Ctenophore Comb Plates & Locomotion — NEET Biology
✅ Asked in NEET 2019Match the following organisms with their respective characteristics: A. Pila; B. Bombyx; C. Pleurobrachia; D. Taenia. (i) Flame cells (ii) Comb plates (iii) Radula (iv) Malpighian tubules NEET Year: NEET 2019
Match the following organisms with their respective characteristics: A. Pila; B. Bombyx; C. Pleurobrachia; D. Taenia. (i) Flame cells (ii) Comb plates (iii) Radula (iv) Malpighian tubules NEET Year: NEET 2019
Answer & NCERT explanation
Correct answer: C — A–iii, B–iv, C–ii, D–i
Correct matching: Pila (mollusc) has radula for feeding, Bombyx (silkworm/arthropod) has Malpighian tubules for excretion, Pleurobrachia (ctenophore) has comb plates for locomotion, Taenia (tapeworm/platyhelminth) has flame cells for excretion. Each organism has characteristic structures as per NCERT classification.
Read more NCERT concept on the PYQ
Ctenophores, commonly known as sea walnuts or comb jellies are exclusively marine, radially symmetrical, diploblastic organisms with tissue level of organisation. The body bears eight external rows of ciliated comb plates, which help in locomotion. Digestion is both extracellular and intracellular. Bioluminescence (the property of a living organism to emit light) is well-marked in ctenophores. Sexes are not separate. Reproduction takes place only by sexual means. Fertilisation is external with indirect development.
NTA tests students on the unique locomotion structure of ctenophores: the eight rows of ciliated comb plates. These are NOT flagella or typical cilia—they are specialized, fused ciliary structures that beat in a coordinated wave pattern for movement. Students often confuse comb plates with cilia in other organisms or mix them up with tentacles (which ctenophores also have but use differently). The key to remember: comb plates are the PRIMARY locomotion organ in ctenophores, arranged in 8 external rows, and their coordinated beating creates visible light refraction effects. This distinctive feature makes ctenophores easy to identify in comparative phylum questions where students must differentiate between jellyfish, sea stars, and comb jellies.
What does NCERT say about Ctenophores commonly known as?
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Through deep analysis of NEET and NTA, 176 of the 180 ReNEET 2026 (June 21) questions were already in the MedicNEET question bank before the exam.
176/180MedicNEET's Biology question bank is built from the same NCERT lines NTA picks repeatedly. Not random MCQs — questions crafted exactly like NTA crafts them.