Knowledge Check: Unit 6 — Chapters 30–32 – Biology

Knowledge Check: Unit 6 — Chapters 30–32

Test yourself on Unit 6: Plant Structure and Function (Chapters 30–32). Every question below was written from the chapters’ own text — their summaries, key terms, explanations, and tables — and none repeats a question from the section pages. There are no hints: treat it like a test. Questions are grouped by the section they come from, so a miss tells you exactly which section to review.

Chapter 30: Plant Form and Physiology

30.1 The Plant Body

Unlike the xylem’s conducting cells, which are dead at functional maturity, the conducting cells of the ________ are alive at maturity.

Xylem tissue includes three different cell types: xylem parenchyma and two types that conduct water, vessel elements and ________.

How does permanent tissue form from meristematic tissue, and what are its three main types?

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Meristems produce cells that quickly differentiate, or specialize, and become permanent tissue, taking on specific roles and losing their ability to divide further. They differentiate into three main types: dermal, vascular, and ground tissue.

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meristems produce cells that quickly differentiate, or specialize, and become permanent tissue
taking on specific roles and losing their ability to divide further
they differentiate into three main types: dermal, vascular, and ground tissue

30.2 Stems

A tough, waterproof outer layer of cork cells that further protects a woody plant from damage is called ________.

Which xylem cell type has thick, lignified secondary cell walls, with water moving from cell to cell only through pits where the secondary wall is absent?

How do stolons differ from runners, and what is a familiar example of a plant that spreads by runners?

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Stolons are stems that run almost parallel to the ground, or just below the surface, and can give rise to new plants at the nodes. Runners are a type of stolon that runs above the ground and produces new clone plants at nodes at varying intervals; strawberries are an example.

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stolons are stems that run almost parallel to the ground, or just below the surface
runners are a type of stolon that runs above the ground and produces new clone plants at nodes
strawberries are an example

30.3 Roots

The region of root ground tissue that lies between the epidermis and the vascular tissue is called the ________.

In monocot roots, how is the vascular tissue of the stele arranged?

What are the three major functions of the roots of seed plants?

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The roots of seed plants anchor the plant to the soil, absorb water and minerals and transport them upwards, and store the products of photosynthesis.

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anchor the plant to the soil
absorb water and minerals and transport them upwards
store the products of photosynthesis

30.4 Leaves

In which leaf arrangement do two leaves arise at the same point along the branch?

Botanists call the upper surface of a leaf the ________ surface.

How are the leaves of many aquatic plants adapted to living on the water’s surface?

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Many aquatic plants have leaves with a wide lamina that can float on the surface of the water, and a thick waxy cuticle on the leaf surface that repels water.

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leaves with a wide lamina that can float on the surface of the water
a thick waxy cuticle on the leaf surface that repels water

30.5 Transport of Water and Solutes in Plants

Which water-potential component becomes more influential the taller a plant grows, adding roughly 10 MPa of extra resistance to overcome in a tall redwood?

The formation of small gas bubbles in the xylem, which can interrupt the continuous stream of water moving up the plant, is called ________.

How is sucrose loaded into the phloem’s sieve-tube elements at the source, and why does this step require ATP?

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The sucrose is actively transported against its concentration gradient, a process requiring ATP, into the phloem cells using the electrochemical potential of the proton gradient. This is coupled to the uptake of sucrose with a carrier protein called the sucrose-H⁺ symporter.

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the sucrose is actively transported against its concentration gradient
a process requiring ATP
using the electrochemical potential of the proton gradient
coupled to the uptake of sucrose with a carrier protein called the sucrose-H⁺ symporter

30.6 Plant Sensory Systems and Responses

The physiological process that leads to the fall of a plant organ, such as a leaf or petal, is called ________.

Which term describes a plant’s ability to use light to track time, such as sensing day length to anticipate the season?

How do jasmonates help a damaged plant defend itself, including their role in attracting other insects?

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As tissue is damaged, jasmonates may promote the synthesis of compounds that are toxic to predators. Jasmonates also elicit the synthesis of volatile compounds that attract parasitoids, which are insects that spend their developing stages in or on another insect and eventually kill their host.

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jasmonates promote the synthesis of compounds that are toxic to predators
jasmonates elicit the synthesis of volatile compounds that attract parasitoids
parasitoids are insects that spend their developing stages in or on another insect and eventually kill their host

Chapter 31: Soil and Plant Nutrition

31.1 Nutritional Requirements of Plants

Which two factors are the major determinants of plant distribution and growth?

What roles does phosphorus play in a plant, both in synthesizing molecules and in energy metabolism?

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Phosphorus is necessary to synthesize nucleic acids and phospholipids. As part of ATP, phosphorus enables food energy to be converted into chemical energy through oxidative phosphorylation.

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phosphorus is necessary to synthesize nucleic acids and phospholipids
phosphorus enables food energy to be converted into chemical energy through oxidative phosphorylation

The combination of ________, along with water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight, produce the energy that allows plants to grow.

