Class 9 Science · Original EZT practice
Reproduction: How Life Continues (Class 9 Science Chapter 11): summary and practice
Every species survives because organisms reproduce - some with a single parent, most with two. This chapter covers asexual reproduction and vegetative propagation, sexual reproduction, how meiosis creates variation, and pollination in flowering plants. All questions are original EZT tutor practice following the chapter's own section order.
6 original worked examples, 6 fresh self-check questions and 4 mixed questions, with explained answers. These are not copied textbook exercises, an official chapter index or a full answer key. No affiliation with NCERT is claimed.
Official sources for topic and edition context, checked 22 October 2026:
1. Asexual reproduction and vegetative propagation
Asexual reproduction needs only one parent and produces genetically similar offspring. In plants, vegetative propagation grows new plants from parts like leaves, stems or roots.
2. Sexual reproduction and meiosis
Sexual reproduction involves two parents and the fusion of gametes. Meiosis produces the gametes and shuffles genetic material, creating variation among offspring.
3. Sexual reproduction in flowering plants
In flowering plants, pollination transfers pollen to the stigma, after which fertilisation forms seeds and fruit. Different pollination strategies improve reproductive success.
Choose, solve, check, then try a fresh question.
Before calculating, read the method prompt and name the condition that makes it useful. Write your own attempt. Open the steps only when you need them, and use the check to catch a wrong sign, unit or interpretation. Finish with the fresh question before reading its answer.
Spot vegetative propagation
Choose the method: One parent, plant part, new plant.
EZT practice question
Leaves of some plants sprout tiny plantlets at their edges, which grow into new plants. What kind of reproduction is this?
Show the worked solution
- Only one parent is involved.
- The new plant grows from a leaf - a vegetative part, not a seed.
- One parent plus a vegetative part means asexual reproduction by vegetative propagation.
Answer: Asexual reproduction through vegetative propagation - a new plant grows from a vegetative part (the leaf), with only one parent.
Check: The offspring will be genetically similar to the parent, which fits asexual reproduction.
Watch for this: Do not call this sexual reproduction just because a new plant forms - no gametes or seeds take part.
Now try it yourself
How many parents are involved in asexual reproduction?
Check your answer
One.
No fusion of gametes from two parents is needed.
State an advantage of vegetative propagation
Choose the method: Fast, one parent, traits kept.
EZT practice question
Give one advantage of vegetative propagation in plants.
Show the worked solution
- A new plant grows directly from a leaf, stem or root.
- Only one parent is needed, and the process is quick.
- The offspring is genetically identical, so desirable traits are preserved.
Answer: New plants are produced quickly from one parent and are genetically identical, preserving desirable traits.
Check: Farmers use exactly this to keep a good variety unchanged - the reasoning matches the chapter.
Watch for this: Do not answer that it creates variation - vegetative propagation keeps traits the same.
Now try it yourself
Name a plant part that can grow into a new plant in vegetative propagation.
Check your answer
A leaf (also a stem or a root).
Vegetative parts, not seeds, do the job.
Explain variation from meiosis
Choose the method: Halve and reshuffle, then fuse.
EZT practice question
How does meiosis help create variations in sexually reproducing organisms?
Show the worked solution
- Meiosis forms gametes with half the genetic material.
- In the process it reshuffles the genetic material, so each gamete carries a different combination.
- Fusion of two such gametes gives offspring with new combinations of traits.
Answer: Meiosis halves and reshuffles the genetic material when forming gametes, so each gamete is different; fusion of two such gametes gives offspring with new combinations of traits.
Check: That is why children of the same parents still differ - each came from a different pair of gametes.
Watch for this: Do not credit fertilisation alone - the reshuffling happens during meiosis, before gametes meet.
Now try it yourself
What are gametes?
Check your answer
The reproductive cells that fuse during sexual reproduction.
Meiosis is the process that makes them.
Compare asexual and sexual offspring
Choose the method: One parent copies, two parents mix.
