Question

Which of the following produces seeds but no flowers?

• A. Cashew nut
• B. Coffee
• C. Groundnut
• D. Pine

Hint:

Ask whether the plant ever produces a flower at any stage. Groundnut does, even though it fruits underground.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Know the two groups of seed plants.
Plants that produce seeds are divided mainly into two groups, gymnosperms and angiosperms. Angiosperms are flowering plants, their seeds always develop inside a fruit that forms after a flower is fertilized. Gymnosperms are non flowering plants, their seeds form in structures like cones, directly exposed, without ever passing through a flower stage.

Step 2: Check each option against this rule.
Cashew nut and coffee both come from flowering plants. Their seeds develop after the plant's flowers are pollinated and fertilized, so both are angiosperms. Groundnut, the peanut plant, is also a flowering plant. It produces small yellow flowers, and after fertilization, a stalk called the peg pushes the developing pod underground, where the seeds mature. So groundnut does flower, even though its fruiting happens below the soil.

Step 3: Identify the true exception.
Pine is a gymnosperm. It never produces a flower at any stage of its life cycle. Instead, it produces separate male and female cones, and the seeds develop exposed on the scales of the female cone after pollination by wind. This is the standard textbook example of a plant that produces seeds without ever producing flowers.

Step 4: Confirm the answer.
Since cashew nut, coffee and groundnut are all flowering plants, and pine is the only gymnosperm among the options that produces seeds with no flower stage at all, the correct answer is Pine.