Plant Reproduction | OCR A-Level Biology B (Advancing Biology) (H422)
Plant Reproduction
- 57 questions
- 4 subtopics
- Further biology content, examined on all three papers
- Component 01, Component 02 and Component 03
Plant Reproduction is examined in all three written papers — the specification states that Components 01, 02 and 03 can each assess content from any of the five modules, so nothing is confined to one paper.
It covers the control of flowering, adaptations of flowers for pollination, fertilisation, seed formation and germination and cereals as staple foods.
Sample questions from Plant Reproduction
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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The control of flowering
What is photoperiodism?
Show the answer
It is the response of a plant, such as the timing of its flowering, to the relative lengths of day and night. -
The control of flowering
Predict and explain the effect on a short-day plant of a brief flash of red light in the middle of a long night.
Show the answer
The flash converts Pr back into Pfr, restoring the inhibitor, so the plant behaves as though the night were short and does not flower, even though the total darkness was long enough. -
Adaptations of flowers for pollination
Give three features of pollen carried by wind.
Show the answer
It is produced in enormous quantities, and the individual grains are very small, light and smooth so that they are carried a long way on air currents. -
Adaptations of flowers for pollination
How are the petals of a pea or bean flower arranged?
Show the answer
There is one large upright standard petal, two side wing petals forming a landing platform, and two fused keel petals that enclose the stamens and the stigma. -
Fertilisation, seed formation and germination
Distinguish between an endospermic and a non-endospermic seed, giving an example of each.
Show the answer
In an endospermic seed such as a cereal grain the endosperm persists as the food store, whereas in a non-endospermic seed such as a broad bean the endosperm is absorbed during development and the food is stored in swollen cotyledons instead. -
Fertilisation, seed formation and germination
What does amylase do in a germinating grain, and what happens to the product?
Show the answer
It hydrolyses the starch of the endosperm to maltose, which is then broken down to glucose and transported to the embryo to be respired for ATP or used to build new cell material. -
Cereals as staple foods
Why does the tonnage of maize grown greatly exceed the amount people eat?
Show the answer
A large share of the crop is used for animal feed and for industrial products such as biofuel and sweeteners, and that demand competes directly with its use as human food. -
Cereals as staple foods
Give two ways in which intensive cereal growing damages the environment.
Show the answer
Manufacturing and applying nitrogen fertiliser consumes large amounts of fossil fuel and the run-off causes eutrophication of rivers and lakes, and continuously flooded rice paddies release large quantities of methane.
The 4 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| The control of flowering | Recall questions on vernalisation and the crops needing it, the pigment that measures day length and its two forms, night interruption experiments, and how growers exploit photoperiodism. | 14 |
| Adaptations of flowers for pollination | Recall questions on pollination and fertilisation, how the anthers, stigmas and pollen of wind-pollinated flowers are adapted, why they lack petals, scent and nectar, how insect-pollinated flowers attract pollinators with nectar guides, pollination of a pea flower by a bee, and dissecting a flower. | 14 |
| Fertilisation, seed formation and germination | Recall questions on pollen tube growth and male gametes, double fertilisation and the endosperm, the plumule, radicle and cotyledons, the testa, endospermic and non-endospermic seeds, conditions for germination, gibberellin and amylase in cereal grains, and investigating germination. | 15 |
| Cereals as staple foods | Recall questions on staple foods and why rice, wheat and maize dominate, starch in the endosperm, the nutritional risks of a single-cereal diet and milling, combining cereals with legumes, threats to cereal-based food security, the environmental costs of intensive growing, seed banks, and sustainable practices. | 14 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
OCR A-Level Biology B (Advancing Biology) Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,895 questions with their answers.