Which part of the plant or flower contributes in the form of false fruit like apple?

The correct answer is D, Thalamus. In an apple, the fleshy part we eat develops from the thalamus, the swollen tip of the flower stalk, and not from the ovary, which is why it is called a false fruit. A true fruit develops only from the ovary after fertilisation, as in mango or tomato. When another floral part such as the thalamus grows and becomes the edible portion, the fruit is called a false fruit or pseudocarp. Apple, pear, strawberry and cashew are the standard examples; in apple the actual ovary forms only the papery core that holds the seeds. Option A is wrong because petals usually wither and fall after pollination and do not form fruit. Option B is wrong because sepals at most persist as a dry remnant on some fruits, such as the crown of a brinjal, but do not become the fleshy part. Option C is wrong because stamens produce pollen and drop off after fertilisation. Exam tip: false fruit from the thalamus = apple and pear; strawberry fleshy part = thalamus; cashew apple = swollen pedicel.