Questions: Fruits and Seed Dispersal

Question 1

Why is it helpful for seeds to travel far from the parent plant?

• A. So the seeds can see new places
• B. So the baby plants have more room, sunlight, and water
• C. So the parent plant can be alone
• D. So animals can eat all of them

Answer: (B)

If all the seeds fell right under the parent plant, the baby plants would be crowded together and would have to compete for sunlight, water, and soil. Spreading out gives each new plant a better chance to get what it needs to grow.

Question 2

A tomato is not a fruit because it is not sweet.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: False

A tomato is a fruit because it grows from a flower and has seeds inside. In science, a fruit is any part of a plant that holds seeds. Sweetness does not matter — tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers are all fruits even though we eat them like vegetables.

Question 3

Name two ways that seeds can travel away from the parent plant.

Model answer: Seeds can travel by wind (like dandelion fluff floating through the air) and by sticking to animal fur (like burrs on a dog's coat).

Seeds have many ways of traveling. Wind carries light, fluffy seeds like dandelions. Animals carry seeds that stick to fur or that are eaten in fruits and dropped elsewhere. Water carries seeds that float. Some seed pods even pop open and fling seeds outward.