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Answer the following. (Class 12 Biology 2026, Q22)

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BiologyCBSE Class 12 · Board exam 2026, set 57/1/1 · 3 marks · Short answer

CBSE Class 12 Biology 2026: question 22

Set in the CBSE Class 12 board exam of 2026, paper 57/1/1, section C, question 22, for 3 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q22 · 3 marks · Short answerSexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants

Answer the following.

  1. (a)

    Do all pollen grains remain viable for the same length of time ? Support your answer with two suitable examples. (2½)

    (The question carries 3 marks together with part (b) (½) )

    0 marks
  2. (b)

    How are pollen grains stored in pollen banks ? (½)

    0 marks

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2026 board paper, set 57/1/1.

Hints

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

Hint 1

Compare cereal pollen with pollen of the pea or rose family.

Hint 2

Very low temperatures stop metabolism. What liquid is used for that?

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. (a) No, pollen viability differs from species to species.

    ½ mark

  2. Example 1: in rice and wheat (cereals), pollen grains lose viability within about 30 minutes of their release.

    1 mark

  3. Example 2: in some members of Rosaceae, Leguminosae and Solanaceae, pollen grains stay viable for months.

    1 mark

  4. (b) In pollen banks, pollen grains are stored by cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen at −196 °C, so they remain viable for years for crop-breeding programmes.

    ½ mark

Answer: (a) No: rice/wheat pollen stays viable about 30 min, while pollen of Rosaceae, Leguminosae and Solanaceae stays viable for months; (b) cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen at −196 °C

Where the marks are

  • States 'No' (½ mark)
  • Rice/wheat pollen viable only about 30 minutes (1 mark)
  • Rosaceae/Leguminosae/Solanaceae pollen viable for months (1 mark)
  • Cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen at −196 °C (½ mark)

Revise the chapter

Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paper2026 board paper, set 57/1/1: 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.