Question

The main active constituent of tea and coffee is:

• A. Nicotine
• B. Chlorophyll
• C. Caffeine
• D. Aspirin

Hint:

Think of the stimulant alkaloid common to both tea and coffee.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Take each option and check what it actually is before matching it to tea or coffee. Nicotine is the alkaloid of the tobacco plant, unrelated to tea or coffee plants. Chlorophyll is a photosynthetic pigment present in all green leaves, including tea leaves, but it produces no effect on the human body when consumed, so it cannot be the active constituent. Aspirin is a man made analgesic drug that never occurs naturally in either plant. Caffeine, in contrast, is a naturally occurring alkaloid present in significant amount in both tea leaves and coffee beans, and it is exactly what makes tea and coffee stimulating drinks. Since the question asks for the constituent responsible for the active, physiological effect, the answer has to be caffeine, option C.