Cells present in the mature pollen grains are ____________.

The correct answer is Option (3) → Vegetative cell and generative cell

Option (1) Central cell and generative cell — Incorrect. The central cell, with its two polar nuclei, is part of the embryo sac, the female gametophyte. It is not found in pollen.

Option (2) Antipodal cell and vegetative cell — Incorrect. The three antipodal cells lie at the chalazal end of the embryo sac. Only the vegetative cell of this pair belongs to pollen.

Option (3) Vegetative cell and generative cell — Correct. In over 60 per cent of angiosperms the pollen is shed at this 2-celled stage. In the rest, the generative cell divides into two male gametes before the pollen is shed.

Option (4) Filiform cell and micropylar cell — Incorrect. The filiform apparatus is a set of thickenings at the tip of the synergids, at the micropylar end of the embryo sac. Both names point to the embryo sac, not to the pollen grain.

NCERT Extract:
Stamen, Microsporangium and Pollen Grain – “… When the pollen grain is mature it contains two cells, the vegetative cell and generative cell (Figure 1.5b). The vegetative cell is bigger, has abundant food reserve and a large irregularly shaped nucleus. The generative cell is small and floats in the cytoplasm of the vegetative cell. It is spindle shaped with dense cytoplasm and a nucleus.”

Figure 1.5 (a) Enlarged view of a pollen grain tetrad; (b) stages of a microspore maturing into a pollen grain