"Plants use a variety of techniques to get rid of waste material." Justify this statement giving any four ways.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-11 09:49 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Plants use various techniques to excrete waste:
- Transpiration — excess water is removed as water vapour through stomata.
- Stored in vacuoles — waste products are stored in cellular vacuoles.
- Stored in leaves — wastes accumulate in leaves which then fall off.
- Resins and gums — wastes are stored as resins and gums in old xylem.
- Excreted into soil — some waste substances are released into the surrounding soil.
(Any four accepted)
Source: Chapter 5, Section 5.5.2 – Excretion in Plants
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Explanation
The question is from 5.5.2 Excretion in Plants. Examiners expect students to list distinct methods with a brief description of each. For 2 marks, four points are asked but only two are typically awarded (½ mark each) — write all four clearly to be safe. Avoid mixing up animal excretion details here. Key terms like transpiration, vacuoles, resins and gums, and leaf fall must appear.