Growth, seeds and germination
A dry bean can sit in a jar for months. Give it water and, within days, it has a root, a stem and leaves. That lasting increase in size, mass and complexity is growth, and the waking up of the seed is germination.
By the end of this page you can
- Describe four ways to measure growth, and why dry mass is the most reliable
- Name the parts of a dicot seed and say what each one does
- Put the stages of germination in order
- Define growth, germination and meristem
- Answer exam questions on growth and germination
Goals tick themselves off as you try the activities below.
Photo: B. Domangue, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped, JPEG q72.
One bean, photographed as it grows: seed, root, then shoot and leaves. Read it left to right.
How often it shows up in past papers
Paper 1 counts come from our past-paper bank of CSEC Biology Paper 1s. Paper 2 is not included yet.
Four ways to measure growth
Growth is hard to see from one day to the next, so biologists measure it. Each way has a strength and a weakness. Tap each card.
The parts of a dicot seed
A bean is a dicotyledonous seed: its embryo has two seed leaves. Tap each part to see what it does.
What does each part do?
Tap a part on the list to see its job.
Radicle, plumule and cotyledons together make the embryo, the young plant inside the seed.
Germination, step by step
Drag or tap each stage into its slot.
What does a dry seed need first?
Seven terms to know cold
Say what each term means before you flip the card. Seed parts are often labelled on a diagram in the exam.
Six quick questions, then a real one
Pick an answer to see why it’s right or wrong.
Why is dry mass the most reliable measure of growth?
Which part of a seed grows into the root?
After germination, cotyledons stain less blue-black with iodine. This is because
Water enters a seed at the start of germination mainly through the
A seedling’s height is measured each day: 0, 2, 5, 9, 12, 13, 13 mm (days 0 to 6). When was growth fastest?
Where does the cell division that lets a plant grow longer take place?
exam style · 3 marks
Describe what happens inside a bean seed during germination.
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Practice questions are written by My V.I.P. Academy. They are not official CXC papers.