apply
nitrogenous fertilizers during cultivation. Why?
Ans Roots of pulses (leguminous plants) have a symbiotic association with a
bacterium called Rhizobium which fixes nitrogen. Hence, farmers need not use
nitrogenous fertilizers.

6. Even being rich in chlorophyll ,Why do insectivorous plants feed on insects?

Ans. Insectivorous plants are partial heterotrophs, they can easily perform
photosynthesis due to the presence of chlorophyll, but, feed on insects to fulfill their
nitrogen needs, as most of them grow in nitrogen deficient soil.

7. Explain the symbiotic relationship in lichens.

Ans. In lichens, a chlorophyll-containing partner, an alga, live together with a fungus.
The fungus provides shelter, water, and minerals to the alga and in return, the alga
provides food which it prepares by photosynthesis.

SECTION C
Answer the following questions in brief

1. How would you test the presence of starch in leaves

Ans. Take two potted plants of the same kind. Keep one in the dark for 72 hours and
the other in sunlight. Perform the iodine test with the leaves of both the plants as given
below. Now leave the pot which was earlier kept in the dark, undisturbed for 3 – 4 days
and perform the iodine test again on its leaves.
Iodine test: Put iodine solution on the leaf
Observation: Blue-black colour will be observed on the leaves of the plant kept in
sunlight, which indicates the presence of starch.
Blue-black colour will not be observed on the leaves of plant kept in the darkroom. This
indicates the absence of starch.

2. Give a brief description of the process of synthesis of food in green plants

Ans. Green plants use a process called as photosynthesis to prepare their food. The
process is as follow

1. Water is taken from the roots of the plant, and it is transported to leaves of the
plant.
2. Carbon dioxide from air enter the leaves through pores called stomata. This
diffuses the cell containing chlorophyll.
3. Water molecule is broken down into Hydrogen and Oxygen with the help of
sunlight.
4. Hydrogen combines with Oxygen and Hydrogen to form carbohydrates.
5. Photosynthesis is represented by the following equation.