Practice Corner MCQs

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(a) Increase in body mass (by cell division) and increase in number of individuals by reproduction are considered as twin characteristics of growth.

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(b)

\(
\begin{array}{|c|c|}
\hline \text { Column I } & \text { Column II } \\
\hline \text { A. Planaria } & \text { (iv) True regeneration } \\
\hline \text { B. Fungi } & \text { (ii) Asexual spores; (v) Fragmentation  } \\
\hline \text { C. Yeast } & \text { (iii) Budding } \\
\hline \text { D. Amoeba } & \text { (i) Binary fission } \\
\hline & \\
\hline
\end{array}
\)

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(d) Reproduction is the formation of new individuals of the similar kind – Life arises from pre-existing life. Reproduction is not essential for the survival of the individuals. It is required for perpetuation of a population.

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(c) In fungi, vegetative reproduction occurs by fragmentation or budding (in yeasts).

In algae, asexual reproduction occurs by means of various kinds of spores. However, in some filamentous algae, multiplication occurs by fragmentation. In Bryopsida (mosses), vegetative reproduction occurs through fragmentation, formation of secondary protonenia, gemmae, tubers, etc.

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(d) A mule is a hybrid of a male donkey and a female horse. A mule is sterile. Worker bees are sterile females. Infertile human couples cannot produce fertile offspring.

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(a) A- Reproduction cannot be considered an inclusive defining characteristics of living organisms of the following. In single celled organism growth and reproduction are synonym as increased in no. of cells is considered as growth as well reproduction. Organisms like mule and liger can’t reproduce fertile offspring.
B- Growth is the increase in the number or mass of cells. However, reproduction in case of unicellular organisms is also achieved by an increase in cell number. Thus, growth and reproduction are synonymous and cannot be the distinguishing factor. Moreover, there are many organisms such as worker bees, mules, infertile human couples that cannot reproduce.
So, the correct option is ‘ Both statements 1 and 2 are correct’.

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(d) All organisms, from primitive prokaryotes to most advanced and complex eukaryotes, are able to sense and respond to environmental factors. The stimuli are perceived by sense organs in higher animals through sensory receptors in the eyes, ears, nose etc. Plants do not possess such sense organs. However, they do respond to external factors such as light, water, temperature, pollutants, other organisms, etc. Human beings have an additional facility of self consciousness (awareness of self). Consciousness and response to stimuli are said to be defining properties of living organisms.

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(a) As non-living organisms also grow and many living organisms are unable to reproduce, therefore, growth and reproduction are not considered as defining characteristics of living organisms.

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(b) Atoms make up molecules. These molecules make up the subcellular components of a cell. Cells that are structurally and functionally similar further makeup tissues. These tissues constitute the organs. Organs are found as parts of various organ systems which further make up an organism or an individual. So, the correct answer is
‘Atomic \(\rightarrow\) Molecular \(\rightarrow\) Subcellular \(\rightarrow\) Cellular \(\rightarrow\) Tissue \(\rightarrow\) Organ system \(\rightarrow\) Individual

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(d) Taxonomy (taxis-arrangement, nomos-law) is defined as the science dealing with identification, nomenclature, and classification of organisms. The term taxonomy was given by de Candolle (1813).

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(b) The first step in taxonomy is the identification of the organism. 

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(b) ICBN stands for – the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.
It is the set of rules and recommendations for naming plants, fungi, and algae as the ICBN applies not only to plants, as they are now defined, but also to other organisms traditionally studied by botanists.

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(a) Binomial nomenclature naming system was given by Carolus Linnaeus. It is being practised by biologists all over the world.

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(b) This system was developed so that an organism has the same standard name used anywhere across the world.

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(b) The original scientific names were taken from Latin and Greek languages. New names are now derived either from Latin language or are latinised. This is because Latin language is dead and therefore, it will not change in the form or spellings with the passage of time.

