Asexual Reproduction Practice Questions
20 free Asexual Reproduction practice questions for the General Science. Tap an option to answer — you get instant feedback, the correct answer, and a detailed explanation for every question.
Which of the following structures is a specialized underground stem used for asexual reproduction in potato plants?
- A Bulb
- B Rhizome
- C Tuber
- D Corm
Correct answer: Tuber
Potatoes reproduce asexually through tubers, which are enlarged structures of the underground stem that store nutrients. These tubers contain 'eyes' or axillary buds that can develop into new independent plants.
The production of seeds without fertilization, resulting in offspring genetically identical to the parent, is known as:
- A Amphimixis
- B Apomixis
- C Parthenogenesis
- D Budding
Correct answer: Apomixis
Apomixis is a form of asexual reproduction where seeds are produced from maternal tissues without the fusion of gametes. This ensures that the offspring remain genetically identical to the parent plant.
Which plant is commonly propagated using runners (stolons) that grow along the soil surface?
- A Marigold
- B Strawberry
- C Hibiscus
- D Chrysanthemum
Correct answer: Strawberry
Strawberries produce stolons, or runners, which are horizontal stems that grow along the ground. At various nodes, these runners produce adventitious roots and new plantlets.
What is the primary characteristic of offspring produced through vegetative propagation?
- A They show high genetic variation.
- B They are genetically identical to the parent.
- C They are always produced from seeds.
- D They typically require two separate genetic parent plants.
Correct answer: They are genetically identical to the parent.
Vegetative propagation is a form of asexual reproduction involving only one parent. Because mitosis is the primary mechanism of cell division, the offspring are clones of the parent plant.
In Bryophyllum, vegetative propagation occurs through which plant part?
- A Stem
- B Root
- C Flower
- D Leaf
Correct answer: Leaf
Bryophyllum species are known for producing adventitious buds along the margins of their leaves. When these leaves fall onto moist soil, the buds develop into new plantlets.
Which artificial method of vegetative propagation involves joining the scion of one plant to the stock of another?
- A Cutting
- B Layering
- C Grafting
- D Tissue Culture
Correct answer: Grafting
Grafting involves attaching a shoot or bud (scion) from a desired plant onto the rooted stem (stock) of another. This allows the combined plant to benefit from the root system of the stock and the fruit/foliage of the scion.
What type of modified stem is found in Ginger for vegetative reproduction?
- A Runner
- B Bulb
- C Rhizome
- D Offshoot
Correct answer: Rhizome
Ginger reproduces via rhizomes, which are horizontal underground stems. These stems have nodes and internodes that can give rise to new roots and shoots.
The tiny, circular structures used for asexual reproduction in liverworts are called:
- A Spores
- B Gemmae
- C Zygotes
- D Conidia
Correct answer: Gemmae
Gemmae are small multicellular bodies produced in gemma cups on the thallus of liverworts. They detach and are dispersed by water to grow into new haploid gametophytes.
Which of these is an advantage of asexual reproduction in plants?
- A Increased genetic diversity
- B Rapid colonization of stable habitats
- C Production of highly resistant seeds
- D Ability to survive in changing climates
Correct answer: Rapid colonization of stable habitats
Asexual reproduction allows plants to reproduce quickly and populate an area without the need for pollinators or mates. This is particularly advantageous in stable environments where the parent's traits are already well-adapted.
Water hyacinth reproduces rapidly in water bodies primarily through:
- A Tubers
- B Offsets
- C Suckers
- D Bulbs
Correct answer: Offsets
Water hyacinth spreads by offsets — short horizontal branches arising from the leaf axils, each ending in a rosette of leaves and a tuft of roots. They snap off easily and float away as independent plants, which is how the weed blankets a water body so quickly. An offset is the aquatic counterpart of the runner or stolon of land plants. Tubers, suckers and bulbs are all structures of soil-rooted plants, not of a free-floating aquatic.
What is the term for the method where a branch is bent to the ground and covered with soil to induce root formation while still attached to the parent?
- A Micropropagation
- B Grafting
- C Layering
- D Cuttings
Correct answer: Layering
Layering is an asexual propagation technique where a stem is encouraged to develop roots while it is still physically connected to the parent plant. Once roots have formed, the new plant is severed and moved.
In tissue culture (micropropagation), the undifferentiated mass of cells formed in the culture medium is called:
- A Explant
- B Callus
- C Shoot
- D Embryoid
Correct answer: Callus
The callus is a mass of unorganized, parenchymatous cells produced during tissue culture. By adjusting hormone levels, this callus can be induced to differentiate into roots and shoots.
Onions and lilies store food and reproduce asexually using which structure?
- A Bulbs
- B Corms
- C Rhizomes
- D Stolons
Correct answer: Bulbs
Bulbs consist of a short, vertical stem surrounded by fleshy, modified leaves that store food. These structures can produce lateral buds that develop into new bulbs.
Which of the following is NOT a natural method of vegetative propagation?
- A Tubers
- B Rhizomes
- C Grafting
- D Runners
Correct answer: Grafting
Grafting is an artificial or horticultural technique performed by humans to propagate plants. Tubers, rhizomes, and runners are all natural mechanisms evolved by plants for reproduction.
What is an 'explant' in the context of plant tissue culture?
- A A hormone used to promote plant growth
- B The sterile nutrient medium used for culturing
- C A tissue piece used to start a culture
- D A plant that has been moved outdoors
Correct answer: A tissue piece used to start a culture
An explant is a small piece of living tissue (such as a leaf or stem segment) removed from a plant and placed in a sterile nutrient medium. It serves as the starting material for micropropagation.
Corms differ from bulbs in that corms are:
- A Solid stem tissue rather than fleshy leaves
- B Found only growing above the ground
- C Typically produced by monocot plants
- D Capable of producing seeds by sexual reproduction
Correct answer: Solid stem tissue rather than fleshy leaves
While both are underground storage organs, a corm is a thickened, solid underground stem, whereas a bulb is composed primarily of layered, fleshy leaf bases.
Which plant part is typically used for propagation in Sugarcane?
- A Root cuttings
- B Stem cuttings
- C Leaf cuttings
- D Seeds
Correct answer: Stem cuttings
Sugarcane is commercially propagated using stem cuttings, also known as 'sets.' Each set must contain at least one node with a viable bud to grow into a new plant.
The method of producing a large number of plants from a small amount of tissue under sterile conditions is called:
- A Macropropagation
- B Micropropagation
- C Sexual reproduction
- D Fragmentation
Correct answer: Micropropagation
Micropropagation is another term for plant tissue culture. It allows for the rapid production of thousands of clones from a very small piece of parental tissue.
Asexual reproduction by splitting into two or more parts, where each part grows into a complete organism, is called:
- A Budding
- B Spore formation
- C Fragmentation
- D Apomixis
Correct answer: Fragmentation
Fragmentation occurs when the body of a multicellular organism breaks into pieces, each of which regenerates missing parts to become a new individual. This is common in some algae and mosses.
Which of the following hormones is most critical for inducing root formation in stem cuttings?
- A Ethylene
- B Abscisic acid
- C Auxin
- D Gibberellin
Correct answer: Auxin
Auxins, such as IBA (Indole-3-butyric acid), are widely used in horticulture to promote the development of adventitious roots in cuttings. This increases the success rate of vegetative propagation.