Analogy — Developmental Stages in Botany ‘‘Flower’’ is related to ‘‘Bud’’ as the mature stage to its earlier undeveloped stage. By parallel reasoning, ‘‘Fruit’’ is related to which earlier stage?

Introduction / Context:
Developmental analogies track life-cycle progressions. A bud is an immature stage that develops into a flower. We now apply the same temporal development to a fruit, identifying which earlier stage directly precedes it in typical angiosperm development.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Bud → Flower (bud matures into a flower).
• Fruit forms from the ovary of a flower after fertilization.
• We want the stage that corresponds to the bud/flower relationship.

Concept / Approach:
The first pair depicts mature stage (flower) vs its immediate juvenile (bud). Similarly, a fruit’s immediate prior stage is a flower (post-pollination, pre-fruit set). Although seeds develop within the fruit, the fruit itself does not develop from a seed; it develops from a flower’s ovary.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1) Map progression: Bud → Flower (immature → mature).2) For fruit, the immediate earlier source stage is the Flower.3) Choose ‘‘Flower’’ to maintain consistent developmental sequencing.

Verification / Alternative check:
Botany basics: After fertilization in the flower, the ovary develops into the fruit, enclosing seeds. This verifies the immediate predecessor is the flower stage, not the seed.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Seed: develops inside the fruit; not the precursor stage of the fruit’s structure.
• Tree: an organismal level, not the immediate developmental stage.
• Stem: plant organ, not the direct stage that becomes fruit.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing internal components (seed) with structural precursors. The analogy focuses on stage-to-stage development of the same structure, favoring ‘‘flower.’’

Final Answer:
Flower