ANSWERS
Self Assessment Paper-5
BIOLOGY
SECTION - A
1. (i) Option (b) is correct.
Explanation: Ganong's Potometer measures the
transpiration rate (water uptake by the plant shoot)
in a laboratory.
(ii) Option (c) is correct.
Explanation: Lenticels are permanently open
structures seen on the barks of old woody stems.
They make porous tissue on the bark and help in the
gaseous exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen.
(iii) Option (d) is correct.
Explanation: The transpiration rate is affected by
several factors, including temperature, humidity,
wind speed, and light intensity. Oxygen is not a
factor that affects transpiration.
(iv) Option (d) is correct.
Explanation: Guttation takes place through
hydathodes.
(v) Option (d) is correct.
Explanation: Guttation is the loss of water in the
form of water droplets from hydathodes (small
pores) on the leaf margin of a small herbaceous
plant.
(vi) Option (b) is correct.
Explanation: It helps in guttation.
(vii) Option (d) is correct.
Explanation: The rate of transpiration will be fastest
when the day is hot, dry and windy.
(viii) Option (a) is correct.
Explanation: Rapid loss of water in the form of
water vapour from the aerial parts of the plant
through transpiration brings down the temperature
in plants. Transpiration thus provides a significant
cooling effect which keeps the plant from being
overheated.
(ix) Option (a) is correct.
Explanation: The exudation of water and cell sap
through the cuts or wounds of plants is called as
bleeding.
(x) Option (b) is correct.
Explanation: In the morning, drops of water appear
on margins of leaves due to guttation. Guttation
is the process of losing excessive water due to
increased root pressure. High root pressure forces
the water all the way through stem and it Comes
out through the end of leaf veins.
(xi) Option (a) is correct.
Explanation: Transpiration happens through three
paths: cuticle, stomata and lenticel.
(xii) Option (a) is correct.
Explanation: Cytokinin is predominantly present in
meristematic tissue.
(xiii) Option (b) is correct.
Explanation: Cytokinin’s trigger cell division,
growth of lateral buds, and germination of dormant
seeds.
(xiv) Option (d) is correct.
Explanation: Gibberellins is the plant hormone
which increases the height of dwarf plants also
called bolting.
(xv) Option (b) is correct.
Explanation: Seedless fruits are also called
parthenocarpy fruits. They are seedless because
they are produced without fertilisation of ovules.
Gibberellins are hormones that can induce
parthenocarpy besides auxin.
2. (i) (a) Hydrostatic pressure.
(b) Blackman.
(c) Testosterone.
(d) Thylakoid discs.
(e) Hepatic portal vein.
(ii) (a) Soil water, root hair, cortex, xylem.
(b) Tympanum, malleus, incus, stapes.
(c) Aorta, renal artery, kidney, renal vein, posterior
vena cava.
(d) Mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine,
large intestine.
(e) Ovulation, fertilisation, implantation, gestation,
and parturition.
Answers 5

(iii) (a) shrinkage (v)

(b) cell wall

Aqueous
(c) hypertonic
chamber Vitreous
chamber
Fovea
(d) Permanent

Cornea Lens Blind spot
(e) the death
Iris
Pupil Optic nerve
(iv) (a) Odd term: Alanine
Category: As all belong to nitrogenous bases. Choroid
Ciliary Retina
(b) Odd term: Anaphase
body Sclera
Category: As all other belongs to phases of
4. (i) Diffusion is the movement of molecules of
meiosis. a substance (gas, liquid or solid) from the region
(c) Odd term: FSH
of higher concentration to the region of lower
concentration.
Category: All belongs to the growth hormone.
(ii) Genes the specific part of a chromosome that
(d) Odd term: Cell wall
determines hereditary characteristics.
Category: As all other belongs to animal cell. (iii) Plasmolysis is the phenomenon a of contraction of
cytoplasm from the cell wall.
(e) Odd term: DDT
(iv) (a) Nucleus.
Category: All are biodegradable

