Answer: One embryo (from egg + sperm) and endosperm (from central cell + second sperm).
- A Two separate embryos formed from two genetically independent egg cells within the ovule
- B One embryo (from egg + sperm) and endosperm (from central cell + second sperm)
- C One embryo alone, with the second sperm degenerating without ever being used
- D Two separate zygotes that later fuse together into a single diploid embryo
Correct answer: B. One embryo (from egg + sperm) and endosperm (from central cell + second sperm)
Explanation: Double fertilization: sperm 1 + egg = 2n zygote (embryo); sperm 2 + two polar nuclei = 3n primary endosperm nucleus (nutritive endosperm).
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 →