Download the Class 11 Biology Chapter 12 Respiration in Plants NCERT Book PDF, the official 2026-27 NCERT textbook chapter. Part of Unit 4 on plant physiology, it explains how cells break down food to release energy through glycolysis, fermentation and aerobic respiration, a chapter that is frequently tested in the Boards, NEET and CUET.
- Official NCERT 2026-27 chapter, clean and print-ready.
- Covers glycolysis, fermentation, the Krebs cycle, the electron transport system, the respiratory balance sheet and the respiratory quotient.
- Read it alongside the solved exercises and the revision notes linked below.
This Class 11 Biology Chapter 12 Respiration in Plants NCERT Book PDF is the official 2026-27 NCERT text, checked page by page against the latest edition.
What Class 11 Biology Chapter 12 Respiration in Plants Covers
The chapter explains how living cells release the energy stored in food, beginning with the question of how plants exchange gases and moving to the step-by-step breakdown of glucose. It works through glycolysis, the two paths of fermentation, the Krebs cycle and the electron transport system, then totals the energy yield and defines the respiratory quotient. The official NCERT sections are listed below so students can see exactly what the chapter contains before they start.
| Section | Topic |
|---|---|
| 12.1 | Do Plants Breathe? |
| 12.2 | Glycolysis |
| 12.3 | Fermentation |
| 12.4 | Aerobic Respiration |
| 12.4.1 | Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle |
| 12.4.2 | Electron Transport System and Oxidative Phosphorylation |
| 12.5 | The Respiratory Balance Sheet |
| 12.6 | Amphibolic Pathway |
| 12.7 | Respiratory Quotient |
Key Concepts You Will Study
Students should read this chapter following the fate of a single glucose molecule, because the exam rewards knowing the products and energy yield of each step. The pathways set up here mirror photosynthesis in reverse and support the wider study of metabolism. The main ideas to master are listed below.
- The idea of cellular respiration and how plants exchange gases without specialised respiratory organs.
- Glycolysis, the EMP pathway that breaks glucose into pyruvate in the cytoplasm.
- Fermentation and the two fates of pyruvate without oxygen, giving lactic acid or ethanol.
- Aerobic respiration: the Tricarboxylic Acid (Krebs) cycle and the electron transport system with oxidative phosphorylation.
- The respiratory balance sheet and net ATP yield, the amphibolic pathway and the respiratory quotient (RQ).
Why Download the NCERT Book PDF for This Chapter
Respiration is a high-yield NEET topic, and questions on the steps of glycolysis and the Krebs cycle are drawn straight from this text. Because the net ATP count and the ETS are asked in precise detail, reading them from the official NCERT PDF keeps students from carrying forward a wrong tally or sequence. The points below explain why the book PDF is worth keeping on your device.
- Respiration is a high-weight NEET topic, and the steps of glycolysis and the Krebs cycle come straight from this text.
- The net ATP calculation and the ETS diagram are the exact ones examiners reference.
- The concept of the respiratory quotient for carbohydrates, fats and proteins comes directly from the chapter.
How to Use the NCERT Book PDF for Respiration in Plants
Read the chapter once for the overall flow from glucose to carbon dioxide and water, then rebuild each pathway as a flow chart so the products and ATP tally are fixed by working rather than by memory alone. Since the steps run in sequence, a short ordered plan keeps glycolysis, the Krebs cycle and the ETS in order. The routine below works well for most students preparing for the Boards and NEET.
- Read each pathway, then write the substrate, products and ATP or NADH yield of each step.
- Make a flow chart from glucose to CO2 and water with the running ATP tally.
- Attempt the back exercises, then check them against the NCERT Solutions linked below.
- Revise the respiratory balance sheet and the RQ values before the exam.
