Plant Kingdom Bryophytes Pteridophytes

8 MCQs9-step worked example
Source: NCERT Diversity in Living WorldPYQ coverage: NEET 2020, 2021, 2023, 2025, 2026Official key: NTA-verifiedLast updated: 25 Sep 2026

Plant Kingdom Bryophytes Pteridophytes, explained for NEET

NEET repeatedly tests two traps in the bryophyte-pteridophyte pair: which generation is dominant and free-living, and which genera are heterosporous. In bryophytes the plant body you see is the gametophyte — haploid, photosynthetic, free-living; the sporophyte it produces stays attached to it, drawing nourishment for its whole existence and never becoming independent. In pteridophytes this reverses: the visible plant — with true root, stem, leaves and vascular tissue — is the sporophyte, the dominant free-living phase, while its gametophyte is a small, inconspicuous, free-living thalloid prothallus needing cool, damp, shady ground and standing water so antherozoids can swim to the archegonium.

Within bryophytes, liverworts (Marchantia) and mosses (Funaria, Polytrichum, Sphagnum) differ in more than habitat: a moss gametophyte runs through two stages — a filamentous protonema germinating directly from the spore, then a leafy shoot arising from it as a lateral bud — while a liverwort thallus skips that intermediate. Both groups build a sporophyte from the same three parts, foot, seta and capsule, but NCERT is explicit that the moss sporophyte is the more elaborate of the two.

Within pteridophytes, spore type is the second trap. Most genera are homosporous, releasing spores of one kind; Selaginella and Salvinia are the named exceptions, producing macrospores and microspores that germinate into separate female and male gametophytes — and in these genera the female gametophyte stays attached to the parent sporophyte, with the embryo developing inside it, a step NCERT flags as a precursor to the seed habit. The four pteridophyte classes — Psilopsida (Psilotum), Lycopsida (Selaginella, Lycopodium), Sphenopsida (Equisetum), Pteropsida (Dryopteris, Pteris, Adiantum) — are a separate fact: don't let a genus's spore type decide its class, or vice versa.

Watch out: antheridium and archegonium are named the same way in both groups — antheridium (male) makes biflagellate antherozoids, archegonium (female) is flask-shaped and makes one egg — so a swapped label is a swap you can catch by shape and product alone.

Can you answer these Plant Kingdom Bryophytes Pteridophytes MCQs?

Select an option to see the explanation. Wrong answers show why your choice was tempting — and name the exact trap it exploits.

MCQ 1Easy RecallPractice

In bryophytes, which statement correctly matches a sex organ with its structure and product?

Show answer and why every option is right or wrong

Answer: A. NCERT Class 11 Biology, Chapter 3, page 29 states the antheridium is the male sex organ, producing biflagellate antherozoids, while the flask-shaped archegonium produces a single egg.

Why B is wrong: B is wrong because the flask shape and single-egg output belong to the archegonium, not the antheridium (page 29).

Why C is wrong: C is wrong because the archegonium is the female sex organ; the antheridium is the one that produces antherozoids (page 29).

Why D is wrong: D is wrong because the archegonium produces a single egg, not multiple (page 29).

MCQ 2Easy RecallPractice

Equisetum, commonly called a horsetail, belongs to which class of pteridophytes?

Show answer and why every option is right or wrong

Answer: B. NCERT Class 11 Biology, Chapter 3, page 32 classifies pteridophytes into four classes and places Equisetum under Sphenopsida.

Why A is wrong: A is wrong because Lycopsida contains Selaginella and Lycopodium, not Equisetum (page 32).

Why C is wrong: C is wrong because Psilopsida contains only Psilotum (page 32).

Why D is wrong: D is wrong because Pteropsida contains ferns such as Dryopteris, Pteris and Adiantum, not Equisetum (page 32).

MCQ 3Easy RecallPractice

Which of the following correctly matches a bryophyte subgroup with its example genus?

Show answer and why every option is right or wrong

Answer: C. NCERT Class 11 Biology, Chapter 3, pages 29-30 name Marchantia as the liverwort example and Funaria, Polytrichum and Sphagnum as moss examples.

Why A is wrong: A is wrong because Funaria is one of the moss examples NCERT names, not a liverwort (page 30).

Why B is wrong: B is wrong because Polytrichum is a moss example, not a liverwort (page 30).

