The Fruit — NEET Biology MCQs with Solutions
Free NEET Biology The Fruit MCQs with step-by-step solutions (33 questions). Part of Morphology of Flowering Plants. Practise online on Prepizo — no login needed.
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Questions with solutions
Q1 — The Fruit · easy · theory
A true fruit develops from the ______ after fertilisation:
A. Whole flower
B. Ovary ✓ Correct
C. Thalamus only
D. Ovule
Solution: A fruit is the matured ovary; it usually has a pericarp (fruit wall) and seeds.
Q2 — The Fruit · easy · theory
A fruit that develops WITHOUT fertilisation (seedless, e.g. banana) is:
A. A pome
B. Parthenocarpic ✓ Correct
C. A false fruit
D. A drupe
Solution: Parthenocarpic fruits (e.g. banana) form without fertilisation and are seedless.
Q3 — The Fruit · medium · theory
In a drupe (mango, coconut), the stony hard part enclosing the seed is the:
A. Mesocarp
B. Thalamus
C. Epicarp
D. Endocarp ✓ Correct
Solution: A drupe has an outer epicarp, fleshy mesocarp, and a hard stony endocarp around the seed.
Q4 — The Fruit · medium · theory
Apple is called a FALSE fruit because the fleshy edible part develops from the:
A. Seed
B. Thalamus (not the ovary) ✓ Correct
C. Ovary wall
D. Endocarp
Solution: In apple the thalamus becomes fleshy, so it is a false fruit (accessory fruit).
Q5 — The Fruit · hard · theory
In the coconut drupe, the fibrous husk (coir) corresponds to the ______ and the edible white kernel is the ______:
A. Seed coat; cotyledon
B. Epicarp; embryo
C. Endocarp; mesocarp
D. Mesocarp; endosperm ✓ Correct
Solution: The coir is the fibrous mesocarp; the white kernel/water is the endosperm inside the stony endocarp.
Q6 — The Fruit · hard · theory
Which correctly matches fruit type with example?
A. Pome — pea; Legume — apple
B. Legume — pea; Drupe — mango; Pome — apple ✓ Correct
C. Caryopsis — mango
D. Berry — mango; Drupe — apple
Solution: Pea = legume, mango = drupe, apple = pome; a grain (wheat) is a caryopsis, tomato a berry.
Q7 — The Fruit · easy · numerical
A fruit that develops only from the ovary and in which no other floral part contributes to its flesh is called a:
A. Aggregate fruit
B. Parthenocarpic fruit
C. True fruit ✓ Correct
D. False fruit
Solution: A true fruit develops from the ovary alone after fertilisation (e.g. mango). A false fruit has non-ovary tissue (like thalamus) forming part of the flesh.
Q8 — The Fruit · easy · numerical
In the fleshy fruit of mango, the three layers of the pericarp from outside inward are correctly ordered as:
A. Endocarp, mesocarp, epicarp
B. Mesocarp, epicarp, endocarp
C. Epicarp, mesocarp, endocarp ✓ Correct
D. Epicarp, endocarp, mesocarp
Solution: The pericarp differentiates into an outer epicarp (skin), a middle mesocarp (fleshy edible pulp in mango) and an inner stony endocarp enclosing the seed.
Q9 — The Fruit · medium · numerical
A mango and a coconut are both grouped as drupes. Which single feature justifies placing them together despite their very different look?
A. Both develop from a monocarpellary superior ovary and have a hard, stony endocarp around the seed ✓ Correct
B. Both are false fruits with the thalamus forming the flesh
C. Both are parthenocarpic and hence seedless
D. Both have a fleshy, edible mesocarp that we eat
Solution: Drupes are defined by a stony endocarp enclosing the seed. In mango the mesocarp is edible; in coconut the mesocarp is fibrous (coir) — but both share the stony endocarp.
Q10 — The Fruit · medium · numerical
Which statement about parthenocarpic fruits is correct?
A. They are aggregate fruits formed from many free carpels of one flower
B. They require double fertilisation to set fruit
C. They always develop from the thalamus and are therefore false fruits
D. They develop from the ovary without fertilisation and are typically seedless, as in banana ✓ Correct
Solution: Parthenocarpic fruits form from the ovary without fertilisation and hence are seedless (banana). Fertilisation and seed formation are bypassed.
Q11 — The Fruit · medium · numerical
A guava and a tomato are both classified as berries. Which correctly describes a berry?
A. A fleshy fruit in which seeds are embedded in the pulp and the endocarp is not stony ✓ Correct
B. A fruit with a hard, stony endocarp surrounding a single seed
C. A false fruit formed mainly from the thalamus
D. A dry dehiscent fruit that splits along two sutures to release seeds
Solution: A berry is a fleshy fruit whose seeds lie scattered in the pulp with no stony endocarp (tomato, guava, grape). A stony endocarp would make it a drupe.
Q12 — The Fruit · easy · theory
The fruit is a mature or ripened ovary, developed after fertilisation. If a fruit is formed without fertilisation of the ovary, it is called a
A. Parthenocarpic fruit ✓ Correct
B. False fruit
C. Parthenogenic fruit
D. Apomictic fruit
Solution: A fruit that develops from the ovary without fertilisation is a parthenocarpic fruit, e.g., banana.
Q13 — The Fruit · easy · theory
Drupe fruit is found in
A. Pea and bean
B. Sunflower and Marigold
C. Mustard and Argemone
D. Mango and Coconut ✓ Correct
Solution: Mango and coconut are typical drupes, developing from a monocarpellary superior ovary with a stony endocarp.
