Q1. [1] medium thorough-understanding
Which of the following correctly explains why plants do not need a specialised excretory organ like the kidneys found in animals?
((A)) Plants excrete all their waste products through their stomata as gases, eliminating the need for any storage.
((B)) Plants produce very little metabolic waste, and much of what is produced is either reused in other metabolic processes or stored in dead cells and vacuoles.
((C)) Plants absorb their waste products back from the environment through their roots, so none accumulates in the body.
((D)) Plants release all nitrogenous wastes into the soil through their roots, which acts as a natural excretory organ.
- A Plants do not produce any metabolic waste products at all.
- B Plants can store wastes in dead cells, vacuoles, shed leaves, and as gums and resins, and also release some wastes into the soil.
- C All waste products in plants are broken down by enzymes and recycled within the same cell.
- D Plants excrete all their wastes as gases through the stomata.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 01:02 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Option B — Plants can store wastes in dead cells, vacuoles, shed leaves, and as gums and resins, and also release some wastes into the soil.
Explanation
The passage (5.5.2) states plants store waste in cellular vacuoles, dead cell tissues, falling leaves, resins/gums in old xylem, and also excrete some wastes into surrounding soil. This multi-strategy approach means specialised excretory organs like kidneys are unnecessary. Option B captures all these strategies; the other options are either too narrow (only stomata/gases) or factually incorrect per the textbook.