Sigmoid Growth Curve in Living Organisms — NEET Biology
✅ Asked in NEET 2015Typical growth curve in plants is: (AIPMT 2015 Cancelled Paper)
Typical growth curve in plants is: (AIPMT 2015 Cancelled Paper)
Answer & NCERT explanation
Correct answer: D — Sigmoid
Typical plant growth curve is SIGMOID (S-shaped). According to NCERT, it has three phases: slow initial lag phase, rapid exponential phase, and stationary phase where growth rate decreases. This creates an S-shaped curve. Linear growth would be constant rate, stair-steps and parabolic don't represent typical plant growth patterns accurately.
Read more NCERT concept on the PYQ
Let us now see what happens in geometrical growth. In most systems, the initial growth is slow (lag phase), and it increases rapidly thereafter – at an exponential rate (log or exponential phase). Here, both the progeny cells following mitotic cell division retain the ability to divide and continue to do so. However, with limited nutrient supply, the growth slows down leading to a stationary phase. If we plot the parameter of growth against time, we get a typical sigmoid or S-curve. A sigmoid curve is a characteristic of living organism growing in a natural environment. It is typical for all cells, tissues and organs of a plant. Can you think of more similar examples? What kind of a curve can you expect in a tree showing seasonal activities?
NTA tests the sigmoid (S-shaped) curve as the characteristic growth pattern of living organisms in natural environments. This curve has three distinct phases: lag phase (slow initial growth), log/exponential phase (rapid growth), and stationary phase (growth slows due to limited nutrients). Students often confuse sigmoid curves with J-shaped (exponential) curves, forgetting that resources are always limited in real environments, preventing indefinite exponential growth. Remember: sigmoid curves are typical for ALL cells, tissues, organs, and organisms—this is the key distinguishing feature NTA wants you to know for any organism growth question.
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Through deep analysis of NEET and NTA, 88 of 90 questions from the NEET 2026 paper were matched straight from the MedicNEET Biology question bank.
88/90MedicNEET's Biology question bank is built from the same NCERT lines NTA picks repeatedly. Not random MCQs — questions crafted exactly like NTA crafts them.