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IGCSE · Practice questions · Flowers and pollination

Anther to stigma.

Six original Cambridge-style questions on flower structure, the functions of each part, adaptations for insect and wind pollination, and (Extended) self- and cross-pollination.

Original questions All questions on this page are original work, written in the Cambridge IGCSE style. They are not from past papers. They test the same concepts and skills the syllabus rewards.
Keep these straight

Structure fits the pollinator.

01
Recall
[4 marks]

State the function of each part of an insect-pollinated flower: (a) sepal, (b) anther, (c) stigma, (d) ovule.

  • (a) Sepal: protects the flower when it is a bud. ✓
  • (b) Anther: makes and releases pollen (containing male gametes). ✓
  • (c) Stigma: sticky surface that receives / catches pollen. ✓
  • (d) Ovule: contains the female gamete; becomes a seed after fertilisation. ✓
02
Analysis
[4 marks]

Describe three ways in which the structure of a wind-pollinated grass flower differs from an insect-pollinated flower, and explain one of them.

  • Grass has small, green petals (or none) with no scent and no nectar; insect flowers have large, coloured, scented petals and nectar. ✓
  • Grass anthers hang outside the flower on long filaments; insect flower anthers are inside. ✓
  • Grass stigmas are large and feathery and outside the flower; insect flower stigmas are inside and sticky. ✓
  • Explanation, e.g.: feathery stigmas have a large surface area to trap pollen grains carried in the air (or: hanging anthers let the wind shake pollen out). ✓
03
Explain
[3 marks]

Pollen grains from a wind-pollinated flower are small, smooth and light, and are produced in huge numbers. Explain why each feature is useful.

  • Small and light: carried easily and far by the wind. ✓
  • Smooth: does not need to cling to an insect, and does not clump together. ✓
  • Huge numbers: most pollen is lost because the wind blows in random directions, so many grains increase the chance that some reach a stigma. ✓
04
Recall
[1 marks]

Define pollination.

  • The transfer of pollen grains from an anther to a stigma. ✓
05
Explain
[4 marks]

Extended. Distinguish between self-pollination and cross-pollination, and describe the effect of each on variation in the population.

  • Self-pollination: pollen from an anther reaches the stigma of the same flower or another flower on the same plant. ✓
  • Cross-pollination: pollen reaches the stigma of a flower on a different plant of the same species. ✓
  • Self-pollination produces offspring with less variation. ✓
  • Cross-pollination produces offspring with more variation. ✓
06
Explain
[4 marks]

Extended. A population of wild plants is mostly self-pollinated. Discuss how this might affect the population if (a) pollinating insects become rare, and (b) the climate becomes much drier.

  • (a) Self-pollinated plants do not rely on pollinators, so they can still make seeds; the population is not badly affected. ✓
  • (A cross-pollinated population would make fewer seeds without insects.) ✓
  • (b) Self-pollination gives little variation, so few or no individuals may be suited to the drier conditions. ✓
  • The population is less able to respond to the change and could decline or die out. ✓

Mark this once you have attempted all six and checked your working. It records a Practiced badge on the topic and adds a one-time bonus. Revealing the solutions alone does not count.