Grade 9 · Science · Unit 2 of 10
Reproduction
Asexual and sexual reproduction
What your child practises
How organisms reproduce with one parent or two, why sexual reproduction creates variety, the parts of a flower, and the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.
Alberta Curriculum learning outcome: Unit A: Biological Diversity · sexual and asexual reproduction in plants and animals
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
In plants, what are the male parts of a flower called (together)?
- sepals
- petals
- pistils
- stamens
Show answer
stamens
Hint: Stamens (anther + filament) make pollen. The pistil is the female part.
Question 2
Which is a way flowering plants reproduce sexually?
- A leaf grows into a new plant
- Pollen from one flower fertilizes another flower's ovule
- A tuber sprouts
- A branch is cut and planted
Show answer
Pollen from one flower fertilizes another flower's ovule
Hint: Pollination moves pollen to the female part of a flower so seeds can form.
Question 3
Which is an advantage of asexual reproduction?
- It requires two parents.
- It creates lots of genetic variety.
- It prevents all diseases.
- Organisms can reproduce quickly without finding a mate.
Show answer
Organisms can reproduce quickly without finding a mate.
Hint: Asexual reproduction is fast and needs only one parent.
Question 4
Asexual or sexual reproduction? Sort each example.
Sort into: 1️⃣ Asexual · 2️⃣ Sexual
- 🐝a bee carries pollen to an apple flower
- 🦠bacteria split in two
- 🌻a seed grows from a pollinated flower
- 🐟a salmon's egg is fertilized by a sperm
- 🪸a hydra grows a bud
- 🐦a bird lays fertilized eggs
- 🥔a potato eye grows into a new plant
- 🪴a spider plant sends out a plantlet
Show answer
1️⃣ Asexual: bacteria split in two, a hydra grows a bud, a potato eye grows into a new plant, a spider plant sends out a plantlet · 2️⃣ Sexual: a bee carries pollen to an apple flower, a seed grows from a pollinated flower, a salmon's egg is fertilized by a sperm, a bird lays fertilized eggs
Hint: Asexual reproduction involves one parent and produces identical copies. Sexual reproduction joins sex cells from two parents.
Question 5
What is fertilization?
- When a cell divides in two
- When a plant makes sugar
- When a seed is planted
- When a sperm cell and an egg cell join
Show answer
When a sperm cell and an egg cell join
Hint: Fertilization combines genetic material from two parents into a new cell.
Question 6
Why does sexual reproduction increase variety within a species?
- Parents choose which genes to pass on.
- Offspring are copies of one parent.
- Offspring get a new mix of genes from two parents.
- Mutations never happen.
Show answer
Offspring get a new mix of genes from two parents.
Hint: Variation helps a species survive when conditions change.