EZT practice question
State one difference between offspring of asexual and sexual reproduction.
Show the worked solution
- Asexual reproduction uses one parent and no gametes.
- Sexual reproduction fuses gametes from two parents.
- So asexual offspring stay genetically similar, while sexual offspring show variation.
Answer: Asexual offspring are genetically similar to the single parent; sexual offspring show variation from two parents.
Check: The difference traces back to whether genetic material was reshuffled and combined or simply copied.
Watch for this: Do not say sexual offspring are identical - the whole point of two parents is new combinations.
Now try it yourself
Which type of reproduction produces genetically similar offspring?
Check your answer
Asexual reproduction.
One parent's material is copied, not mixed.
Separate pollination from fertilisation
Choose the method: First the delivery, then the fusion.
EZT practice question
What is pollination, and how is it different from fertilisation?
Show the worked solution
- Pollination is the transfer of pollen grains to the stigma of a flower.
- Fertilisation is the later fusion of the male and female gametes.
- Pollination only brings the pollen to the right place; fertilisation leads to seed formation.
Answer: Pollination is the transfer of pollen grains to the stigma; fertilisation is the fusion of the gametes afterwards that leads to seed formation.
Check: Order matters: no pollination, no gametes meeting, no fertilisation.
Watch for this: Do not use the two words interchangeably - one moves pollen, the other fuses gametes.
Now try it yourself
Why is pollination necessary before fertilisation?
Check your answer
Because the gametes can only meet after pollen reaches the stigma.
Pollination is the delivery that makes fusion possible.
Explain varied pollination strategies
Choose the method: More routes, more chances.
EZT practice question
Why do plants benefit from varied pollination strategies?
Show the worked solution
- A plant cannot move, so pollen must reach a stigma by some agent.
- Different strategies - wind, insects, water, animals - suit different conditions.
- More ways to deliver pollen means better chances of seed formation.
Answer: They improve the chances of pollen reaching a stigma, increasing reproductive success.
Check: A plant relying on one agent fails when that agent fails; variety is insurance.
Watch for this: Do not say strategies exist to create variation directly - they raise the odds of pollination succeeding.
Now try it yourself
Name two agents that help in pollination.
Check your answer
Wind and insects (also water or other animals).
They carry pollen from flower to flower.
Try a mixed set
Choose a method or explanation before opening each answer.
1. Asexual reproduction?
Show answer and reason
One parent, no gametes, genetically similar offspring.
Vegetative propagation from leaves or stems is one form.
2. Vegetative propagation?
Show answer and reason
New plants from vegetative parts like leaves, stems or roots.
No seeds are involved.
3. How does meiosis create variation?
Show answer and reason
It reshuffles genetic material into unique gametes.
Fusion of two different gametes gives new trait combinations.
4. Pollination vs fertilisation?
Show answer and reason
Pollination delivers pollen to the stigma; fertilisation fuses the gametes.
Delivery first, fusion after.
Try it yourself
Work these on paper before checking any notes. Answers are deliberately not shown here.
- How many parents are involved in asexual reproduction?
- Name two agents that help in pollination.
- What are gametes?
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Questions about this practice page
- What is asexual reproduction in the Class 9 reproduction chapter?
- Reproduction from a single parent without gametes, giving genetically similar offspring - for example vegetative propagation from leaves or stems.
- What is vegetative propagation in Class 9 Science?
- New plants growing from vegetative parts like leaves, stems or roots rather than from seeds.
- Why does sexual reproduction create variation in Class 9 Science?
- Meiosis reshuffles genetic material into unique gametes, and fusion of gametes from two parents combines traits in new ways.
- Pollination vs fertilisation in the Class 9 chapter?
- Pollination is the transfer of pollen to the stigma; fertilisation is the fusion of gametes afterwards that forms the seed.
- Are these the NCERT exercise questions for Class 9 Science Chapter 11?
- No. EZT pages are original practice following the chapter's section order - use them to prepare for the textbook exercises, not as a substitute for your book.