Consider the following pairs :
| Plant | Description |
|---|---|
| I. Cassava | Woody shrub |
| II. Ginger | Herb with pseudostem |
| III. Malabar spinach | Herbaceous climber |
| IV. Mint | Annual shrub |
| V. Papaya | Woody shrub |
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Show answer
Answer: B. Pair I is correct: cassava is a woody shrub. Pair II is correct: ginger is a herb whose above-ground 'stem' is a pseudostem made of rolled leaf sheaths. Pair III is correct: Malabar spinach (Basella alba) is a herbaceous climbing vine. Pair IV is wrong: mint is a perennial herb, not an annual shrub. Pair V is wrong: papaya is a large soft-stemmed herb or small tree, not a woody shrub. So three pairs are correct.
Watch for: Papaya looks like a tree, but its stem is soft and not truly woody, and mint is a perennial herb.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong: three pairs (I, II, III) are correct, not two.
- C. Wrong: pairs IV and V are wrong, so only three are correct.
- D. Wrong: mint and papaya are wrongly matched.
Source to check: Botanical descriptions in standard flora such as Kew 'Plants of the World Online'; NCERT Class XI Biology, 'Morphology of Flowering Plants' (basic habit types).
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.