Parts of a Plant for Class 4 Science

• Plants are living organisms that can make their own food using sunlight, chlorophyll, carbon dioxide, water and minerals through photosynthesis.
• Plant body parts are mainly divisible into the root system and the shoot system.
• The root system comprises roots and root hairs.
• The shoot system comprises leaves, branches, stems, fruits and flowers.
• Each part of the plant has a specific function to perform during the life cycle of a plant.

Root System

Question 1:

Which Cells of the Roots Divide Fast and Why?

Answers:

• The cells present at the tip of the root cap divide very fast.
• The root cap is the region at the end of the growing tip of a root.
• These cells divide at a more rapid pace to ensure the penetration of the roots to the deeper layers of soil.

Question 2:

Why Do Water and Minerals Travel Only Upwards in Roots and Shoots and Not in the Opposite Direction?

Answers:

• Water and minerals are conducted in the upward direction due to transpiration pull.
• When water evaporates from the leaves, a suction force originates that pulls water from roots and stems upwards

Shoot System

Question 1:

What Do You Understand by the Venation of a Leaf? Name Two Types of Venations Seen in Plants.

Answers:

• The arrangement of veins on the surface of a leaf is called venation.
• Venation can be parallel or intricate.
• Examples of parallel venation—Grass, wheat, and rice.
• Examples of intricate venation—Hibiscus, Rose, Mango, etc.

Question 2:

Can You Tell the Number of Cotyledons in a Seed by Looking at the Venation on Its Leaves?

Answers:

• Yes, the number of cotyledons in the seed can be identified by looking at the venation of the leaf of the plant.
• The plants with parallel venation have monocot seeds, i.e., the seeds have one cotyledon.
• The plants with reticulate venation have dicot seeds, i.e., the seeds have two cotyledons.

Question 3:

What Are the Functions of Offsets in Water Hyacinths?

Answers:

• Offset is a runner that originates from the axis of the leaf of a plant.
• It participates in vegetative propagation and helps in the rapid growth of the water hyacinth plant.

Question 4:

What Are Tendrils? Write One Function of the Tendril.

Answers:

• Tendrils are the modified stems generally found in climbers.
• Since climbers do not have strong stems, they develop tendrils that help them grow along horizontal support.
• Examples: Pea plant, grapevine.

Flowers and their Uses

Question 1:

How Do Ferns Propagate?

Answers:

• Ferns do not produce flowers like flowering plants.
• Instead, matured ferns produce spores in the sporangium located at the lower side of the leaves.
• These spores germinate and grow when the environmental conditions are suitable.

Question 2:

Which Part of the Flower Makes the Edible Part of the Fruit We Eat?

Answers:

• The ovary of a flower makes the edible part of the fruit we eat.
• The female part of the flower is divided into stigma, style and ovary. Stigma and style dry up and fall when the process of fruit formation starts, and the ovary converts into fruit.

Products of Photosynthesis

Question 1:

Why Do Leaves Change Their Colours During Fall?

Answers:

• Plants generally shed their leaves during autumn and winter.
• Due to changes in temperature and daylight, the chlorophyll in the leaf starts disintegrating. As a result, the colour of the leaves changes.
• As the green colour of chlorophyll fades, the yellow and orange colours of other pigments found in the leaf become prominent.

Question 2:

Do Plants Release Carbon Dioxide?

Answers:

• Plants release carbon dioxide during respiration throughout the day and night.
• During the day, the rate of release of oxygen is more as compared to carbon dioxide due to the process of photosynthesis.
• At night in the absence of photosynthesis, the rate of release of carbon dioxide increases.