Why D is wrong: D is wrong because Marchantia is the liverwort example NCERT names, not a moss (page 29).

MCQ 4Direct ApplicationPractice

A student examines the sporophyte of a liverwort and finds it made of three regions. Which sequence names these regions in order from base to tip?

Show answer and why every option is right or wrong

Answer: D. NCERT Class 11 Biology, Chapter 3, page 30 states the sporophyte is differentiated into foot, seta and capsule, with spores forming after meiosis inside the capsule at the tip.

Why A is wrong: A is wrong because it reverses the order; the capsule sits at the tip, not the base (page 30).

Why B is wrong: B is wrong because it places the seta before the foot; the foot anchors the sporophyte and comes first (page 30).

Why C is wrong: C is wrong because it swaps the seta and capsule order (page 30).

MCQ 5Direct ApplicationPractice

In the life cycle of a moss, which stage develops directly from a germinating spore?

Show answer and why every option is right or wrong

Answer: A. NCERT Class 11 Biology, Chapter 3, page 30 states the protonema is the first stage, a creeping, green, branched and filamentous form that develops directly from a spore.

Why B is wrong: B is wrong because the leafy stage develops later, from the secondary protonema as a lateral bud, not directly from the spore (page 30).

Why C is wrong: C is wrong because the sporophyte develops after fertilisation, not directly from a spore (page 30).

Why D is wrong: D is wrong because prothallus names the pteridophyte gametophyte, not a stage in the moss life cycle (page 32).

MCQ 6Direct ApplicationPractice

Which feature of the pteridophyte gametophyte (prothallus) is the reason pteridophytes are restricted to narrow geographical regions?

Show answer and why every option is right or wrong

Answer: B. NCERT Class 11 Biology, Chapter 3, page 32 states the prothallus needs cool, damp, shady places and water to transfer antherozoids to the archegonium, which restricts pteridophyte spread to narrow geographical regions.

Why A is wrong: A is wrong because the prothallus is described as inconspicuous and small — true root, stem and leaves belong to the sporophyte, not the gametophyte (page 32).

Why C is wrong: C is wrong because the prothallus is free-living, not retained inside the sporophyte; it is the female gametophyte of heterosporous genera that is retained on the parent sporophyte (page 32).

Why D is wrong: D is wrong because the prothallus is described as mostly photosynthetic (page 32).

MCQ 7CalculationPractice

A pteridophyte genus has microphylls, sporophylls forming compact strobili, and belongs to class Lycopsida. Which additional statement about this genus is also correct?

Show answer and why every option is right or wrong

Answer: C. The description matches Selaginella; NCERT Class 11 Biology, Chapter 3, page 32 names Selaginella as heterosporous, producing macrospores and microspores that give rise to female and male gametophytes.

Why A is wrong: A is wrong because Selaginella is named in NCERT as heterosporous, not homosporous (page 32).

Why B is wrong: B is wrong because NCERT states the female gametophyte in heterosporous genera like Selaginella IS retained on the parent sporophyte for variable periods (page 32).

Why D is wrong: D is wrong because the stem already places this genus in Lycopsida based on its microphylls and strobili; Pteropsida contains ferns like Dryopteris, Pteris and Adiantum (page 32).

MCQ 8CalculationPractice

All of the following statements about mosses are correct EXCEPT:

Show answer and why every option is right or wrong

Answer: D. NCERT Class 11 Biology, Chapter 3, page 30 states the sporophyte in mosses is MORE elaborate than that in liverworts, not less, so D misstates the comparison and is the exception.

Why A is wrong: A is wrong to pick because it is true — vegetative reproduction in mosses is by fragmentation and budding in the secondary protonema (page 30); it is not the exception.

Why B is wrong: B is wrong to pick because it is true — the leafy stage bears the sex organs at its apex (page 30); it is not the exception.

Why C is wrong: C is wrong to pick because it is true — antheridia and archegonia are produced at the apex of the leafy shoots (page 30); it is not the exception.

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How do you solve a Plant Kingdom Bryophytes Pteridophytes question? A worked example

  1. 1

    Given

    A pteridophyte genus has microphylls, sporophylls that form compact strobili, and NCERT describes it as heterosporous.

  2. 2

    Required

    Identify the genus's class, and state its spore output and the fate of its female gametophyte.

