An organism which breaks down the food material outside the body and then absorbs it is

The correct option is (d). Organisms like fungi (such as bread moulds, yeast, and mushrooms) break down complex food materials outside their body into simpler substances and then absorb them. Rhizopus is a common bread mould (fungus) that exhibits this saprophytic mode of nutrition.

• Option (a) is incorrect because Cuscuta (amar-bel) is a parasitic plant that derives nutrition directly from a host plant without killing it, rather than breaking down food externally.
• Option (b) is incorrect because Tapeworm is an internal parasite that absorbs already digested food from the host's intestine.
• Option (c) is incorrect because Rhizobium is a symbiotic bacterium that fixes atmospheric nitrogen and does not perform extracellular saprophytic digestion.