Plants adapted to grow in deserts and other dry habitats are called
- A.xerophytes
- B.mesophytes
- C.hydrophytes
- D.halophytes
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, xerophytes. Xerophytes are plants adapted to live in deserts and other places with very little water; the Greek word "xeros" means dry.
To save water, xerophytes have deep or widely spread roots, thick waxy cuticles, few and sunken stomata, and small leaves or leaves reduced to spines. Many store water in fleshy stems or leaves, as cacti and Opuntia do, and some carry out photosynthesis in green stems instead of leaves. Several follow CAM photosynthesis, opening their stomata only at night. Common examples are cactus, Opuntia, Calotropis (aak), acacia and Euphorbia, found widely in the Thar desert.
B is wrong because mesophytes grow in places with a moderate supply of water, like most crop plants and garden plants. C is wrong because hydrophytes, such as lotus, Hydrilla and water hyacinth, grow in water or very wet soil. D is wrong because halophytes, such as mangroves, grow in salty soil or water and often have breathing roots.
Exam tip: Xero = dry, hydro = water, halo = salt, meso = moderate.
Practice Questions
View allWhich one among the following statements is not correct?
- A.The reaction of methane and chlorine in sunlight produces hydrogen gas.
- B.Palladium catalyzes the addition of hydrogen gas on an alkene.
- C.Ethanol burns in oxygen to give carbon dioxide, water and releases heat and light.
- D.Unsaturated hydrocarbons burn with a sooty flame.
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Methane and chlorine react in sunlight to give chloromethane and hydrogen chloride, not hydrogen gas. This is a substitution reaction: CH4 + Cl2 → CH3Cl + HCl in the presence of sunlight.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements relating to carbon and its compounds are correct? 1. 1-Propyne has three double bonds. 2. The boiling point of acetic acid is higher than methane. 3. Ethanol reacts with sodium metal and produces hydrogen gas. 4. Esters give effervescence on reaction with sodium bicarbonate. Select the answer using the code given below.
- A.1 and 3
- B.2 and 3 only
- C.1 and 2
- D.2, 3 and 4
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Acetic acid boils far above methane, and ethanol gives hydrogen with sodium, while statements 1 and 4 are false. Propyne (CH3–C≡CH) is an alkyne: it has one carbon–carbon triple bond and no double bonds, so statement 1 is wrong.
Read the full explanation →Which one among the following statements regarding gypsum is not correct?
- A.On heating gypsum at 373 K, it loses water molecules and becomes CaSO4 · H2O.
- B.On mixing with water, plaster of Paris changes to gypsum.
- C.Plaster of Paris is used for supporting fractured bones.
- D.Although gypsum possesses water of crystallization, it is not a liquid at room temperature.
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Gypsum heated at 373 K becomes calcium sulphate hemihydrate, CaSO4 · ½H2O, which is plaster of Paris, not CaSO4 · H2O as the statement says.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following is/are the basic step(s) in genetically modifying an organism? 1. Identification of DNA with desirable genes 2. Introduction of the identified DNA into the host 3. Maintenance of introduced DNA in the host and transfer of the DNA to its progeny Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- A.1 only
- B.1, 2 and 3
- C.2 and 3 only
- D.3 only
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Making a genetically modified organism needs all three steps: find the useful DNA, put it into the host, and make sure the host keeps it and passes it on.
Read the full explanation →If one set of chromosomes for a given plant is represented as N; in case of double fertilization, the zygote and the endosperm nucleus of a diploid plant would have how many sets of chromosomes respectively?
- A.N and 2N
- B.2N and 2N
- C.N and 3N
- D.2N and 3N
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The zygote is diploid (2N) and the primary endosperm nucleus is triploid (3N). Double fertilisation is a feature of flowering plants.
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