Question

Which among the following is not a true fruit, that is, which one is a false fruit?

• A. Apple
• B. Date
• C. Grape
• D. Plum

Hint:

Look at which option's edible flesh grows from the receptacle around the ovary rather than from the ovary itself.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Know what a true fruit is.
A true fruit develops only from the ovary of a flower after fertilization. The ovary wall becomes the fruit wall, called the pericarp, and the seeds form from the fertilized ovules inside. No other part of the flower takes part in forming a true fruit.

Step 2: Know what a false fruit is.
A false fruit, also called a pseudocarp, develops mainly from some part of the flower other than the ovary, most often the receptacle, the swollen tip of the flower stalk that holds the floral parts. The ovary may still be present inside, but it is not what makes up the main edible portion.

Step 3: Check each option against this rule.
Date, grape and plum are all drupes or berries. In each of these, the fleshy part we eat develops directly from the ovary wall after fertilization, so all three are true fruits. Apple is different. In an apple, the part we eat is mostly the swollen receptacle that grows around the small true fruit, the core, which holds the seeds. This makes apple a pome, a classic example of a false fruit.

Step 4: Confirm the answer.
Since date, grape and plum are true fruits formed from the ovary, and apple is formed mainly from the receptacle, apple is the one that is not a true fruit. The correct answer is Apple.