Reproduction, growth and sexual health
Reproduction, growth and development
This domain tests plant reproduction, human reproduction and sexual health.
Core rules
- Flower parts: sepals protect; petals attract pollinators; stamens produce pollen; carpel has stigma, style and ovary containing ovules.
- Pollination is transfer of pollen to a stigma; fertilisation is fusion of male and female gametes. After fertilisation, ovules become seeds and the ovary becomes fruit.
- Seeds need water, oxygen and suitable temperature to germinate. Dispersal reduces competition.
- Human: sperm produced in testes; eggs in ovaries; fertilisation in oviduct; implantation in uterus; placenta allows exchange; umbilical cord connects fetus.
- Menstrual cycle: menstruation, follicle development, ovulation around day 14 in a 28-day cycle, corpus luteum, then menstruation if no fertilisation.
- Sexual health: STIs can be bacterial or viral; contraception includes barrier, hormonal and surgical methods; condoms reduce STI risk as well as pregnancy risk.
Worked example
In a 28-day cycle, ovulation is around day 14. Sperm can survive several days in the female tract, so the fertile window is roughly days 10–15, not only day 14. Reasoning: pregnancy risk depends on sperm survival and egg viability, so timing is a range rather than a single point. This is why fertility awareness is less reliable than consistent barrier or hormonal contraception.
Traps
- Confusing pollination with fertilisation.
- Saying the ovary becomes the seed.
- Saying ovulation is always exactly day 14 in every cycle.
- Claiming the placenta mixes maternal and fetal blood.
- Saying all contraception protects against STIs.