Ans: Male reproductive part: Stamen (anther + filament). Female reproductive part: Pistil/Carpel (stigma + style + ovary).

Ans: Germination is the process by which a seed develops into a new plant seedling under favourable conditions of water, oxygen, and suitable temperature.

Ans: Pollination: transfer of pollen grains from anther to stigma; does not involve fusion of gametes; carried out by wind, water, or insects. Fertilisation: fusion of male gamete (from pollen) with female gamete (egg in ovule) to form a zygote; takes place inside the ovule.

Ans: (1) Faster than growing from seeds. (2) Produces plants genetically identical to the parent (useful for preserving desirable traits). (3) Seedless plants like banana and rose can be propagated. (4) Reliable for plants that rarely produce seeds.

Ans: In angiosperms, the pollen tube delivers two male gametes into the embryo sac. One male gamete fuses with the egg cell to form the diploid zygote (which grows into the embryo). The second male gamete fuses with the two polar nuclei to form the triploid primary endosperm nucleus (which develops into the endosperm — food for the embryo). This fusion of one gamete with egg and another with polar nuclei is called double fertilisation, a unique feature of angiosperms.

Ans: (1) Vegetative propagation: new plants from vegetative organs — potato from tubers, ginger from rhizomes, rose from cuttings, bryophyllum from leaf buds. (2) Budding: a small bud grows on the parent organism and detaches to form a new individual, e.g., yeast (also in animals: Hydra). (3) Fragmentation: organism breaks into fragments, each growing into a new individual, e.g., Spirogyra (algae). (4) Spore formation: plants produce spores in sporangia; spores germinate under favourable conditions, e.g., Rhizopus (bread mould), ferns, mosses. (5) Tissue culture (modern method): growing a new plant from a small group of cells or tissue in a nutrient medium in the lab; used for orchids and rare plants. Asexual reproduction produces genetically identical offspring and is faster but reduces genetic variation.

Ans: Hydra reproduces by budding — a type of asexual reproduction where a small outgrowth (bud) forms on the parent body, grows into a miniature Hydra, and eventually detaches to live independently.

Ans: The placenta is a special organ that connects the developing embryo/foetus to the mother's uterine wall. It supplies oxygen and nutrients from the mother's blood to the embryo and removes carbon dioxide and metabolic waste from the embryo to the mother's blood.

Ans: Vegetative propagation is considered a form of asexual reproduction because: (1) It involves only one parent plant — no gametes are formed and no fertilization takes place. (2) The offspring produced are genetically identical to the parent (clones), since they arise from mitotic division of somatic (vegetative) cells. (3) Like other types of asexual reproduction, it does not involve the fusion of male and female reproductive cells. Examples: potato growing from a tuber (stem), Bryophyllum from a leaf, rose from a stem cutting.

Ans: Oviparous animals: lay eggs; embryo develops outside the mother's body; eggs contain stored yolk for nutrition; e.g., hen (bird), frog (amphibian), lizard (reptile). Viviparous animals: give birth to young ones; embryo develops inside the mother's uterus; embryo nourished through placenta; e.g., human, cow, whale (mammals). Oviparous animals generally produce more eggs with less parental care; viviparous animals produce fewer offspring but with more parental care and higher survival rate.

Ans: Pollination is the transfer of pollen grains from the anther of a flower to the stigma of the same or another flower of the same species. Role of wind (anemophily): Wind-pollinated flowers produce large quantities of light, smooth, dry pollen grains that are easily carried by wind. These flowers are usually small, inconspicuous, without scent or nectar, and have feathery stigmas to catch pollen. Examples: grasses, wheat, maize. Role of insects (entomophily): Insect-pollinated flowers are usually brightly coloured and fragrant to attract insects. They produce nectar as a reward. Pollen grains are sticky or rough so they cling to the insect's body. When the insect visits another flower, pollen is transferred. Examples: sunflower, rose, mustard.

Ans: Methods of asexual reproduction in plants: (1) Vegetative propagation — new plants grow from vegetative parts: roots (sweet potato, dahlia), stems (ginger, potato tuber, onion bulb, runners in strawberry), leaves (Bryophyllum — buds on leaf margins). (2) Spore formation — plants like ferns, mosses and fungi (Rhizopus) produce microscopic spores in sporangia. On release, spores germinate into new plants under suitable conditions. (3) Fragmentation — in lower plants like Spirogyra (filamentous algae), the organism breaks into fragments, each growing into a new organism. (4) Budding — in yeast (a fungus), a small bud forms on parent cell, enlarges, receives nucleus, and separates. (5) Tissue culture (artificial) — cells or tissues of plants are grown in a sterile nutrient medium to produce many disease-free plants; used commercially for orchids, banana, potato.

Ans: Sexual reproduction in flowering plants: Step 1 — Pollination: Pollen grains are transferred from the anther (of stamen) to the stigma (of carpel) by agents like wind, water, insects or birds. Step 2 — Germination of pollen: On reaching the stigma, the pollen grain absorbs moisture and germinates. A pollen tube grows through the style toward the ovule in the ovary. Step 3 — Fertilization: The pollen tube enters the ovule through the micropyle. Two male gametes travel down the tube. Double fertilization occurs: (a) First male gamete fuses with the egg cell (ovum) → zygote (2n) → will form embryo. (b) Second male gamete fuses with the two polar nuclei → endosperm nucleus (3n) → will form endosperm (food for embryo). Step 4 — Seed and fruit formation: The zygote divides and develops into an embryo within the ovule. The ovule matures into the seed (containing embryo and stored food). The ovary wall develops into the fruit (pericarp). Step 5 — Germination: Under suitable conditions (warmth, moisture, air), the seed germinates to produce a new seedling.