Biology · Science General

Diversity in Living Organisms

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The diversity in living organisms deals with the classification of life forms into various kingdoms and phyla. This topic covers specific traits of bacteria, animal body cavities, and structural adaptations for survival. These fundamentals are crucial for biology sections in medical entrance and state board exams.

Animal phyla characteristicsBacteria and flagellaBiological adaptationsKingdom Animalia classificationBody cavity typesExtinct organism subphylaJawless animals identification

Diversity in Living Organisms Questions

Multiple choice

A bacteriophage is a/an

  1. bacterium with a lysed membrane

  2. virus that parasitizes a bacterium

  3. unusually large bacterium

  4. tiny bacterium
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are viruses that infect bacteria. These phages also require a bacterial host in order to replicate themselves. Bacterial viruses, as these are also often called, are made up of proteins that coat an inner core of nucleic acid – either DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) or RNA (ribonucleic acid). Phages also vary in structure, ranging from the simple to the more elaborate and complex.

Multiple choice

Diatoms are

  1. Dinoflagellates

  2. Pyrrophytes

  3. Euglenoids

  4. Chrysophytes
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Chrysophytes are plant-like protists that can be found in marine and freshwater environments which are often low in calcium. There are three main types of chrysophytes: diatoms (bacillariophyta), golden-brown algae (chrysophyceae), and yellow-green algae (xanthophyceae).

Multiple choice

Crayfish and silverfish actually belong to the phylum

  1. Arthropoda

  2. Amphibia

  3. Erachnida

  4. Mollusca
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Crayfish and silverfish are arthropods characterized by segmented bodies, exoskeletons, and jointed appendages. They are not amphibians, arachnids (typo in option C), or molluscs.

Multiple choice

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

A recent report in an animal health magazine stated that the big breeds of domestic dogs suffer from an unusually high incidence of hip dysplasia, a disease in which the animal loses cartilage around the bones fitting into the hip joint, and which can result in arthritis and painful osteoporosis. The study also pointed out that wild wolves rarely, if ever, suffer from hip dysplasia. Hence, it is in the interest of dog lovers to replicate, as far as possible, the living conditions that the dogs would face in the wild.

  1. Smaller breeds of dogs, having almost non-existent instances of falling prey to hip dysplasia, are more genetically similar to wolves than are the bigger breeds of dogs.

  2. Dogs trained to protect livestock on big ranches reportedly have very low incidence of hip dysplasia.

  3. The incidence of hip dysplasia in wolves living in enclosures in zoos is quite high.

  4. Hunting dogs have relatively lower incidence of hip dysplasia.

  5. Wolves eat raw, unprocessed meat while domestic dogs eat processed dog food.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

(1) Incorrect; the conclusion of the argument is that replicating living conditions of wolves would help reduce incidence of hip dysplasia in large breeds of dogs. Whether or not smaller dogs are genetically similar to wolves is beside the point. (2) Incorrect; wolves are hunters while these dogs are protectors. Hence, it cannot be said that they have similar lifestyles. Also, it is not mentioned whether these dogs are big dogs or not. (3) Correct; because the wolves living in zoos live in closed enclosures, it would imply that their lifestyle is very similar to those of big domesticated dogs. If they are getting hip dysplasia, it can be inferred that the similarity in lifestyle, to big dogs, is causing it. (4) Incorrect but very close; it is not mentioned whether the hunting dogs belong to large breeds or small breeds. (5) Incorrect; limits the argument about lifestyle to only food, which is but one component of lifestyle.

Multiple choice

What is a necessary assumption in the argument above?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

A recent report in an animal health magazine stated that the big breeds of domestic dogs suffer from an unusually high incidence of hip dysplasia, a disease in which the animal loses cartilage around the bones fitting into the hip joint, and which can result in arthritis and painful osteoporosis. The study also pointed out that wild wolves rarely, if ever, suffer from hip dysplasia. Hence, it is in the interest of dog lovers to replicate, as far as possible, the living conditions that the dogs would face in the wild.

  1. The uneven ground encountered in the wild, as against the smooth floors of human homes, help in regeneration of cartilage.

  2. The lifestyle of the wolves in the wild is the overriding factor behind their healthier bones and joints.

  3. Living in conditions replicating those found in the wild helps dogs to be as strong as wolves.

  4. Hunting for food helps the wolves stay limber and gives them stronger bones and joints.

  5. The small breeds of dogs do not get hip dysplasia because they get adequate exercise even in small urban homes.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

(1) Incorrect; the smoothness of the floors in human habitats, as against the wild terrain, would be just one of the factors contributing to the lifestyle of dogs and wolves. (2) Correct; if we negate this assumption, the conclusion of the argument is also negated. If the lifestyle of the wolves in the wild is not responsible for the low incidence of hip dysplasia in them, it would not make any sense to replicate the same living conditions for domesticated dogs. (3) Incorrect; the focus of the argument is not on making dogs stronger, but on making them less susceptible to hip dysplasia. (4) Incorrect; hunting for food would be only one of the components of the lifestyle of wolves in the wild. (5) Incorrect; the crux of the argument is on the comparison between large breeds of dogs and wolves.

Multiple choice

Last winter, in a national park in Himachel Pradesh, one-fourth of the three-stripped squirrel population was unable to find appropriate burrows for hibernation. This is somewhat curious given the fact that during the same period, the summer animals that had inhabited the burrows during the autumn months had migrated. Many of the burrows were large enough to accommodate the squirrels and were well insulated against the harsh winter weather.

Which of the following statement, if true would best explain why the three-stripped squirrels were unable to find appropriate places to hibernate when there were ample burrows available?

  1. Most of the burrows which were left vacant were in the higher parts of the forest region and were therefore inaccessible to the squirrels who inhabit the lower region.

  2. During the winter, a few three stripped squirrels continue to live in burrows, which they inhabited during the autumn months.

  3. Many of the burrows are not conducive to the rearing of small babies.

  4. A very few of the three stripped squirrels migrate to a nearby plain during the winter, therefore do not need to find burrows within the forest.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

This explains why the squirrels were unable to find the vacant burrows.

Multiple choice

Ambulacral system is found in _______.

  1. Starfish

  2. Hydra

  3. Earthworm

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The water vascular system, or ambulacral system, is a unique network of water-filled canals found in echinoderms like the starfish, used for locomotion and feeding.

Multiple choice

Metamerism is a characteristic feature of

  1. annelida

  2. chordata

  3. mollusca

  4. nematoda
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Metamerism, or true segmentation, is a defining characteristic of the phylum Annelida. It involves the repetition of organs and tissues along the body axis.