Question

A fruit is

• A. A ripened ovary
• B. An enlarged ovule
• C. A mature gametophyte
• D. An enlarged aggregate of several flowers

Answer 1

The correct option is A

A ripened ovary

The correct option is A

Explanation of the correct option :

1. A flowering plant can produce fruit.
2. A flower has the female reproductive part : pistil.
3. Pistil consists of three parts: stigma, style and ovary.
4. Ovary is the swollen base of the pistil.
5. It contains the ovules.
6. Within ovules the fertilization occurs.
7. After fertilization, the ovary gets transformed into a fruit so the ovary enlarges and becomes fleshy.
8. This transformation of ovary into fruit is the ripening of ovary.
9. So, the fruit is termed as the ripened ovary.

Explanation of the incorrect option:

Option B:

1. An ovule gets transformed into seeds after fertilization.

Option C:

1. Gametophyte is a structure which bears the gametes.
2. In plants, the male gametophyte is the pollen as it contains the male gametes and the female gametophyte is the embryo sac as it contains the female gamete (egg cell).

Option D:

1. An enlarged aggregate of several flowers is known as inflorescence.

Final answer: A fruit is a ripened ovary.