  3. 3

    Concept

    Pteridophyte class assignment (by genus) and spore type (homosporous vs heterosporous) are two separate facts about the same genus, both given on NCERT Class 11 Biology, Chapter 3, page 32.

  4. 4

    Rule

    NCERT's class-to-genus rule: Psilopsida — Psilotum; Lycopsida — Selaginella, Lycopodium; Sphenopsida — Equisetum; Pteropsida — Dryopteris, Pteris, Adiantum. NCERT names only Selaginella and Salvinia as heterosporous; all other pteridophytes are homosporous.

  5. 5

    Substitution

    Microphylls, compact strobili and heterospory together match Selaginella: it is the genus in Lycopsida that NCERT explicitly names heterosporous.

  6. 6

    Calculation

    Applying the rule: Selaginella → class Lycopsida (by the class-genus rule) and heterosporous (by the named-exceptions rule), producing macrospores (→ female gametophyte) and microspores (→ male gametophyte); the female gametophyte is retained on the parent sporophyte for a variable period, with the embryo developing inside it.

  7. 7

    Final answer

    The genus is Selaginella: class Lycopsida, heterosporous, with its female gametophyte remaining attached to the parent sporophyte while the embryo develops inside it — a precursor to the seed habit.

  8. 8

    Common trap

    Students assume all pteridophytes are homosporous (true for the majority) and miss that Selaginella and Salvinia are the named exceptions, or misplace Selaginella under Sphenopsida by confusing it with Equisetum, the other strobili-forming genus.

  9. 9

    Similar NEET-style question

    Equisetum has jointed stems bearing terminal strobili. Which class does it belong to, and is it homosporous or heterosporous? (Answer: by the class-genus rule — Psilopsida–Psilotum, Lycopsida–Selaginella/Lycopodium, Sphenopsida–Equisetum, Pteropsida–Dryopteris/Pteris/Adiantum — Equisetum belongs to Sphenopsida; since NCERT names only Selaginella and Salvinia as heterosporous and states the majority of pteridophytes are homosporous, Equisetum is homosporous.)

What to remember before solving Plant Kingdom Bryophytes Pteridophytes questions

Key Fact

Bryophytes

Bryophytes are called amphibians of the plant kingdom because they can live in soil but depend on water for sexual reproduction, usually occurring in damp, humid and shaded localities, and playing a role in plant succession on bare rocks/soil. Their plant body is more differentiated than algae: thallus-like, prostrate or erect, attached by uni/multicellular rhizoids, lacking true roots, stem or leaves though root-like, leaf-like or stem-like structures may occur. The haploid main body is a gametophyte. The multicellular male sex organ, the antheridium, produces biflagellate antherozoids; the flask-shaped female organ, the archegonium, produces a single egg. Fertilisation in water gives a zygote that develops into a sporophyte dependent on the gametophyte; meiosis in the sporophyte yields haploid spores that germinate into gametophytes.

-- NCERT Class 11 Biology, Ch. 3, p. 29
Key Fact

Liverworts

Liverworts grow usually in moist, shady habitats such as banks of streams, marshy ground, damp soil, bark of trees and deep in woods. The plant body of a liverwort is thalloid, e.g., Marchantia; the thallus is dorsiventral and closely appressed to the substrate. Leafy members have tiny leaf-like appendages in two rows on stem-like structures. Asexual reproduction occurs by fragmentation of thalli or by gemmae, green multicellular asexual buds that develop in gemma cups on the thalli and detach to germinate into new individuals. During sexual reproduction, male and female sex organs are produced either on the same or different thalli.

-- NCERT Class 11 Biology, Ch. 3, p. 29
Key Fact

Mosses

The predominant stage of a moss life cycle is the gametophyte, in two stages: the protonema stage, a creeping, green, branched, frequently filamentous stage developing directly from a spore; and the leafy stage, developing from the secondary protonema as a lateral bud, consisting of upright slender axes bearing spirally arranged leaves, attached to soil by multicellular branched rhizoids, and bearing the sex organs. Vegetative reproduction is by fragmentation and budding in the secondary protonema. Sexually, antheridia and archegonia are produced at the apex of leafy shoots; after fertilisation the zygote develops into a sporophyte (foot, seta, capsule), more elaborate than in liverworts, with spores formed after meiosis in the capsule. Common examples: Funaria, Polytrichum and Sphagnum.