(b) Secretory tissues.
(v) (a) (3) 12 pairs
(v)
(b) (1) Testosterone

(c) (5) Neurotransmitter

(d) (7) 31 pairs

(e) (2) Natural reflex

SECTION - B
3. (i) Pisum sativum.
(ii) (a) Two daughter cells are produced at the end of
cell division.
Four daughter cells are produced at the end of cell
division.
(b) Daughter cells receive full set of chromosomes,
i.e., diploid (2n) number of chromosomes.
Daughter cells receive only half the number
of chromosomes, i.e., haploid (n) number of
chromosomes.
(iii) (a) Dendrites.
(b) Axon.
(iv) Humans have 46 chromosomes. 44 are autosomes
and 2 are sex chromosomes. Genotype of a female
- 44 autosomes + XX. However, the Genotype of a
male - 44 autosomes + XY Thus the total number
of chromosomes in human male and female is the
same (46 chromosomes).
5. (i) The plane of alignment of the chromosomes at
metaphase is referred as the metaphase plate.
(ii) Genes.
(iii) Nucleotides.
(iv) Before mitotic division, the cell is in the interphase.
There are three phases in interphase G1, S, G2.
The daughter cell grows in size and produces the
enzyme required for replication in the G1 phase. In
the S phase, DNA replicates and the content of the
chromosome gets doubled. In the G2 phase, cells
grow in size and prepare to move in mitosis. Hence,
when DNA content after the M-phase of a cell is 2C
then in the G1 phase, it remains 2C as no replication
occurs in this phase.
(v) (a) This picture depicts the start of crossing over.
(b) 1-Chromatid;2-centromere.
(c) Crossing over is the exchange of genetic materials
between two homologous chromosomes and
6 OSWAAL ICSE Sample Question Papers, BIOLOGY, Class-X
this leads to a new combination of genes in the
sex cells hence variation occurs.
6. (i) Crossing-over is the interchange of the parts
of the chromatid of a pair of chromosomes. High
temperature, X-rays and radiation treatment are the
factors affecting crossing-over.
(ii) The genes responsible for the color blindness are
located on the X chromosomes and males have only
one X chromosome, from their mother.
(iii) Law of segregation states that the two contrasting
factors do not mix in the F1 generation but segregate
or separate from each other at the time of gamete
formation.
(iv) Genes are hereditary units located on a chromosomal
thread. A gene can be defined as “ultimate unit of
recombination, mutation and self- reproduction”.
They are responsible for various characteristics
externally shown by the plants and animals. A
single gene may affect one or more characteristics of
offspring.
(v) (a) Reasons:
(1) Many varieties with pure form are available
in alternative forms of character.
(2) Being bisexual, pea plant are normally self -
pollinated but cross pollination could be done
artificially because the size of flower is very
convenient.
(b) Back cross: When F1 individuals are crossed
with one of the two parents from which they
are derived, such a cross is called back cross.
Test cross: When F1 individuals are crossed
with only the recessive parent, it is called test
cross.
(c) (1) Radiation exposure.
(2) Certain change in DNA structure.
7. (i) Meiosis.
(ii) The kidneys purify the blood by excreting toxic and
waste products from the blood. They maintain the
proper concentration of salts in the body and also
regulate the proper amount of water in the body. In
this way the kidneys eliminate only the wastes and
extra substances from the body. Hence, we can say
that kidneys are the master chemist of the body.
(iii) (a) False. A lysosome is a cell organelle present in
the cytoplasm.
(b) 
True. Centrosome initiates cell division in
animal cells.
(iv) The rate of photosynthesis gets decreased when a
green plant gets green light as the light instead of
being absorbed it is reflected which decreases the
rate of the photosynthesis process.
(v) (a) Air pollution.
(b) Automobiles.
(c) It may cause respiratory diseases like bronchitis
and asthma. Oxides of nitrogen decrease the
oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.
Examiner’s Comment
The majority of candidates failed to write
functions of kidneys.
Answering Tip
While studying the functions of each to be
given importance.
8. (i) Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate.
(ii) Cytokinesis is the division of cytoplasm that
occurs after the division of the nucleus. In plant
cells, the formation of the cell plate takes place at
the equatorial plane of the spindle. This cell plate
grows from the centre to the periphery to form two
daughter cells.
(iii) If we uproot a plant, the leaves would wilt as the
plant won't get water which is required for the
preparation of the food of the plant and as the plant
doesn't receive food, it dies.
(iv) Chloroplast: It is an organelle of the cell. It is living.
Chlorophyll: It is the green pigment present in the
chloroplast. It is non-living.
(v) (a) The stage of cell division shown is anaphase.
(b) Different labelled parts are as follows:
A – Spindle fibres
B – Cell wall
C – Chromatid
D – Centromere.
(c) Unique feature of this stage is that chromosomes
get divided into sister chromatids that move
towards the opposite poles.
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