Q14 — The Fruit · easy · theory
Legume fruit is found in
A. Only gram, arhar, sem, moong and soyabean
B. Gram, arhar, sem, moong, soyabean, sweet pea, Sesbania and groundnut (all of these) ✓ Correct
C. Only sweet pea, Lupin, Sesbania, Trifolium and mulaithi
D. Only groundnut, Indigofera, sunhemp, Pisum and lentils
Solution: All the listed plants belong to Fabaceae and bear the characteristic legume (pod) fruit.
Q15 — The Fruit · medium · theory
Drupe fruit develops from
A. Monocarpellary superior ovaries and are one seeded ✓ Correct
B. Bicarpellary superior ovaries and are many seeded
C. Monocarpellary superior ovaries and are many seeded
D. Monocarpellary inferior ovaries and are many seeded
Solution: Drupes develop from monocarpellary, superior ovaries and are single-seeded, e.g., mango.
Q16 — The Fruit · easy · theory
In coconut fruit, the hard shell is the
A. Fused epicarp and mesocarp
B. Endocarp ✓ Correct
C. Fused mesocarp and endocarp
D. Epicarp
Solution: The hard, stony shell of the coconut is the endocarp of the drupe.
Q17 — The Fruit · medium · theory
A fruit developed from a condensed inflorescence is a
A. Composite fruit ✓ Correct
B. Etaerio
C. Simple fruit
D. Aggregate fruit
Solution: Composite (multiple) fruits develop from a whole condensed inflorescence, e.g., pineapple, jackfruit.
Q18 — The Fruit · medium · theory
Which is not correctly matched in respect to edible part?
A. Litchi - fleshy aril
B. Groundnut - embryo and cotyledons
C. Mango - mesocarp
D. Coconut - endocarp ✓ Correct
Solution: In coconut the edible part is the endosperm, not the endocarp (which is the hard shell).
Q19 — The Fruit · easy · theory
Caryopsis fruit is found in
A. Gram
B. Lentil
C. Wheat ✓ Correct
D. Pea
Solution: Caryopsis is a one-seeded fruit with the seed coat fused to the pericarp, characteristic of grasses like wheat.
Q20 — The Fruit · easy · theory
Fruit of brinjal is a
A. Pome
B. Berry ✓ Correct
C. Drupe
D. Balausta
Solution: Brinjal bears a berry, a fleshy fruit with seeds embedded in the pulp.
Q21 — The Fruit · easy · theory
A true fruit develops from the
A. Ovary ✓ Correct
B. Receptacle
C. Thalamus
D. Petals
Solution: A true fruit develops only from the ovary after fertilisation.
Q22 — The Fruit · easy · theory
A berry fruit is mostly
A. Dehiscent and single seeded
B. Dry and multiseeded
C. Fleshy and multiseeded ✓ Correct
D. Fleshy and single seeded
Solution: A berry is a fleshy fruit that usually contains many seeds, e.g., tomato, brinjal.
Q23 — The Fruit · easy · theory
A drupe generally contains a
A. Fibrous endocarp
B. Edible endocarp
C. Stony mesocarp
D. Stony endocarp ✓ Correct
Solution: A drupe is characterised by a hard, stony endocarp surrounding the seed.
Q24 — The Fruit · easy · theory
The edible portion of mango is the
A. Endocarp
B. Seed
C. Mesocarp ✓ Correct
D. Epicarp
Solution: In mango the fleshy, juicy mesocarp is the edible part.
Q25 — The Fruit · easy · theory
Fibrous coir is obtained from which part of the coconut?
A. Epicarp
B. Mesocarp ✓ Correct
C. Seed coat
D. Endocarp
Solution: The fibrous coir of coconut is obtained from the mesocarp of the drupe.
Q26 — The Fruit · easy · theory
In some plants the thalamus contributes to fruit formation. Such fruits are termed
A. True fruits
B. Aggregate fruits
C. False fruits ✓ Correct
D. Parthenocarpic fruits
Solution: Fruits formed from parts other than the ovary (e.g. thalamus, as in apple) are false fruits.
Q27 — The Fruit · easy · theory
Which one of the following fruits is parthenocarpic?
A. Banana ✓ Correct
B. Apple
C. Jackfruit
D. Brinjal
Solution: Banana develops without fertilisation and is seedless, making it a parthenocarpic fruit.
Q28 — The Fruit · easy · theory
A drupe develops in
A. Wheat
B. Mango ✓ Correct
C. Tomato
D. Pea
Solution: Mango is a drupe with differentiated epicarp, fleshy mesocarp and stony endocarp.
Q29 — The Fruit · medium · theory
What is the major edible part of a brinjal fruit (egg plant)?
A. Sepal
B. Pericarp ✓ Correct
C. Thalamus
D. Style
Solution: Brinjal is a berry whose fleshy pericarp (with placenta) forms the edible portion.
Q30 — The Fruit · medium · theory
Statement I: In mango, the pericarp is differentiated into an outer thin fleshy epicarp, a middle stony mesocarp and an inner edible endocarp. Statement II: In some seeds such as castor, the endosperm formed as a result of double fertilisation is a food-storing tissue.
A. Only statement II is correct ✓ Correct
B. Both statements I and II are incorrect
C. Both statements I and II are correct
D. Only statement I is correct
Solution: In mango the mesocarp is the fleshy edible part and the endocarp is stony (I reverses them); castor is a classic endospermic seed (II true).