Question 1 Read the passage below carefully and answer the questions that follow. The coconut The coconut tree belongs to the palm family and is considered the only living species of the Cocos genus. Coconuts are expected to have originated from the India-Indonesia region. Coconut refers to the entire palm; it is botanically a drupe and not a nut. The inner flesh of the Coconut is an important part of food for the people of the tropics and subtropics. This fruit or drupe is considered highly versatile due to its use in a wide range of products from food to cosmetics. This fruit is different from other fruits because it contains a clear liquid in the endosperm and is generally called as Coconut milk. In India Coconut finds significance in religion and culture and is most commonly used for various rituals. The trees have adventitious roots produced from a point called bole at the base of the trunk. The roots of the tree do not have hair and are not tap roots. The primary roots bear large quantities of rootlets and the main root grows horizontally from the bole. The root branches grow deeper into the soil and extend laterally to about 10 m. The maximum diameter of the main root is 1 cm and the roots are almost uniform. The tip of the root is the active growing region and behind this there is an absorbing area with a single layered epidermis. When the roots are old, the epidermis disintegrates and generally looks red due to exposed hypodermis. The trunk is unbranched, erect, stout and cylindrical. The stem or trunk is encircled by the leaf base. The scars on the trunk determine the age of the tree and the trunk growth is noticeable in the first few years of planting. The thickness of the trunk or girth remains constant or uniform for many years, but gradually decreases as the tree grows older. The leaves are crowded at the top of the tree like a crown. The new young leaves appear in the centre of the crown and it almost takes 5 months for the complete development of the leaf. It is approximately estimated that a single coconut tree may have around 15 open leaves with 15 young leaves still emerging or at different stages of development. Each leaf is long, linear with a short mid-rib, narrow lamina and parallel venation. The inflorescence develops after 34 months from planting. Enclosed by a tough spathe is the spadix that is stout and erect. The plant or tree is monoecious in nature i.e. it bears both the male and female flowers on the same plant. There are six stamens and contain many 2pollen grains that are spherical in shape. With the application of good fertilizer accompanied by pollination, the trees bear mature fruits in 12 months of planting for dwarf varieties. The fruits develop from a tricapillary ovary and are drupe. The outer layer is called the pericarp which is green initially, but turns brown upon drying and is fibrous in nature; the endocarp is generally hard and forms the shell. This endocarp encloses a soft white endosperm, which contains a big cavity filled with extra cellular fluid. a) How does the writer describe the coconut plant in terms of its ability to bear flowers? Your answer should be illustrated by examples from the passage. (EV7 marks) b) Explain the way the writer determines the age of the coconut tree in the text. Situate your answer in a specific context. (CR 7 marks) c) Apart from the food that we obtain from the coconut what other uses can the coconut be made with. Your answer should reflect examples from specific context. (AN 6marks) TOTAL: 25Marks