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(c) A particular living organism is known by the same name all over the world by standardized naming. This process is called nomenclature. Nomenclature provides a scientific name to an identified organism and it is possible only when the organism is correctly and accurately identified. Biological names are generally in Latin and written in italics because at present Latin is not used as a communication language. So, it is considered a dead language.

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(a) In the binomial system of taxonomy, the second word of an organism’s biological name represents species. 

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(d) The generic epithet starts with a capital letter while the specific epithet starts with a small letter. It can be illustrated with the example of Mangifera indica.

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(b) Both the words in a biological name, when handwritten should be separately underlined, or printed in italics to indicate their Latin origin. The specific epithet starts with a small letter while the generic epithet starts with a capital letter. This option has the correct name.

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(d) The scientific names or biological names consist of two components- a generic name and a specific epithet. The name with two components are called binomial.
The scientific names are universal, being used all over the world irrespective of the language of the people. They are often descriptive, indicating some important characteristic of the organism.

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(c) In binomial nomenclature, the first or generic word starts with a capital letter, while the second word or specific epithet starts with a small letter. The name of taxonomist appears after the specific epithet, i.e., at the end of the biological name, and is written in abbreviated form, e.g., Ficus benghalensis L. indicates that this species was first described by Linnaeus.

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(c) Nomenclature is a science of providing distinct and proper names to organism so that they can be easily recognized and differentiated from others.

In trinomial nomenclature, the names of taxa have three parts. The first part is the name of the genus, the second part is the name of the species and the third part is the name of the subspecies. For example, Brassica oleracea botrytis.
So, the correct answer is ‘Subspecies’.

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(c) Characterisation, identification, classification, and nomenclature are the processes which are basic to taxonomy.

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(d) The main objective of plant taxonomy is to identify, characterise, name, and classify plants. 

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(c) Classification is the process of arranging and grouping organisms based on their structure, character, adaptation, and embryonic development. It helps to establish the relationship between organisms and also to understand the factors that lead to evolution. For example, flatworms and roundworms have the same basic characteristics so they are known as helminths but as they have different body designs so they are classified as Platyhelminthes and Aschelminthes.
Therefore, they are classified on the basis of similarities and dissimilarities.

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(a) The word systematics is derived from the Latin word ‘systema’ which means systematic arrangement of organisms. Linnaeus used Systema Naturae as the title of his publication. The scope of systematics was later enlarged to include identification, nomenclature, and classification. Systematics takes into account evolutionary relationships between Organisms.
So the correct option is “Systema Naturae”.

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(b) John Ray published important works on botany, zoology, and natural theology. His classification of the plant in his Historia Plantarum was an important step towards modern taxonomy. He also coined the term Species. So the correct option is “John Ray”.

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(a)

A) Binomial Nomenclature was given by Linnaeus.
B) Ernst Mayr was one of the 20th century leading evolutionary biologist and that is why he is Darwin of the 2oth century.
C) Father of Botany is Theopharastus.
D) Father of medicine is Hippocrates.
So the correct option is “A-(iii), B-(ii), C-(iv), D-(i)”.

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(c) In modern taxonomy, species is considered to be dynamic. Correct answer is option c.

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(b) Each taxonomic category is referred to as a unit of classification or rank and is commonly called a taxon. A taxon is a general term for grouping in systematic classification. A taxon refers to a group of similar and genetically related individuals having certain characters different from other groups.
So. the correct answer is option b.

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(c) Hierarchy of categories is the classification of organisms in a definite sequence of categories (taxonomic categories) in a descending order starting from kingdom and reaching upto species or an ascending order from species to kingdom. The number of similar characters of categories decreases from lowest rank (species) to highest rank (kingdom). The taxonomic hierarchy includes seven obligate categories-kingdom, division or phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. Some subcategories like tribe, subfamily, subspecies are also used whenever required.

Figure: Taxonomical hierarchy showing arrangement in ascending order 

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(d) Taxon is a unit of classification which may represent any level of grouping of organisms based on certain easily observable common characteristics. Mayr (1964) has defined taxon to be a taxonomic group of any rank that is sufficiently distinct to be worthy of being assigned to a definite category.

