Q 01/05

Nicotine is an alkaloid found mainly in which group of plants?

A) Sunflowers

B) Nightshades

C) Buttercups

D) Grasses

Answer · why

B) Nightshades

Trace amounts also occur in tomatoes, potatoes and eggplants, which are all nightshades.

Q 02/05

Roughly what share of a tobacco leaf's dry weight is nicotine?

A) 0.6-3.0%

B) 5-10%

C) 12-15%

D) 20-25%

Answer · why

A) 0.6-3.0%

Nicotiana rustica is far stronger than common tobacco, reaching 2-14%.

Q 03/05

What colour is pure nicotine?

A) Deep reddish brown

B) Opaque milky white

C) Colourless to yellowish

D) Bright emerald green

Answer · why

C) Colourless to yellowish

It is an oily liquid that readily passes through biological membranes.

Q 04/05

What is nicotine's biological job in the tobacco plant?

A) A frost protectant

B) A pollinator attractant

C) A pigment for the flowers

D) An anti-herbivore toxin

Answer · why

D) An anti-herbivore toxin

It is made in the roots and shipped up to the leaves; a tomato top grafted onto tobacco roots is unharmed by it.

Q 05/05

Which specialist caterpillar has evolved to feed on Nicotiana plants despite the nicotine?

A) The cabbage white

B) The tobacco hornworm

C) The gypsy moth larva

D) The monarch caterpillar

Answer · why

B) The tobacco hornworm

Manduca sexta can detoxify and even repurpose the alkaloid.