Plant Growth and Development — Class 11 MCQs with Answers
Class 11 CBSE Biology · Chapter 13
90 practice questions · 30 Easy · 30 Medium · 30 Hard · Updated
Practise the most important Class 11 CBSE Biology questions from Chapter 13, "Plant Growth and Development". You get 9 timed quizzes made from 90 NCERT-based MCQs, with answers and explanations. The questions are split into 30 Easy, 30 Medium and 30 Hard. Warm up on the basics, then move on to the exam-level questions that set top scorers in CBSE & Maharashtra HSC Board exams, MHT-CET and NEET UG apart.
To score well in "Plant Growth and Development", focus on diagrams, key terms and knowing NCERT line by line. Each MCQ here is timed and uses exam-style marking (+4 correct, −1 wrong, 0 skipped). This trains you to stay accurate under time pressure, as real papers need. Every question has a short explanation, so a wrong answer becomes a quick lesson. It is the fastest way to fix gaps before a test.
Use this chapter for focused revision. Start with the Easy set to check your basics on Plant Growth and Development, then move to Medium and Hard to practise applying them. Your accuracy, streaks and XP save automatically. This chapter also adds to your overall Class 11 Biology mastery score. 14 sample questions are solved in full below, with the answer and a worked explanation. Sign in free to start practising.
Key concepts: Plant Growth and Development (Class 11 Biology)
Plants grow throughout life at their meristems and develop through cell division, enlargement and differentiation. This chapter defines growth phases and rates, then examines five plant growth regulators — auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, abscisic acid and ethylene — and the light and cold cues, photoperiodism and vernalisation, that trigger flowering.
- Growth
- An irreversible, permanent increase in size, mass or cell number by division and enlargement; plant growth is indeterminate as meristems keep it going lifelong.
- Phases of growth
- Three overlapping phases: meristematic (cells divide), elongation (cells enlarge and vacuolate) and maturation (cells differentiate to their final form and function).
- Growth rate
- Increase per unit time; arithmetic growth gives a linear rate, while geometric growth is exponential, producing an overall S-shaped sigmoid growth curve.
- Differentiation
- Cells from meristems mature and specialise, often losing protoplasm and thickening walls to perform set jobs, as tracheids do for water conduction.
Plant Growth and Development — important questions & MCQs with answers (Class 11 Biology)
14 solved questions from this chapter's difficulty levels, each with its answer and explanation. The other 76 are timed and scored when you sign in.
- Q1Easy
Auxin promotes:
A.SenescenceB.Cell elongation and apical dominance✓ CorrectC.Stomatal closureD.DormancyAnswer: B. Cell elongation and apical dominance
Explanation: Auxin drives cell elongation via acid growth and enforces apical dominance by suppressing lateral buds; cytokinin does the opposite, releasing those buds to grow.
- Q2Easy
Growth in plants is best defined as:
A.Cell division onlyB.Reversible swelling of cellsC.Increase in dry weight onlyD.Irreversible permanent increase in size of an organ✓ CorrectAnswer: D. Irreversible permanent increase in size of an organ
Explanation: Growth is an irreversible, permanent increase in size of a cell, organ or organism, driven by cell division and cell enlargement, unlike reversible swelling, which is not true growth.
- Q3Easy
Three phases of growth in sequence are:
A.Elongation, meristematic, maturationB.Meristematic, elongation, maturation✓ CorrectC.Maturation, elongation, meristematicD.Meristematic, maturation, elongationAnswer: B. Meristematic, elongation, maturation
Explanation: Growth passes through the meristematic phase (active division near apices), elongation phase (cells enlarge and vacuolate) and maturation phase (cells differentiate), strictly in that order.
- Q4Easy
Ethylene is associated with:
A.Fruit ripening✓ CorrectB.Cell wall constructionC.PhotosynthesisD.Gravity sensing onlyAnswer: A. Fruit ripening
Explanation: Ethylene, a gas hormone, triggers fruit ripening and abscission; unlike auxin or GA it also causes the triple response of inhibited elongation, radial swelling and horizontal growth in seedlings.
- Q5Easy
Indeterminate growth in plants is due to the presence of:
A.CuticleB.Permanent tissuesC.Meristems at certain sites✓ CorrectD.CorkAnswer: C. Meristems at certain sites
Explanation: Plants grow indeterminately because meristems persist at the root and shoot apices throughout life, continually adding new cells; permanent tissues like cork have already stopped dividing.
- Q6Easy
In arithmetic growth, after one mitosis:
A.None dividesB.Both daughters divideC.Both differentiateD.One daughter divides further; other differentiates✓ CorrectAnswer: D. One daughter divides further; other differentiates
Explanation: In arithmetic growth, only one daughter cell from each mitosis keeps dividing while the other differentiates and matures, giving a constant linear rate, unlike geometric growth where both keep dividing.
- Q7Medium
Cytokinins promote:
A.Cell elongation onlyB.Cell division✓ CorrectC.SenescenceD.WiltingAnswer: B. Cell division
Explanation: Cytokinins, derived from adenine, drive cytokinesis and cell division, and also delay senescence, the opposite effect of ethylene, which accelerates leaf and fruit ageing.
