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Q115 (IAS/1999) Science & Technology › Basic Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) › Plant anatomy physiology Answer Verified

For which one of the following is capillarity not the only reason ?

Result
Your answer: —  Â·  Correct: D
Explanation

Capillarity (capillary action) readily explains blotting of ink and the spread/wetting of water on porous textiles: porous blotting paper and cotton fibres draw liquid into narrow pores by adhesion and cohesion, causing absorption and upward/climbing wetting. Capillarity also causes limited upward movement of soil moisture (capillary rise) in porous media [1]. However, movement of water from roots to foliage is not due to capillarity alone: transpiration from leaves generates a suction (transpiration pull) which, together with cohesion of water molecules and root pressure, drives the continuous upward flow in xylem vessels; capillarity only assists over short distances and cannot account for whole-plant ascent by itself [1].

Sources

  1. [1] https://www.usgs.gov/water-science-school/science/capillary-action-and-water
  2. [2] Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Life Processes > Activity 5.8 > p. 95
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SIMILAR QUESTIONS

IAS · 2012 · Q18 Relevance score: -1.94

Consider the following statements : If there were no phenomenon of capillary 1. it would be difficult to use a kerosene lamp 2. one would not be able to use a straw to consume a soft drink 3. he blotting paper would fail to function 4. he big trees that we see around would not have grown on the Earth Which of the statements given above are correct?

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Which type/types of pen uses/ use capillary action in addition to gravity for flow of ink ?