In the nature, which of the following is/are most likely to be found surviving on a surface without soil?
- 1.Fern
- 2.Lichen
- 3.Moss
- 4.Mushroom
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 2 and 3
Lichens and mosses are pioneer organisms: they cling to bare rock, walls and bark and are among the first to colonise weathered rock before any soil exists. Ferns arrive only after some soil and humus has built up, and mushrooms need dead organic matter to feed on.
- ✗ 1. Ferns are vascular plants with roots; in soil formation they appear later, once humus has accumulated.
- ✓ 2. A lichen is a partnership of a fungus and an alga that grows directly on rocks and tree bark.
- ✓ 3. Mosses have root-like rhizoids rather than true roots and form green mats on damp rocks and old walls.
- ✗ 4. Mushrooms are fungi that cannot make food; they absorb nutrients from dead and decaying matter, so they grow on soil, litter or wood.
Remember · Pioneers on bare rock: lichens and mosses. They start soil formation; ferns, grasses and trees follow.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 5 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 5 (practise this chapter) · Class 7 Curiosity, Ch 2 (practise this chapter) · Class 9 Exploration, Ch 12 (practise this chapter) · Class 9 Exploration, Ch 12 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 11 · Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Chapter 5 “First, the weathered material or transported deposits are colonised by bacteria and other inferior plant bodies like mosses and lichens.”
- NCERT Class 11 · Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Chapter 5 “The dead remains of organisms and plants help in humus accumulation. Minor grasses and ferns may grow”
- NCERT Class 7 · Curiosity, Chapter 2 “Lichens are formed by the association of two living organisms, a fungus and an alga. They grow on rocks and trees”
- NCERT Class 9 · Exploration, Chapter 12 “You might have seen them as large green mats on damp rocks or even on the walls of some old buildings”
- NCERT Class 9 · Exploration, Chapter 12 “They either absorb nutrients from dead or decaying matter through fine filaments”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·