A structure that protects and helps disperse seeds.

• A. Zygote
• B. Fruit
• C. Ovule
• D. Germination

Answer: (B)

The concept here is how a plant structure protects seeds and helps spread them. A fruit forms from the ovary after fertilization and encases the seeds, providing a protective covering during development and after maturity. Fruits often have features that promote dispersal, such as appealing textures and flavors to attract animals who eat them and later disperse the seeds, or dry parts that hitch rides on fur or drift with the wind. This dual role of protection plus dispersal is what makes fruit the best answer.

Zygote refers to the fertilized egg that will develop into the embryo, not a protective dispersal structure. An ovule is the structure inside the flower that contains the egg and, after fertilization, becomes a seed. Germination is the process by which a seed begins to grow into a new plant.