-- NCERT Class 11 Biology, Ch. 3, p. 30

Pteridophytes include horsetails and ferns, used for medicinal purposes, as soil-binders, and frequently grown as ornamentals. They are evolutionarily the first terrestrial plants to possess vascular tissues (xylem and phloem), found in cool, damp, shady places though some flourish in sandy-soil conditions. Unlike bryophytes, where the gametophyte dominates, in pteridophytes the main plant body is a sporophyte differentiated into true root, stem and leaves with well-differentiated vascular tissues. Leaves are small (microphylls, as in Selaginella) or large (macrophylls, as in ferns). Sporophytes bear sporangia subtended by leaf-like sporophylls; sporophylls may form distinct compact strobili or cones (Selaginella, Equisetum). Sporangia produce spores by meiosis in spore mother cells.

-- NCERT Class 11 Biology, Ch. 3, p. 30

In most pteridophytes all spores are of similar kind, called homosporous. Genera like Selaginella and Salvinia, which produce two kinds of spores, macro (large) and micro (small), are called heterosporous. The megaspores and microspores germinate to give rise to female and male gametophytes respectively. In these heterosporous genera, the female gametophytes are retained on the parent sporophytes for variable periods, and the development of the zygotes into young embryos takes place within the female gametophytes. This event is a precursor to the seed habit, considered an important step in evolution.

-- NCERT Class 11 Biology, Ch. 3, p. 32

The pteridophytes are further classified into four classes: Psilopsida (Psilotum); Lycopsida (Selaginella, Lycopodium); Sphenopsida (Equisetum); and Pteropsida (Dryopteris, Pteris, Adiantum).

-- NCERT Class 11 Biology, Ch. 3, p. 32

Where do students lose marks on Plant Kingdom Bryophytes Pteridophytes?

These are the exact patterns that cause wrong answers in NEET. Each trap includes when it triggers and how to avoid it.

Category: Overthinking

Students overthink which generation (gametophyte or sporophyte) is dominant and free-living, swapping bryophytes with pteridophytes.

When it triggers

A question asks which phase is dominant/free-living in bryophytes vs pteridophytes, or whether the sporophyte is dependent on the gametophyte.

How to avoid

In bryophytes the gametophyte is the dominant, free-living phase and the sporophyte is dependent on it; in pteridophytes the sporophyte is the dominant, well-differentiated phase with true root, stem and leaves.

Category: Similar Terms

Students mix up which pteridophyte genera are homosporous versus heterosporous, or confuse macrospore/microspore with male/female gametophyte.

When it triggers

A question names Selaginella or Salvinia and asks whether they are homosporous or heterosporous, or asks which spore type gives the male vs female gametophyte.

How to avoid

Most pteridophytes are homosporous (similar spores); Selaginella and Salvinia are heterosporous, producing megaspores (female gametophyte) and microspores (male gametophyte).

More in Diversity in Living World: 12 exam traps and mistakes · 1 question pattern from its other lessons.

Plant Kingdom Bryophytes Pteridophytes questions from past NEET papers

9 questions from NEET 2020, 2021, 2023, 2025, 2026. Answers verified against NTA official keys.

NEET 2025

Given below are the stages in the life cycle of pteridophytes. Arrange the following stages in the correct sequence. A. Prothallus stage B. Meiosis in spore mother cells C. Fertilisation D. Formation of archegonia and antheridia in gametophyte. E. Transfer of antherozoids to the archegonia in presence of water. Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

1E, D, C, B, A
2B, A, D, E, C
3B, A, E, C, D
4D, E, C, A, B
NTA Answer: Option 2(final)
NEET 2023

Given below are two statements : One labelled as Assertion A and the other labelled as Reason R: Assertion A : The first stage of gametophyte in the life cycle of moss is protonema stage. Reason R : Protonema develops directly from spores produced in capsule. In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from options given below:

1Both A and R are correct but R is NOT the correct explanation of A
2A is correct but R is not correct
3A is not correct but R is correct
4Both A and R are correct and R is the correct explanation of A
NTA Answer: Option 4(final)

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Sources

Page numbers are the ones printed in the current NCERT textbook (2023 rationalised edition), unless marked pre-2023. The books are free at ncert.nic.in.

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