Biology Bioenergetics ETEA 2022
PMDC Verified Question 45 of 67
Which scientist among the following hypothesized that plant splits water to release oxygen as by-product?
A
Van Neil
B
Lysenko
C
Calvin
D
Krebs
Tap any option to test your recall and reveal the step-by-step Propolis autopsy.

Propolis Cognitive Error Autopsy

Official Correct Choice:
Option A: Van Neil
Concept:

The origin of oxygen evolved during photosynthesis was a major historical question in biology, eventually traced back to water rather than carbon dioxide.

Solution:

  • In the 1930s, Cornelis van Niel hypothesized that plants split water (\( H_2O \)) as a source of hydrogen, releasing oxygen as a byproduct.
  • He based this on his studies of photosynthetic bacteria that utilize hydrogen sulfide (\( H_2S \)) and release sulfur.


Why other options are incorrect:

  • Melvin Calvin discovered the light-independent carbon fixation pathway.
  • Hans Krebs discovered the citric acid cycle in cellular respiration.

Quality & Fidelity Assurance: Every question on BeambePrep is rigorously curated against the official PMDC syllabus with zero filler, zero out-of-syllabus content, and zero typos. When an authentic past paper originally contained a historical mistake or ambiguity from the examining board (such as UHS or NUMS), BeambePrep faithfully reflects the original paper while detailing the nuance and scientific consensus in the autopsy above.

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