How does water move from the soil into the root xylem, and what force drives its upward movement through the plant during the day?
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 00:59 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Water moves from soil into root xylem by osmosis. The soil water has a higher water concentration than root hair cells, so water enters by osmosis. As water moves inward cell by cell, it eventually reaches the xylem.
During the day, transpiration from leaves creates a suction pull (transpiration pull). As water evaporates from leaf cells into air spaces and exits through stomata, it creates a tension that pulls water upward through the continuous water column in xylem vessels from roots to leaves.
Source: Chapter 6, Life Processes (Transport in Plants)
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Explanation
- The question has two parts: how water enters xylem (osmosis) and what drives upward movement (transpiration pull). Award approximately 1–1.5 marks each, with terminology worth a mark.
- Key terms examiners look for: osmosis, root hair cells, transpiration pull / suction force, xylem, stomata.
- Note: these passages provided don't directly cover transport in plants — this topic belongs to the Life Processes chapter. Answer is based on standard CBSE Class 10 syllabus content for that chapter. Don't panic if source passages seem off-topic; answer from your subject knowledge as directed.