NEET UG · Biology · Class 11
Photosynthesis in Higher Plants: NEET previous year questions
23 questions in ten years of NEET, asked in 9 of 10 years. Here is what this chapter tests and how.
- Asked in 10 years
- 23
- 9 of 10 papers
- 10-year average
- 2.2
- a paper · 3.2 since 2024 +1.5
- Typical range
- 1–3
- questions a paper; fewest 0, most 5
- Weighted estimate
- 2.9
- model, recent papers count more · about 12 marks
- Typical range (fact)
- 10-year average (fact)
- Weighted estimate (model)
Typical range: questions per paper in the middle eight of the ten papers, leaving out the single highest and lowest year (about the 10th to 90th percentile), each paper scaled to 180 questions. The ten-year average and the range are historical fact. The weighted estimate is a model: each paper's share, with recent papers counting more (half-life three years), and dropped syllabus removed. It is a guide to effort, not a forecast.
What to do
How to spend time on Photosynthesis in Higher Plants
Priority
Among the chapters that took NEET from half to 80% of its questions. How bands are set
- Past questions
- 23in 9 of 10 papers
- Study plan gives it
- 22 hover 12 months; 17 h over 6
Ideas asked most often
- C3 Reduction and Regen2×
- Chemiosmotic Hypothesis2×
146 of the 173 ideas in Lumi’s map of this chapter have not been asked or touched in ten years. New questions often come from ideas like these, so learn the whole chapter, not just the list above.
Questions per year
Kind of question
SHARE OF 10 YEARS- Recall44%
- Concept35%
- Two statements9%
- Calculation4%
- Application4%
- Match the lists4%
Most common asks: numerical (3); odd-one-out among products of a process (1); select requirements of a photosynthetic stage (1).
Profile
This chapter in numbers
Where it ranks, how steady it is, and what it costs to study.
- Rank, all NEET chapters
- #21
- of 80 by weighted estimate
- Rank in Biology
- #17
- of 32 chapters
- Share of the paper
- 1.2%
- ten-year average
- Busiest year
- 2026
- 5 questions
- Year to year
- Some swing
- varies by about 1.2 questions
- Long-run direction
- +0.31
- questions per paper, per year
- Easy questions
- 39%
- 81% of ideas rated hard
- With a figure
- 0%
- graph, diagram or structure
- Botany / Zoology
- 23 / 0
- questions by section
- Study time
- 22 h
- 17 h on a 6-month plan
- Marks per study hour
- 0.55
- #43 of 80 chapters
- Foundation for others
- 82%
- of its ideas are used in other chapters
Difficulty, year by year
Each question rated easy, medium or hard against NCERT.
- 20172
- 20181
- 2019
- 20202
- 20212
- 20223
- 20233
- 20243
- 20252
- 20265
- Easy
- Medium
- Hard
What it asks you to do
SHARE OF QUESTIONS- Recall48%
- Concept44%
- Application4%
- Calculation4%
Coverage
How much of the chapter NEET has used
We split the chapter into 173 ideas. In ten years NEET built a question around 20 of them. Most of the chapter has never been asked, which is why learning it whole beats memorising past questions.
- Asked as the main idea
- 20
- Touched on in a question
- 7
- Never asked
- 146
Topics
What repeats, topic by topic
Questions per topic in each year's paper. Topics that come every year are worth learning first.
- Calvin and Hatch-Slack Cycles · Every year1421121313
- Photosynthetic Light Reaction · Every year91111212
| Topic | 2017 | ’18 | 2019 | ’20 | 2021 | ’22 | 2023 | ’24 | 2025 | ’26 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calvin and Hatch-Slack CyclesEvery year | 2 | · | · | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 14 |
| Photosynthetic Light ReactionEvery year | · | 1 | · | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | · | 1 | 2 | 9 |
Calvin and Hatch-Slack Cycles
Expect a one-line factual recall item about Calvin and Hatch-Slack Cycles; a conceptual single-answer item (reasoning rather than recall) is the next most likely shape. Past framings centre on: numerical; identify products of enzyme activity.
