Class 9 Science Chapter 11 Reproduction: How Life Continues – Extra Questions with Answers

Extra practice questions for Class 9 Science Chapter 11 (Reproduction: How Life Continues), beyond the textbook. These Class 9 Science Chapter 11 important questions are handy for last-minute exam practice.

Very Short Answer Questions (1 mark)

Q1. What is pollination?
Ans: The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma of a flower.

Q2. Where are sperm produced in the human male?
Ans: Testes.

Q3. What structure in the female reproductive system is the usual site of fertilisation?
Ans: Fallopian tube.

Q4. What is the average length of the human menstrual cycle?
Ans: About 28 days.

Q5. Name one method of seed dispersal.
Ans: Wind (water, animals, or explosive mechanisms also acceptable).

Short Answer Questions (2–3 marks)

Q6. Explain why seed dispersal is important for a plant’s survival, giving one reason.
Ans: Seed dispersal reduces competition between the parent plant and its offspring for resources like sunlight, water, and nutrients, and allows the species to colonise new areas, improving the overall chances of survival for at least some of the seeds.

Q7. Describe the journey of an egg from ovulation to implantation, assuming fertilisation occurs.
Ans: An egg is released from the ovary during ovulation, travels into the fallopian tube where it may be fertilised by a sperm to form a zygote, which then continues moving toward the uterus, dividing as it goes, and eventually implants itself into the thickened lining of the uterus to begin developing into an embryo.

Q8. Why are birth control methods considered important for reproductive health, beyond just preventing pregnancy?
Ans: Some birth control methods, such as condoms, also help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections, in addition to preventing unintended pregnancy, making them important for overall reproductive and general health, not just family planning.

Higher-Order Thinking / Application Questions

Q9. A plant produces brightly coloured, sweet-smelling flowers with sticky pollen, while another plant produces small, dull, odourless flowers with light, powdery pollen produced in huge quantities. Identify the likely pollination agent for each and explain your reasoning.
Ans: The plant with bright, sweet-smelling flowers and sticky pollen is likely insect-pollinated, since these features (colour, scent, sticky pollen that clings to insects) attract and use pollinating insects. The plant with small, dull, odourless flowers and light, abundant, powdery pollen is likely wind-pollinated, since it doesn’t need to attract anything and relies on producing large amounts of easily-airborne pollen to increase the chance some reaches another flower by chance.

Q10. If fertilisation does not occur in a particular menstrual cycle, explain step-by-step what happens to the uterine lining and why this represents an efficient biological response.
Ans: If fertilisation doesn’t occur, the thickened uterine lining that had been prepared to support a potential embryo is no longer needed, so hormonal signals cause it to break down and be shed from the body as menstrual flow; the cycle then restarts, building up a fresh lining in preparation for the next possible fertilisation. This is efficient because the body doesn’t maintain resources (the thickened lining) unnecessarily once it’s clear they won’t be used that cycle, and prepares fresh conditions for the next opportunity.

Written by Satish

NCERTBooks.org is an independent educational resource run by a small team focused on making official NCERT textbooks easy to find, read, and download for students, parents, and teachers across India. We are not affiliated with NCERT or the Ministry of Education -- we organise publicly available NCERT content by class and subject, verify links against official sources, and build tools (like our in-browser reader) that make studying more convenient. Every guide we publish is written and reviewed by our team based on the actual NCERT curriculum and syllabus.