- Q8Medium
A determinate growth pattern is seen in:
A.Root apexB.Stem apexC.Most leaves and flowers✓ CorrectD.CambiumAnswer: C. Most leaves and flowers
Explanation: Determinate growth stops once a structure reaches full size, as in most leaves and flowers; root and stem apices instead keep a meristem active for indeterminate, lifelong growth.
- Q9Medium
Sigmoid (S-shaped) growth curve has:
A.No patternB.Only one phaseC.Two phasesD.Lag, log (exponential), stationary phases✓ CorrectAnswer: D. Lag, log (exponential), stationary phases
Explanation: The sigmoid curve traces lag phase (slow start), log phase (fastest exponential growth) and stationary phase (growth plateaus); arithmetic growth instead gives a straight line, not this curve.
- Q10Medium
Apical dominance in plants is primarily due to:
A.Cytokinin from rootsB.Auxin from shoot apex inhibiting lateral buds✓ CorrectC.Gibberellin from leavesD.Ethylene from fruitsAnswer: B. Auxin from shoot apex inhibiting lateral buds
Explanation: Apical dominance is enforced by auxin produced at the shoot apex, which travels down and suppresses lateral bud growth; removing the apex removes this auxin and releases the lateral buds.
- Q11Medium
Relative growth rate (RGR) of an organ is best expressed as:
A.Growth per unit existing size per unit time✓ CorrectB.Absolute growth per minuteC.Final size − initial sizeD.Logarithm of final sizeAnswer: A. Growth per unit existing size per unit time
Explanation: Relative growth rate measures growth per unit of the organ's existing size per unit time, unlike absolute growth rate, which is just size gained per unit time regardless of starting size.
- Q12Hard
ABA (abscisic acid) is known as:
A.Growth hormoneB.Stress hormone✓ CorrectC.Flowering hormoneD.Reproductive hormoneAnswer: B. Stress hormone
Explanation: ABA is called the stress hormone because it triggers stomatal closure and bud or seed dormancy under water deficit, the opposite role to GA, which breaks dormancy and promotes growth.
- Q13Hard
Assertion: Plants exhibit indeterminate growth. Reason: Meristems are present at specific locations throughout life.
A.Both falseB.Both true but Reason does not explainC.Assertion true, Reason falseD.Both true and Reason explains Assertion✓ CorrectAnswer: D. Both true and Reason explains Assertion
Explanation: Both statements are true and the reason explains the assertion: persistent meristems at root and shoot apices are exactly what let plants keep adding new tissue and grow indeterminately throughout life.
- Q14Hard
Photoperiodism affects:
A.Flowering response to day length✓ CorrectB.Photosynthesis rateC.Root colourD.Soil pHAnswer: A. Flowering response to day length
Explanation: Photoperiodism is the flowering response to relative day and night length: short-day plants flower once uninterrupted night exceeds a critical duration, long-day plants when it falls short.
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Start this chapter free →Plant Growth and Development — FAQs
What are the key concepts in Class 11 Biology Plant Growth and Development?+
Plants grow throughout life at their meristems and develop through cell division, enlargement and differentiation. This chapter defines growth phases and rates, then examines five plant growth regulators — auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, abscisic acid and ethylene — and the light and cold cues, photoperiodism and vernalisation, that trigger flowering. Key ideas include Growth, Phases of growth, Growth rate, Differentiation.
What does Class 11 Biology Chapter 13 (Plant Growth and Development) cover on XamBaaz?+
It has 90 NCERT-based MCQs on "Plant Growth and Development": 30 Easy, 30 Medium and 30 Hard. Together they make 9 timed quizzes, and you never get the same set twice. Every question has an instant explanation. They help you prepare for CBSE & Maharashtra HSC Board exams, MHT-CET and NEET UG.
Are these "Plant Growth and Development" questions free to practise?+
Yes. Sign in with Google to practise "Plant Growth and Development" free. Full unlimited access is ₹999/year on a launch offer until 1 December 2026. No chapter is charged separately.
How should I revise "Plant Growth and Development" for the exam?+
Start with the Easy quiz to check your basics, then try Medium and Hard to practise applying them. There are 9 timed quizzes on this chapter, so you can come back for a fresh set instead of one you have seen. Read each explanation, retry the questions you miss, and track your accuracy until it stays high.
Are these "Plant Growth and Development" MCQs available with answers?+
Yes. 14 sample questions are shown here in full, each with the correct option and a step-by-step "Why" explanation. Sign in free with Google to start practising, with instant scoring.
Is there negative marking in the "Plant Growth and Development" quizzes?+
Yes. The timed quizzes use exam-style marking: +4 for a right answer, −1 for a wrong one and 0 for a skip, the same negative marking as NEET UG. MHT-CET and CBSE board papers have no negative marking. Our mocks for those are scored their way.
What are the important questions from Plant Growth and Development (Class 11 Biology)?+
The questions that matter most test Growth, Phases of growth, Growth rate, Differentiation. This page shows 14 solved important MCQs with answers and explanations; all 90 questions on the chapter are available as timed quizzes once you sign in.
Is there an online quiz for Plant Growth and Development?+
Yes — Class 11 Biology Plant Growth and Development has timed online quizzes at Easy, Medium and Hard levels, with instant scoring and a worked explanation on every question. The first quiz on the chapter is free.