Drill down
Topic, idea, question
Open a topic to see every idea NEET tested inside it, then open an idea to read the questions. Each row shows its ten papers.
Ideas
The exact ideas NEET has asked
Inside the topics, 21 different ideas were tested. These came more than once, or are new since 2024.
- C3 Reduction and RegenNew2×
select requirements of a photosynthetic stage
- Chemiosmotic Hypothesis2×
identify requirements of a process
- Calvin Cycle Turns per GlucoseNew1×
numerical
- Phosphoglycolate FormationNew1×
identify product of a reaction step
- Wasteful Nature of PhotorespirationNew1×
count correct statements on photorespiration
- Early Experiments on PhotosynthesisNew1×
order of steps in a process
- PS I and PS II DifferencesNew1×
identify pigment in a reaction centre
- RuBisCO CarboxylationNew1×
true statement selection on photosynthesis enzyme
- Photosynthetic PigmentsNew1×
match list on photosynthetic pigments
- Photorespiration (C2)New1×
statement i/ii on photosynthesis
Every question
Photosynthesis in Higher Plants questions, year by year
The opening words of each question as it appeared in the official paper.
NEET 20265 questions
- Q100Photorespiration reaction catalyzed by RuBisCo is shown below : 3-Phosphoglycerate + X Identify "X" from the given…One-line MCQ
- Q102Which pigment has absorption peak at 700 nm in the photosynthetic reaction centre PS I (P700)?One-line MCQ
- Q114Select the correct sequence of experiments that led to a gradual understanding of photosynthesis in green plants.One-line MCQ
- Q116How many turns of Calvin cycle are required for the formation of three molecules of glucose?Numerical
- Q122Which of the following statements regarding photorespiration are correct? (a) Do not occur in C3 plants (b) CO₂ is consumed and O₂ is…Other
NEET 20252 questions
- Q122Match List I with List II : List I | List II A. Chlorophyll a | I. Yellow-green B. Chlorophyll b | II. Yellow C. Xanthophylls | III.…Match the lists
- Q171Which of the following statements about RuBisCO is true?One-line MCQ
NEET 20243 questions
- Q107Which of the following are required for the dark reaction of photosynthesis? A. Light B. Chlorophyll C. CO D. ATP E. NADPH Choose the…Other
- Q112How many molecules of ATP and NADPH are required for every molecule of CO fixed in the Calvin cycle?One-line MCQ
- Q146Given below are two statements: Statement I : In C plants, some O binds to RuBisCO, hence CO fixation is decreased. Statement…Two statements
NEET 20233 questions
- Q112How many ATP and NADPH are required for the synthesis of one molecule of Glucose during Calvin cycle?One-line MCQ
- Q117The reaction centre in PS II has an absorption maxima atOne-line MCQ
- Q140Which of the following combinations is required for chemiosmosis?One-line MCQ
NEET 20223 questions
- Q121Given below are two statements : Statement I : The primary acceptor in plants is phosphoenolpyruvate and is…Two statements
- Q125Which one of the following is not true regarding the release of energy during ATP synthesis through chemiosmosis ? It involves :One-line MCQ
- Q137What is the role of large bundle shealth cells found around the vascular bundles in plants ?One-line MCQ
NEET 20212 questions
- Q132The first stable product of fixation in sorghum is :One-line MCQ
- Q136Which of the following statements is incorrect ?One-line MCQ
NEET 20202 questions
- Q42The oxygenation activity of RuBisCo enzyme in photorespiration leads to the formation of :One-line MCQ
- Q65In light reaction, plastoquinone facilitates the transfer of electrons from :One-line MCQ
NEET 20181 question
- Q120Which of the following is not a product of light reaction of photosynthesis ?One-line MCQ
NEET 20172 questions
- Q142With reference to factors affecting the rate of photosynthesis, which of the following statements is not correct ?One-line MCQ
- Q164Phosphoenol pyruvate (PEP) is the primary acceptor inOne-line MCQ
Questions from the official NEET UG papers published by NTA (CBSE before 2019). Topic and idea tags, counts and notes are Lumi’s.