Science practice

Biology - Reproduction Questions with Answers

Reproduction questions cover asexual methods such as fission, budding and spore formation, sexual reproduction in flowering plants, and the human reproductive system, as in NCERT class 10 and 8. RRB Group D, ALP, NTPC and SSC papers usually ask which organism uses which method, which part of the flower becomes the fruit, or where fertilisation takes place in humans. Tip: match each method to its example organism in a single table and revise it.

Formulas and key facts

Binary fission: Amoeba, Paramecium, Leishmania; multiple fission: Plasmodium
Budding: Hydra and yeast
Fragmentation: Spirogyra; spore formation: Rhizopus
Regeneration: Planaria and Hydra can regrow body parts
Vegetative propagation: Bryophyllum (leaves), potato (eyes), rose (cutting)
Flower: male part is the stamen (anther and filament); female part is the pistil (stigma, style, ovary)
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma; fertilisation forms the zygote
After fertilisation, the ovule becomes the seed and the ovary becomes the fruit
Human male gametes (sperm) are made in the testes; female gametes (eggs) in the ovaries
Fertilisation in humans takes place in the oviduct (fallopian tube); the embryo implants in the uterus
Meiosis halves the chromosome number to form gametes; fertilisation restores it
A human body cell has 46 chromosomes; each gamete has 23

Worked examples

Q1. Which method of asexual reproduction is seen in Hydra?

In Hydra, a small outgrowth (bud) develops on the parent body.
The bud grows, forms a small Hydra and detaches from the parent.
This process is called budding.

Answer: Budding

Q2. After fertilisation in a flowering plant, which flower parts become the fruit and the seed?

The fertilised ovule develops into the seed.
The ovary wall develops into the fruit.
The petals, stamens and other parts usually wither away.

Answer: The ovary becomes the fruit and the ovule becomes the seed

Q3. A cell of an organism with 14 chromosomes undergoes meiosis. How many cells are formed and how many chromosomes does each have?

Meiosis gives four cells from one parent cell.
The chromosome number is halved: 14 / 2 = 7.
These four cells are gametes with 7 chromosomes each; fertilisation will restore 14.

Answer: 4 cells, each with 7 chromosomes

Shortcuts that save time

For method-and-organism questions, recall the key example first: Amoeba with binary fission, Hydra with budding, Rhizopus with spores, Planaria with regeneration. Choose only when you can name the example, to avoid negative marks.
Remember the sequence for flowers and humans: pollination, then fertilisation, then zygote, then embryo. In plants, ovule to seed and ovary to fruit; in humans, fertilisation in the oviduct and development in the uterus.
For chromosome numbers, gametes carry half the body-cell number and a zygote carries the full number. Do not pick the halved value for a zygote.

Where this appears

RRB Group D	General Science section
RRB ALP	General Science section
RRB NTPC	General Awareness section
SSC CGL	General Awareness section