Answer: 8 nuclei in 7 cells (including egg, two synergids, two polar nuclei, three antipodals).
- A 4 cells arranged symmetrically around one single, large central vacuole space
- B 6 cells, each one carrying a single diploid nucleus derived from the megaspore
- C 8 nuclei in 7 cells (including egg, two synergids, two polar nuclei, three antipodals)
- D Just the egg cell, surrounded entirely by several layers of sterile nucellus tissue
Correct answer: C. 8 nuclei in 7 cells (including egg, two synergids, two polar nuclei, three antipodals)
Explanation: Mature embryo sac: 8 nuclei in 7 cells: 1 egg cell, 2 synergid cells, 1 central cell (2 polar nuclei), 3 antipodal cells.
Double fertilisation in angiosperms: one male gamete fuses with the egg to form the diploid zygote (syngamy), while the second fuses with the two polar nuclei to form the triploid primary endosperm nucleus (triple fusion). Image: Triploid, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Concept context
Flower structure, pollination, double fertilization, and seed/fruit development - the highest-scoring Class 12 biology chapter in NEET.
Read the full Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants notes →