Biology · Science General

Diversity in Living Organisms

3,829 Questions

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

Directions: Read the following passage/information and answer the question that follows. In a famous experiment by Pavlov, when a dog smelled food, it salivated. Subsequently, a bell was rung whenever food was placed near the dog. After a number of trials, only the bell was rung, whereupon the dog would salivate even though no food was present.

Which of the following conclusions may be drawn from the above experiment?

  1. Dogs cannot perceive things as we humans can.

  2. Dogs are motivated as much by the sound of a bell as the smell of food.

  3. The ringing of a bell was associated with food.

  4. Two stimuli are stronger than one.

  5. Dogs salivate on the sight, sound or smell of food.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

 Option 3 is the obvious conclusion. The dog came to associate the ringing of the bell to the presence of food.

Multiple choice

Directions: Sometimes we conclude about characteristics of a general phenomenon by studying or analyzing characteristics of a particular phenomenon. Below are given such inductive arguments. The generalisation is given first, followed by two particular statements. You have to find out whether the numbered particular statements strongly confirm, vaguely hint, contradict or are irrelevant to the generalisation. Read the question given below and answer accordingly.

Generalisation: Predatory animals have eyes in the front of their heads, with overlapping visual fields.

  1. All felines have eyes in front of their heads.
  2. Horses have eyes on the sides of their heads, with visual fields that do not overlap. What type of support does statement (I) provide for this generatlisation?

  1. Strongly confirms

  2. Vaguely hints

  3. Strongly contradicts

  4. Vaguely contradicts

  5. Irrelevant
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Felines are examples of predators. Hence, statement 1 confirms the generalization.

Multiple choice

If it is considered that the first sponges originated from protozoans, which of the following types of protozoans would have been their ancestors? I. Zooflagellates living in colonies  II. Sarcodines with parasitic nutrition III. Ciliates with many nuclei IV. Sporozoans living in colonies Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

  1. III and IV

  2. I alone

  3. II and III

  4. III alone
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

 Sponges have evolved from colonial choanoflagellates.

Multiple choice

Which of the following characteristics makes a plant different from fungi?

  1. Presence of cell wall

  2. Mode of nutrition

  3. Presence of nucleus

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

Mode of nutrition is different in plants and fungi. Plants have autotrophic mode of nutrition as they prepare their own food whereas fungi are heterotrophic eukaryotes as they depend on other organisms for food. They depend on decaying organic matter for food.

Multiple choice

Directions: Four parts of the sentence given below have been underlined and numbered 1 to 4. Identify the part having an error. If no part has an error, mark (5).

Dinosaurs (1) are traditionally classified as cold-blooded reptiles, (2) but recent evidence based on their eating habits, posture, and skeletal structure (3) suggested some (4) may have been warm-blooded. (5) No error

  1. (1)

  2. (2)

  3. (3)

  4. (4)

  5. (5)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

 Replace ‘suggested’ by ‘suggests’ to go with ‘recent evidence’.

Multiple choice

Directions: Fill in the blank with the most appropriate of the given options.

__________ promoting a state of near-sleep, hibernation does not make an animal vulnerable to attack by predators because the brain is kept in a normal state of alertness.

  1. Instead of

  2. In spite of

  3. Irrespective of

  4. Even when

  5. Rather than
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

 Only (2) and (4) can precede 'does not'. 'In spite of' promoting sleep', x does not expose y to risk. This makes coherent sense.

Multiple choice

Which one of the following groups belongs to 'lichens'?

  1. Algae and bacteria

  2. Virus and bacteria

  3. Algae and fungi

  4. All the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and a photosynthetic partner, typically algae or cyanobacteria. Therefore, algae and fungi are the primary components.