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(b) Classification is not a single-step process but involves a hierarchy of steps in which each step represents a rank or category. Since the category is a part of the overall taxonomic arrangement, it is called the taxonomic category and all categories together constitute the taxonomic hierarchy. Each category referred to as unit classification, and represent the rank and is known as a taxon. So the correct option is “Taxon”.

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(a) A species is the basic unit of the biological classification of the organisms. According to the definition of the biological species, it is a group of organisms living in a particular area at a particular time and are capable of interbreeding. Hence, the correct answer is ‘Species’.

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(a) Species occupies a key position in classification and it represents the lowest taxonomic category.

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(c) Classification is the arrangement of organisms into convenient categories or groups on the basis of their similarities and differences in certain easily observable but fundamental characters. A hierarchy of categories is raised keeping in mind the affinities or relationships of various groups.

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(a) Species is the biological cohesive units because it is the basic unit of classification. Taxonomic studies consider a group of individual organisms with fundamental similarities as a species.
So the correct option is “Species”.

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(b) As per the definition given by Ernst Mayr in 1964: “A species is a group of actually or potentially inbreeding populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups.”

A species may have subgroups, called subspecies or varieties, showing certain distinct features of their own.

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(a) A group of individual organisms with fundamental similarities are considered as species. Genus comprises a group of related species which has more characters in common in comparison to species of other genera. Whereas Family is a group of related genera with still less number of similarities as compared to genus and species. So the correct option is “Species”.

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(b) According to the binomial system of classification, each name has two components, the generic name, and the specific epithet. Linnaeus introduced the binomial system of classification. The first part of the name identifies the genus to which the species belongs, and the second part, the specific name or specific epithet which identifies the species within the genus. According to the binomial system of classification in Mangifera indica, the word Mangifera is a genus.
So, the correct answer is ‘Genus’.

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(c) A genus is a group or assemblage of related species which resemble one another in certain correlated characters. Correlated characters are those similar or common features that are used in the delimitation of various taxa.

The species of one genus differ from species of a related genus in one or more characters. All the species of a genus are thought to have evolved from a common ancestor.

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(c) Genus is a group of related species which has more characters in common in comparison to species of other given. So the correct option is “Genus”.

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(b) It is not essential for a genus to have several species. The genus which has single species is called monotypic, while the genus which has several species is called polytypic.

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(a) Cats are placed under the kingdom Animalia, and phylum Chordata, the class Mammalia, and order Carnivora. Cats do belongs to Felidae family and are classified with the genus Felis. So, the correct answer is (A).

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(c) Tautonyms are the scientific names in which both generic and specific epithets are the same. Tautonyms are used in zoological nomenclature. However, in the current rules for nomenclature of living organisms, tautonyms are explicitly prohibited. Examples of tautonyms are Rattus rattus (Rat), Catla (Catla), Gorilla gorilla (Western gorilla), etc.

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(d) The odd one in the series is Hemidactylus which is a Genus while rest are specific epithets. So, the correct answer is ‘Hemidactylus’

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(d) The hierarchy of biological classification is as follows:
So the taxonomic category below the level of the family is a genus. So the correct option is “Genus”.

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(d) In biological classification, the taxonomic rank genus is the relative level of a group of genus-group names and species-group names. Therefore, the genus is interpolated between family and species.
So, The correct answer is d.

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(c) Family is a taxonomic category which contains one or more related genera. All the genera of a family have some common features and they are separable from genera of a related family by important characteristic differences.

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(c) In a taxonomic hierarchy, the family is interpolated between order and genus.

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(b) There are 7 taxonomic categories. They are kingdom, phylum or division, class, order, family, genus, species. Order, being the highest category among the given categories, i.e., family genus, species, and order, includes all the other taxonomic categories.

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(b) Order includes one or more related families, e.g., the Family Solanaceae is placed in the order Polymoniales along with four related families (Convolvulaceae, Boraginaceae, Hydrophyllaceae, and Polymoniaceae). Name of a plant order usually ends with ‘ales’.

