MASTER GARDENER EXAM 2026 – 150 PRACTICE QUESTIONS
WITH ANSWERS & RATIONALES COMPREHENSIVE STUDY
GUIDE GRADED A+
covers core topics:
Basic botany & plant physiology
Soil science & fertilizers
Composting & organic matter
Plant diseases, pests, and IPM
Water management & irrigation
Landscape design & plant selection
Vegetable gardening & fruit crops
Lawn/turf management
Environmental horticulture & safety
Section 1: Basic Botany & Plant Physiology (Q1–20)
1. Which of the following is NOT a plant organ?
A. Leaf
B. Stem
C. Root
D. Xylem
Xylem is a tissue (vascular), not an organ. Organs include leaves, stems, roots, flowers.
2. The basic structural and functional unit of a plant is the:
A. Tissue
B. Cell
,C. Organ
D. Organ system
All plant structures are made of cells, the basic unit of life.
3. Photosynthesis primarily occurs in which plant part?
A. Root
B. Leaf
C. Stem
D. Flower
Leaves contain chloroplasts where photosynthesis takes place.
4. Which gas do plants primarily take in during photosynthesis?
A. Oxygen
B. Carbon dioxide
C. Nitrogen
D. Hydrogen
Plants use CO₂ and water to produce sugars and oxygen.
5. The primary pigment responsible for capturing light energy in photosynthesis is:
A. Carotene
B. Chlorophyll
C. Anthocyanin
D. Xanthophyll
Chlorophyll absorbs light mainly in the blue and red wavelengths.
6. Which plant tissue transports water and minerals from roots to leaves?
A. Phloem
B. Xylem
C. Cambium
D. Epidermis
,Xylem moves water upward; phloem transports sugars.
7. Which plant tissue transports sugars from leaves to other parts of the plant?
A. Xylem
B. Phloem
C. Cortex
D. Pith
Phloem distributes photosynthates (sugars) throughout the plant.
8. The region of active cell division at the tips of roots and shoots is called the:
A. Lateral meristem
B. Apical meristem
C. Vascular cambium
D. Cork cambium
Apical meristems drive primary growth in length.
9. A plant that completes its life cycle in one growing season is a(n):
A. Perennial
B. Biennial
C. Annual
D. Woody plant
Annuals germinate, grow, flower, set seed, and die in one season.
10. A plant that requires two growing seasons to complete its life cycle is a:
A. Annual
B. Biennial
C. Perennial
D. Herbaceous plant
Biennials typically grow vegetatively the first year, flower the second.
, 11. Which of the following is a monocot characteristic?
A. Flower parts in multiples of 4 or 5
B. Parallel leaf venation
C. Two cotyledons
D. Ringed vascular bundles in stem
Monocots usually have parallel veins, flower parts in 3s, scattered vascular bundles.
12. Which of the following is a dicot characteristic?
A. Parallel leaf venation
B. Flower parts in multiples of 3
C. Netted leaf venation
D. Scattered vascular bundles
Dicots typically have netted veins, flower parts in 4s/5s, ringed vascular bundles.
13. The process by which water moves through a plant and evaporates from leaves
is:
A. Photosynthesis
B. Respiration
C. Transpiration
D. Osmosis
Transpiration drives water movement and cooling.
14. Stomata on leaves are primarily responsible for:
A. Water absorption
B. Gas exchange and transpiration
C. Nutrient storage
D. Structural support
Stomata open/close to regulate CO₂ intake and water loss.
WITH ANSWERS & RATIONALES COMPREHENSIVE STUDY
GUIDE GRADED A+
covers core topics:
Basic botany & plant physiology
Soil science & fertilizers
Composting & organic matter
Plant diseases, pests, and IPM
Water management & irrigation
Landscape design & plant selection
Vegetable gardening & fruit crops
Lawn/turf management
Environmental horticulture & safety
Section 1: Basic Botany & Plant Physiology (Q1–20)
1. Which of the following is NOT a plant organ?
A. Leaf
B. Stem
C. Root
D. Xylem
Xylem is a tissue (vascular), not an organ. Organs include leaves, stems, roots, flowers.
2. The basic structural and functional unit of a plant is the:
A. Tissue
B. Cell
,C. Organ
D. Organ system
All plant structures are made of cells, the basic unit of life.
3. Photosynthesis primarily occurs in which plant part?
A. Root
B. Leaf
C. Stem
D. Flower
Leaves contain chloroplasts where photosynthesis takes place.
4. Which gas do plants primarily take in during photosynthesis?
A. Oxygen
B. Carbon dioxide
C. Nitrogen
D. Hydrogen
Plants use CO₂ and water to produce sugars and oxygen.
5. The primary pigment responsible for capturing light energy in photosynthesis is:
A. Carotene
B. Chlorophyll
C. Anthocyanin
D. Xanthophyll
Chlorophyll absorbs light mainly in the blue and red wavelengths.
6. Which plant tissue transports water and minerals from roots to leaves?
A. Phloem
B. Xylem
C. Cambium
D. Epidermis
,Xylem moves water upward; phloem transports sugars.
7. Which plant tissue transports sugars from leaves to other parts of the plant?
A. Xylem
B. Phloem
C. Cortex
D. Pith
Phloem distributes photosynthates (sugars) throughout the plant.
8. The region of active cell division at the tips of roots and shoots is called the:
A. Lateral meristem
B. Apical meristem
C. Vascular cambium
D. Cork cambium
Apical meristems drive primary growth in length.
9. A plant that completes its life cycle in one growing season is a(n):
A. Perennial
B. Biennial
C. Annual
D. Woody plant
Annuals germinate, grow, flower, set seed, and die in one season.
10. A plant that requires two growing seasons to complete its life cycle is a:
A. Annual
B. Biennial
C. Perennial
D. Herbaceous plant
Biennials typically grow vegetatively the first year, flower the second.
, 11. Which of the following is a monocot characteristic?
A. Flower parts in multiples of 4 or 5
B. Parallel leaf venation
C. Two cotyledons
D. Ringed vascular bundles in stem
Monocots usually have parallel veins, flower parts in 3s, scattered vascular bundles.
12. Which of the following is a dicot characteristic?
A. Parallel leaf venation
B. Flower parts in multiples of 3
C. Netted leaf venation
D. Scattered vascular bundles
Dicots typically have netted veins, flower parts in 4s/5s, ringed vascular bundles.
13. The process by which water moves through a plant and evaporates from leaves
is:
A. Photosynthesis
B. Respiration
C. Transpiration
D. Osmosis
Transpiration drives water movement and cooling.
14. Stomata on leaves are primarily responsible for:
A. Water absorption
B. Gas exchange and transpiration
C. Nutrient storage
D. Structural support
Stomata open/close to regulate CO₂ intake and water loss.