31.2 The Soil

About what percentage of soil volume is organic matter?

The area of soil affected by root secretions and microorganisms is called the ________.

Why do sediments carried by a fast-moving river differ from those carried by a slow-moving river?

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A fast-moving river could have sediments of rocks and sand, whereas a slow-moving river could have fine-textured material, such as clay.

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a fast-moving river could have sediments of rocks and sand
a slow-moving river could have fine-textured material, such as clay

31.3 Nutritional Adaptations of Plants

Which term describes a parasitic plant that is fully photosynthetic and uses its host only for water and minerals?

In a mycorrhizal partnership, what percentage of the total carbon accessed by the plant can the fungus obtain?

Why can plants not take advantage of atmospheric nitrogen (N₂) directly?

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Plants cannot take advantage of atmospheric nitrogen because they do not have the necessary enzymes to convert it into biologically useful forms.

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plants cannot take advantage of atmospheric nitrogen
they do not have the necessary enzymes to convert it into biologically useful forms

Chapter 32: Plant Reproduction

32.1 Reproductive Development and Structure

The thicker, outer covering of a pollen grain, which contains the waterproofing substance sporopollenin, is called the ________.

In the angiosperm embryo sac, the three nuclei that position themselves at the end opposite the micropyle and later degenerate develop into the ________.

Explain how the location of the female gametophyte differs between angiosperms and gymnosperms, and name two other ways gymnosperm reproduction differs from that of angiosperms.

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In angiosperms, the female gametophyte exists in an enclosed structure—the ovule—which is within the ovary; in gymnosperms, the female gametophyte is present on exposed bracts of the female cone. Double fertilization is a key event in the lifecycle of angiosperms, but is completely absent in gymnosperms. The male and female gametophyte structures are present on separate male and female cones in gymnosperms, whereas in angiosperms, they are a part of the flower.

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in angiosperms, the female gametophyte exists in an enclosed structure—the ovule—which is within the ovary
in gymnosperms, the female gametophyte is present on exposed bracts of the female cone
double fertilization is a key event in the lifecycle of angiosperms, but is completely absent in gymnosperms
the male and female gametophyte structures are present on separate male and female cones in gymnosperms, whereas in angiosperms, they are a part of the flower

32.2 Pollination and Fertilization

The cold treatment that some seeds require before germination, guaranteeing that seeds from plants in temperate climates will not germinate until spring, is called ________.

In a germinating monocot seed, which structure secretes the enzymes that degrade the endosperm’s stored carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids?

Explain how simple, aggregate, and multiple fruits differ from each other in how many carpels and flowers each develops from.

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If the fruit develops from a single carpel or fused carpels of a single ovary, it is known as a simple fruit, as seen in nuts and beans. An aggregate fruit is one that develops from more than one carpel, but all are in the same flower: the mature carpels fuse together to form the entire fruit, as seen in the raspberry. Multiple fruit develops from an inflorescence or a cluster of flowers. An example is the pineapple, where the flowers fuse together to form the fruit.

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if the fruit develops from a single carpel or fused carpels of a single ovary, it is known as a simple fruit
an aggregate fruit is one that develops from more than one carpel, but all are in the same flower
multiple fruit develops from an inflorescence or a cluster of flowers
an example is the pineapple, where the flowers fuse together to form the fruit

32.3 Asexual Reproduction

The artificial method of asexual reproduction in which a stem still attached to the plant is bent and covered with soil, used to propagate jasmine and bougainvillea, is called ________.

In Bryophyllum and kalanchoe, small buds on the margins of the ________ can detach and grow into independent plants.

Explain how grafting joins two plants together, from the initial cut through to the graft bearing flowers and fruit.

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In grafting, two plant species are used; part of the stem of the desirable plant is grafted onto a rooted plant called the stock. The part that is grafted or attached is called the scion. Both are cut at an oblique angle and placed in close contact with each other, and are then held together. The vascular systems of the two plants grow and fuse, forming a graft. After a period of time, the scion starts producing shoots, and eventually starts bearing flowers and fruits.

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part of the stem of the desirable plant is grafted onto a rooted plant called the stock
the part that is grafted or attached is called the scion
both are cut at an oblique angle and placed in close contact with each other
the vascular systems of the two plants grow and fuse, forming a graft
after a period of time, the scion starts producing shoots, and eventually starts bearing flowers and fruits

This knowledge check is written for Unit 6 (Chapters 30–32) of Biology 2e by Mary Ann Clark, Jung Choi, Matthew Douglas, and OpenStax, © OpenStax, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Access the original for free at openstax.org. Changes: every question is locally written from the pinned text of the chapters’ own modules — their section summaries, glossary definitions, body passages, and comparison tables — and none is transcribed from the book’s exercise sets, which the section pages already carry; no question carries a hint, and every self-check carries a rubric that decomposes a model answer made of the module’s own sentences.

Asexual Reproduction The Animal Body: Basic Form and Function