Other Class 11 Biology Respiration in Plants Resources
Pair the textbook PDF with the solved answers, revision notes, formula sheet and exemplar material for the same chapter so that reading, practice and revision all stay aligned to the same NCERT sections. The linked resources below cover Respiration in Plants in full and are matched to the 2026-27 syllabus.
| Resource | Link |
|---|---|
| NCERT Solutions | Respiration in Plants NCERT Solutions |
| Revision Notes | Respiration in Plants Notes |
| Formula Sheet | Respiration in Plants Formula Sheet |
| Exemplar Solutions | Respiration in Plants Exemplar Solutions |
| Exemplar Book PDF | Respiration in Plants Exemplar Book PDF |
Class 11 Biology Chapter 12 Student Feedback
Respiration in Plants is a chapter students revise closely before the Boards and NEET, and their feedback helps new students plan their reading. Across more than 10,000 students who used these Collegedunia resources for the 2026 boards, the response to the NCERT book PDF for this chapter has been strong, as the summary below shows.
- Over 9 in 10 students said the glycolysis and Krebs flow charts were the fastest way to revise.
- Students rated the respiratory balance sheet as the most examined calculation.
- Most reported the amphibolic pathway idea was clearest from the NCERT text.
Class 11 Biology NCERT Book PDF All Chapters
The full Class 11 Biology NCERT Book PDF is split chapter by chapter so students can download only what they need. The table below links the official 2026-27 book PDF for every chapter, with the current chapter marked, so revision can move quickly across the whole syllabus.
| Chapter | NCERT Book PDF |
|---|---|
| Chapter 1 | Chapter 1 The Living World |
| Chapter 2 | Chapter 2 Biological Classification |
| Chapter 3 | Chapter 3 Plant Kingdom |
| Chapter 4 | Chapter 4 Animal Kingdom |
| Chapter 5 | Chapter 5 Morphology of Flowering Plants |
| Chapter 6 | Chapter 6 Anatomy of Flowering Plants |
| Chapter 7 | Chapter 7 Structural Organisation in Animals |
| Chapter 8 | Chapter 8 Cell: The Unit of Life |
| Chapter 9 | Chapter 9 Biomolecules |
| Chapter 10 | Chapter 10 Cell Cycle and Cell Division |
| Chapter 11 | Chapter 11 Photosynthesis in Higher Plants |
| Chapter 12 | Chapter 12 Respiration in Plants |
| Chapter 13 | Chapter 13 Plant Growth and Development |
| Chapter 14 | Chapter 14 Breathing and Exchange of Gases |
| Chapter 15 | Chapter 15 Body Fluids and Circulation |
| Chapter 16 | Chapter 16 Excretory Products and their Elimination |
| Chapter 17 | Chapter 17 Locomotion and Movement |
| Chapter 18 | Chapter 18 Neural Control and Coordination |
| Chapter 19 | Chapter 19 Chemical Coordination and Integration |
FAQs on Class 11 Biology Chapter 12 NCERT Book PDF
Respiration in Plants NCERT PDF - Frequently Asked Questions
Ques. Is this the latest 2026-27 NCERT Book for Class 11 Biology Chapter 12?
Ans. Yes. This is the official NCERT 2026-27 textbook chapter for Class 11 Biology Chapter 12 Respiration in Plants, matched page by page against the latest rationalised edition.
Ques. What topics are in Class 11 Biology Chapter 12?
Ans. The chapter covers whether plants breathe, glycolysis, fermentation, aerobic respiration with the Tricarboxylic Acid cycle and the electron transport system, the respiratory balance sheet, the amphibolic pathway and the respiratory quotient.
Ques. Is the NCERT Book enough for this chapter in NEET and CUET?
Ans. The NCERT Book is the base for this chapter, and most NEET and CUET questions on glycolysis, the Krebs cycle and the ATP yield are drawn straight from its text and diagrams. Pair it with the Exemplar for extra higher-order practice.
Ques. Where can I download the Class 11 Biology Chapter 12 NCERT Book PDF?
Ans. You can download the Class 11 Biology Chapter 12 Respiration in Plants NCERT Book PDF free from the download card at the top of this page, in both standard and HD quality.








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