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(d) Gorillas are ground-dwelling, herbivorous apes, they are the largest living primates, which are mammalian animals. So, the correct option is ‘Primata’.

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(d) A class is made of one or more related orders. For example, the Class Dicotyledoneae of flowering plants includes all dicots which are grouped into several orders such as Rosales, Passiflorales, Asterales, Sapindales, etc. Similarly class Mammalia of animals includes all mammals.

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(d) Order is a higher taxon and is the gathering of families having comparable attributes. Be that as it may, the basic trademark will be less than at family or variety level. In warm-blooded animals the regular requests are primates (monkey, gorilla and human), carnivora, rodentia, and cetacea (whale and dolphin). So, the correct option is ‘Order’.

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(d) The number of similar characters of categories increases form highest rank to lowest rank in a taxonomic hierarchy. Out of the given categories.i.e.,  orders, phylum, class, and species, the species being the lowest category possesses the maximum number of related characters.

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(b) The Class Aves belongs to Kingdom Animalia and Phylum Chordata. 

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(d) Chordates are the group of animals that possess a notochord. It comprises of a large variety of living and extinct animals. Phylum chordata is the largest phylum of the sub-division Deuterostomia. The largest phylum of the animal kingdom is phylum Arthropoda. So, the correct answer is option d.

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(a) Animals belonging to the same kingdom but different classes may belong to the same phylum. 

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(b)

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(c) The correct sequence of taxonomical hierarchy in ascending order is as follows:
Species \(\rightarrow\) Genus \(\rightarrow\) Family \(\rightarrow\) Order \(\rightarrow\) Class \(\rightarrow\) Phylum/Division \(\rightarrow\) Kingdom
So, in the given flow chart \(A, B\) and \(C\) respectively are family, class and kingdom. Species represents the basic unit of taxonomic hierarchy.

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(c) This framework is called ordered grouping. The broadest arrangements are by area and kingdom; the most explicit characterization is by class and species. The various leveled groupings in the middle of incorporate phylum, class, family, and request. So, the correct option is ‘Division-Class-Order-Family-Tribe-Genus-Species’.

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(b) As we go higher form species to kingdom, number of common characteristics goes on decreasing. 

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(b) The correct hierarchy of classification of various taxons in descending order is given by:
Kingdom \(\rightarrow\) Phylum \(\rightarrow\) Class \(\rightarrow\) Order \(\rightarrow\) Family \(\rightarrow\) Genus \(\rightarrow\) Species The kingdom is the highest level of classification while species being the most specific.
Since Class occupies the highest level amount all options, it has the most generalized characters and organisms share the least similar characters at this level. So, the correct option is ‘Class’.

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(b) The given plant is Helianthus sp. which can be classified as:
Kingdom – Plantae
Division – Angiospermae
Class – Dicotyledonae
Order-Asterales
Family – Compositae (= Asteraceae)
Genus – Helianthus

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(a) So, the correct option is ‘A-Chordata, B-Insecta, C-Anacardiaceae, D-Monocotyledonae’.

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(d) Phylum, Species, and Class are taxonomic category. But, Glumaceae is not a category. It is a botanical name assigned to order including the family of grass, used by Bentham and Hooker. So, the correct answer is (d).

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(b) Musca domestica is a housefly that belongs to Class Insecta of Phylum Arthropoda. 

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(a) Floral character is a way to speak to the structure of a blossom utilizing numbers, letters, and different images, exhibiting generous data about the bloom in a reduced shape. It can speak to specific species or can be summed up to describe higher taxa, generally giving scopes of organ numbers. So, the correct option is ‘Floral characters’.

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(d) First described species as a unit of classification – John Ray binomial nomenclature i- name Carl Linnaeus
Father of Zoology – Aristotle
Gave the concept of new systematics – Julian Huxley
So, the correct option is ‘A-(iv), B-(ii), C-(iii), D-(i)’.