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Q39 (IAS/2025) Science & Technology › Basic Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) › Plant anatomy physiology Answer Verified

Consider the following pairs: I. Cassava - Woody shrub II. Ginger - Herb with pseudostem III. Malabar spinach - Herbaceous climber IV. Mint - Annual shrub V. Papaya - Woody shrub How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The correct answer is option B (Only three pairs are correctly matched).

Let me analyze each pair:

**I. Cassava - Woody shrub:** ✓ Correct. Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is indeed a woody perennial shrub that can grow 1-3 meters tall.

**II. Ginger - Herb with pseudostem:** ✓ Correct. Ginger (Zingiber officinale)[1] is a herbaceous perennial that forms a pseudostem from leaf sheaths, not true woody stems.

**III. Malabar spinach - Herbaceous climber:** ✓ Correct. Malabar spinach (Basella alba/rubra) is a fast-growing, herbaceous vine that climbs using twining stems.

**IV. Mint - Annual shrub:** ✗ Incorrect. Mint (Mentha species) is a perennial herb, not an annual shrub. It has herbaceous stems that die back in winter and spreads via runners/rhizomes.

**V. Papaya - Woody shrub:** ✗ Incorrect. Papaya (Carica papaya) is classified as a large herbaceous plant or tree-like herb with a hollow, unbranched stem, not a true woody shrub.

Therefore, only three pairs (I, II, and III) are correctly matched.

Sources
  1. [1] https://plantauthority.gov.in/sites/default/files/annual-report-2023-24-english.pdf
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Q. Consider the following pairs: I. Cassava - Woody shrub II. Ginger - Herb with pseudostem III. Malabar spinach - Herb…
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Origin: Mixed / unclear origin Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 0/10
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This question is a 'Visual Common Sense' test disguised as Agriculture. It punishes rote learners who memorize crop production states but ignore the plant's biology. The core logic relies on basic NCERT Class 6 definitions (Herb vs. Shrub) applied to economic crops.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Plant growth form: Is cassava (Manihot esculenta) classified as a woody shrub?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 13: Plant Diversity of India > 13.1. PLANT CLASSIFICATION > p. 196
Strength: 5/5
“• r. Herb is defined as a plant whose stem is always green and tender with height of not more than 1 -meter. • z. Shrub is defined as a woody perennial plant differing from a perennial herb in its persistent and woody stem. It differs from a tree in its low stature and its habit of branching from the base. Not more than 6 meters in height. • 3. Tree is defined as a large woody perennial plant having a single well-defined stem with more or less definite crown. 6. Climbers - herbaceous or woody plants that climb up trees or other supports by twining, rolling, round them or by holding on to them by tendrils, hooks, aerial roots or other attachments.”
Why relevant

Gives explicit definitions distinguishing 'shrub' as a woody perennial with persistent woody stem vs 'herb' with green tender stems and limited height.

How to extend

A student can compare cassava's stem and perennial/woody habit (from botanical sources or field observations) to this definition to judge if it fits 'woody shrub'.

Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 25: Agriculture > Starch Crops or Ttrber Crops > p. 353
Strength: 4/5
“• 1. Potato • z. Tapioca or cassava • 3. Sweet Potato All Rights Reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing.”
Why relevant

Lists cassava (tapioca) among 'starch crops or tuber crops', implying its importance as an underground storage organ crop rather than being characterized by woody stems.

How to extend

Knowing tuber crops typically have herbaceous above-ground parts, a student could infer cassava may be non-woody and check that against the shrub definition.

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 12: Major Crops and Cropping Patterns in India > Tropical Tuber Crops > p. 87
Strength: 4/5
“Arrow-root, Cassava, Coleus or Chinese-potato, Elephant-foot yam, Sweet potato, Tannia, Yambean, Yam.”
Why relevant

Groups 'Cassava' with other tropical tuber crops, providing an example class (tuber crops) often having non-woody, storage-root/organ biology.

How to extend

A student could use the general biology of tropical tuber crops (above-ground herbs with storage roots) to hypothesize cassava is not a woody shrub and then verify with a botanical description or image.

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 2: PLANT AND ANIMAL KINGDOMS > 2. cape Kingdom > p. 7
Strength: 3/5
“Te Cape foral Kingdom stretches over the southern province of South Africa. Te plants of this kingdom belong to the category of cryptophytes, which bear buds in the form of bulbs and tubers which are buried in the soils. Tese bulbs and tubers give birth to other plants, as new shoots come out from these bulbs and tubers and are developed as plants (Fig. 2.1).”
Why relevant

Describes 'cryptophytes' that bear buds as bulbs and tubers buried in soil which produce aerial shoots—an example pattern linking tubers to renewed herbaceous shoots rather than persistent woody stems.

How to extend

By noting cassava produces storage roots/tubers, a student can extend the cryptophyte pattern to anticipate herbaceous shoot regrowth (not woody perennial stems) and check cassava's growth form accordingly.

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Statement analysis

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