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The image below shows… (Class 10 Science SQP 2024-25, Q35A)

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ScienceCBSE Class 10 · Sample paper, session 2024-25 · 5 marks · Long answer

CBSE Class 10 Science sample paper 2024-25: question 35(A)

From the official CBSE sample question paper for 2024-25, section D, question 35(A), for 5 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q35(A) · 5 marks · Long answerCompetency-basedHow do Organisms Reproduce?

The image below shows a banana plant which is growing with the help of suckers. These suckers are small plant stem outgrowths which can be separated from the main plant and planted separately and they will grow into a new plant subsequently.
(i) Give the name and type of reproduction that is shown in the image above. (1)
(ii) List two advantages the farmer will have on using the type of reproduction mentioned above. (2)
(iii) The above plant produces male flowers. Explain how this plant will be involved in the process of pollination. (1)
(iv) Why is the offspring of this banana plant not absolutely identical to its parent plant? (1)

(A version for visually impaired students is printed with the same four parts without the image.)

Figure in the paper: Banana plant with a bunch of bananas; two suckers (small shoots growing from the base of the main stem) labelled 'Suckers'. See it in the official paper.

Source: official sample paper from cbseacademic.nic.in (PDF). See it in the full Sample paper 2024-25.

Hints

Open one hint at a time and try again before the next.

Hint 1

Suckers are parts of the stem, not seeds. What kind of reproduction uses body parts other than seeds?

Hint 2

Think about time taken and how alike the new plants are to the parent.

Hint 3

Every time DNA is copied, is the copy always 100% accurate?

Step-by-step solution

Each step shows the marks it earns, as an examiner would award them. Checked by an independent re-solve from the question paper.

  1. (i) New banana plants grow from suckers, which are outgrowths of the stem (vegetative parts). No seeds or gametes are involved.

    • Name: vegetative propagation
    • Type: asexual reproduction
    1 mark

  2. (ii) Advantage 1: Plants are raised faster. They flower and fruit sooner than seed-grown plants, so the farmer gets more crops in the same time.

    1 mark

  3. Advantage 2: All new plants are genetically identical to the parent. Desirable features such as fruit quality are kept unchanged. Also, the farmer need not depend on seeds or pollinators.

    1 mark

  4. (iii) The male flowers produce pollen in their anthers. This pollen is carried by agents such as insects, wind or water to the stigma of female flowers of another banana plant. This is cross-pollination, and it allows fertilisation and fruit formation.

    1 mark

  5. (iv) Every reproduction involves copying the parent's DNA. DNA copying is not perfectly accurate, so small variations appear. Hence the offspring is very similar to the parent but not absolutely identical.

    1 mark

Answer: (i) Vegetative propagation, asexual; (ii) e.g. faster flowering and fruiting (more crops in less time) and genetically identical plants with no need for pollinators; (iii) its pollen is carried by insects/wind/water to the stigma of female flowers of another plant (cross-pollination); (iv) small errors in DNA copying cause slight variation

Where the marks are

  • Names vegetative propagation and asexual reproduction (0.5 + 0.5 marks)
  • Any two correct advantages (1 + 1 marks)
  • States cross-pollination and the transfer of pollen to a stigma by an agent (0.5 + 0.5 marks)
  • Variation due to imperfect DNA copying (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from How do Organisms Reproduce?, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paperSample paper 2024-25: every question, by section.

The question is transcribed from the official paper; figures are described in words. The solution, hints and chapter tag are ours. Spotted an error? Write tosupport@questionbuddy.in.