Which life cycle includes a larval stage before pupation?

Which life cycle includes a larval stage before pupation?

• A. Egg - Larva - Pupa - Adult
• B. Egg - Nymph - Adult
• C. Egg - Pupa - Adult
• D. Egg - Larva - Adult

Answer: (A)

This question centers on how metamorphosis unfolds in insects. The life cycle that includes a distinct larval stage before a pupal stage is egg → larva → pupa → adult. In complete metamorphosis, the larva is typically wormlike and eats differently from the adult, the pupal stage is a transformation period, and the adult emerges afterward. The other patterns don’t fit because an egg → nymph → adult sequence has no pupal stage and shows incomplete metamorphosis, where immature forms resemble small adults. An egg → pupa → adult sequence skips the larval stage entirely, which isn’t characteristic of complete metamorphosis. An egg → larva → adult skips the pupal stage, so it also doesn’t include the necessary transformation phase.

This question centers on how metamorphosis unfolds in insects. The life cycle that includes a distinct larval stage before a pupal stage is egg → larva → pupa → adult. In complete metamorphosis, the larva is typically wormlike and eats differently from the adult, the pupal stage is a transformation period, and the adult emerges afterward.

The other patterns don’t fit because an egg → nymph → adult sequence has no pupal stage and shows incomplete metamorphosis, where immature forms resemble small adults. An egg → pupa → adult sequence skips the larval stage entirely, which isn’t characteristic of complete metamorphosis. An egg → larva → adult skips the pupal stage, so it also doesn’t include the necessary transformation phase.