Q.122 Botany ⭐ 360° Option Elimination Active

NEET 2025 Botany Question 122 Solution

Topic: Photosynthesis in Higher Plants · Official NTA Booklet Code 45

Question

Match List I with List II. List I: A. Chlorophyll a; B. Chlorophyll b; C. Xanthophylls; D. Carotenoids. List II: I. Yellow-green; II. Yellow; III. Blue-green; IV. Yellow to Yellow-orange. Choose the option with all correct matches.

✓

Verified Against NTA Final Answer Key

Option (2) : A-III, B-I, C-II, D-IV

📚 Photosynthesis in Higher Plants Easy

📋 Given Parameters & Problem Setup

List I (Pigment Names) A. Chlorophyll a, B. Chlorophyll b, C. Xanthophylls, D. Carotenoids

List II (Chromatogram Colours) I. Yellow-green, II. Yellow, III. Blue-green, IV. Yellow to Yellow-orange

⚡

The 30-Second Exam Hall Shortcut: ⚡ Photosynthetic Pigment Colours Fingerprint

⏱️ Save ~25 seconds

Chl a = Blue-green (III); Chl b = Yellow-green (I); Xanthophyll = Yellow (II); Carotenoids = Yellow to yellow-orange (IV)!

1 Recall the NCERT chromatography colour table verbatim:

2 - Chlorophyll a: Bright or Blue-green (A -> III).

3 - Chlorophyll b: Yellow-green (B -> I).

4 - Xanthophylls: Yellow (C -> II).

5 - Carotenoids: Yellow to yellow-orange (D -> IV).

6 Unique matching sequence: A-III, B-I, C-II, D-IV (Option 2)!

7 Solved in under 10 seconds!

🛡️

Why You Can 100% Trust This Shortcut: Light Reaction & Photophosphorylation Pigments (NCERT Biology · Photosynthesis in Higher Plants: Reaction centre P680 and P700).

📐

Step-by-Step Rigorous Workflow & Mathematical Proof

Step 1

Chromatographic Separation of Photosynthetic Pigments

When leaf pigments are separated via paper chromatography, four distinct pigment bands appear based on their polarity and absorption properties:

• Chlorophyll a: The primary photosynthetic reaction center pigment; appears bright or blue-green in the chromatogram. Hence, A matches III.
• Chlorophyll b: An accessory antenna pigment; appears yellow-green in the chromatogram. Hence, B matches I.
• Xanthophylls: Oxygenated carotenoid accessory pigments; appear distinct yellow in the chromatogram. Hence, C matches II.
• Carotenoids: Pure hydrocarbon carotenes and related pigments; appear yellow to yellow-orange in the chromatogram. Hence, D matches IV.

Step 2

Formulating the Matching Code

Consolidating the four pigment-color associations:

• A (Chlorophyll a) -> III (Blue-green)
• B (Chlorophyll b) -> I (Yellow-green)
• C (Xanthophylls) -> II (Yellow)
• D (Carotenoids) -> IV (Yellow to Yellow-orange)

Step 3

Conclusion

The code A-III, B-I, C-II, D-IV uniquely corresponds to Option (2).

\text{Code: } A\text{-III}, \; B\text{-I}, \; C\text{-II}, \; D\text{-IV}

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360° Option Elimination Engine Key Feature

Diagnose every choice: Know exactly why the right option works and why distractors fail.

4-Option Deep Scan

1 A

✗ Incorrect

Verdict & Scientific Reason:

Incorrect. Swaps chlorophyll b with carotenoids.

⚠️

Student Fallacy (Why candidates pick this trap): Confusing yellow-green with yellow-orange.

2 B

✓ 100% Correct

Verdict & Scientific Reason:

100% correct. Matches every photosynthetic pigment with its exact NCERT chromatogram colour.

💡

Why this is airtight: None; pristine knowledge of photosynthetic pigments.

3 C

✗ Incorrect

Verdict & Scientific Reason:

Incorrect. Assigns yellow-green to chlorophyll a and blue-green to carotenoids.

⚠️

Student Fallacy (Why candidates pick this trap): Flipping green and orange hues completely.

4 D

✗ Incorrect

Verdict & Scientific Reason:

Incorrect. Scrambled color associations.

⚠️

Student Fallacy (Why candidates pick this trap): Random guessing.

⚠️

NTA Trap Alert: Chlorophyll a vs Chlorophyll b Chromatogram Tint

Both chlorophylls are green, but Chl a is BLUE-green, whereas Chl b is YELLOW-green. Xanthophyll is pure YELLOW, while Carotenoids are YELLOW-ORANGE (think of carrot orange!).

🛡️ How to avoid the -1 mark: Chl a has "a" for "Aqua/Blue-green"; Carotenoid has "Carrot" for Yellow-orange.

📖

Core NEET Syllabus Standard

NEET Biology Core Syllabus · Photosynthesis in Higher Plants Standard Benchmark

Core Scientific Principle Tested:

"Chlorophyll a is blue-green, chlorophyll b is yellow-green, xanthophylls are yellow, and carotenoids are yellow to yellow-orange."

Syllabus Focus: How Many Types of Pigments are Involved in Photosynthesis?

✓ Core NEET UG Syllabus Anchor Syllabus & Academic Standards ↗

a = Aqua-green (Blue-green), b = Bright Yellow-green, X = Xanthic Yellow, C = Carrot Orange!

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NEET 2025 Botany Question 122 Solution

Question

The 30-Second Exam Hall Shortcut: ⚡ Photosynthetic Pigment Colours Fingerprint

Step-by-Step Rigorous Workflow & Mathematical Proof

Chromatographic Separation of Photosynthetic Pigments

Formulating the Matching Code

Conclusion

360° Option Elimination Engine Key Feature

NTA Trap Alert: Chlorophyll a vs Chlorophyll b Chromatogram Tint

Core NEET Syllabus Standard

Ready to attempt under real exam pressure?

🔗 Related Questions — Photosynthesis in Higher Plants

RuBisCO Oxygenase Catalysis & Identification of 2-Phosphoglycolate

Reaction Centre Chlorophyll a in Photosystem I (P700)

Chronological Sequence of Classic Photosynthesis Experiments

Stoichiometry of the Calvin Cycle (C3 Pathway) per Glucose Formed

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