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

Plastids are present in

  1. protozoan euglena

  2. human beings

  3. nerve cells

  4. an ostrich egg
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Protozoan euglena is an animal cell having plastids.

Multiple choice

All of the following organisms are known to survive intracellularly except ______________.

  1. the Neisseria meningitides

  2. the Salmonella typhi

  3. the Streptococcus pyogenes

  4. the Legionella pneumophila
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Neisseria, salmonella typhi and legionella can survive intracellularly but not S.pyogenes.

  1. Neisseria meningitidis is found in spinal even inside leucocytes (intracellularly).
  2. Legionella can enter alveolar macrophages.
  3. Salmonella typhi can multiply within polymorphs, and hence can resist intracellular killing.
Multiple choice

Which of the following option is correct regarding Virus?

  1. It is unicellular.

  2. It is acellular.

  3. It is prokaryotic.

  4. It is eukaryotic.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Viruses do not have a cellular organization. They are acellular. They have only one type of nucleic acid either DNA or RNA. They also do not have enzymes for protein and nucleic acid synthesis. So, they have characteristics of both living organisms and nonliving objects.

Multiple choice

Which of the following phyla has notochord present in it?

  1. Mollusca

  2. Vertebrata

  3. Annelida

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

Notochord (chord – string) is a long, flexible rod-like structure that provides support to the body. Animals that possess notochord are called chordates and animals without notochord are called non-chordates, e.g. platyhelminthes, porifera, coelenterata, nematoda, annelida, arthropoda, mollusca, echinodermata, etc. are all non-chordates.  Vertebrata - The members of vertebrata possess notochord during the embryonic period. The notochord is later replaced by a cartilaginous or bony vertebral column in the adult. Thus, all vertebrates are chordates, but not all chordates are vertebrates.

Multiple choice

The animals of which phylum are exclusively free-living and marine?

  1. Protochordata

  2. Echinodermata

  3. Mollusca

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

Echinodermata includes free-living and marine animals. It is also known as group of marine animals. Free-living means the ability to move and live independently. Marine – Living in sea. In Greek, ‘echino’ means hedgehog and ‘derma’ means skin. Therefore, they are spiny-skinned organisms. They are found at the bottom of the ocean and in the deep sea. They often make up the bulk of living material. Examples are starfish and sea urchins. Protochordata includes marine animals that are not free-living, e.g. Balanoglossus, Amphioxus, etc. Mollusca - It is the second largest animal group (first largest group is Arthropoda). Molluscs are terrestrial (living on land) or aquatic (marine or freshwater) having an organ-system level of organisation. Examples are snails and mussels.

Platyhelminthes - The body of the animals in this group is dorsoventrally flattened (top to bottom), which is why these animals are called flatworms. They are either free-living or parasitic. Examples of free-living animals are planarians and parasitic animals like liver flukes. 

Multiple choice

What is common among snakes, turtles and lizards?

(1) Presence of scales (2) Presence of lungs (3) Presence of tough covering over the egg (4) Presence of a notochord

  1. (1) and (2)

  2. (1) and (3)

  3. (1), (3) and (4)

  4. (1), (2), (3) and (4)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Snakes, lizards and turtles belong to class Reptilia. Animals of this class are cold-blooded, bear scales and breathe through lungs. Most of them have a three-chambered heart except crocodiles, which have four-chambered heart. They lay eggs with tough coverings. Notochord (chord – string) is a long flexible rod that provides support to the body. