What term describes the embryo of a living plant encased in a protective covering and surrounded by a food supply?

• A. Embryo
• B. Spore
• C. Pollen
• D. Seed

Answer: (D)

Seeds describe the embryo of a living plant encased in a protective covering and surrounded by a food supply. This arrangement allows the young plant to survive dormant periods and have energy ready for germination when conditions improve. The protective covering, the seed coat, comes from the tissues around the ovule, while the stored food—endosperm or the cotyledons—provides nutrients for the developing embryo. By contrast, an embryo alone isn’t protected and nourished in this way, spores lack both a protective seed coat and stored food, and pollen is the male gametophyte used for fertilization rather than a food-filled, encased embryo.