Question

Assertion (A): Water and minerals are absorbed from roots and are transported upwards to various parts of the plant.

Reason (R): The process by which a substance absorbed from the roots of the plant is moved to the upper part of the plant is known as active transport.

Options

• Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

• Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.

• A is true but R is false.

• A is false but R is true.

Answer 1

A is true but R is false.

Explanation:

The assertion is true because water and essential minerals are absorbed by root hairs and transported unidirectionally upward to the leaves and other aerial parts via xylem vessels. However, the reason is false because this massive bulk upward movement (ascent of sap) is a passive transport process driven primarily by physical forces like transpiration pull and root pressure. Active transport requires cellular metabolic energy (ATP) to move substances against a gradient, which is not the mechanism used for bulk upward transport.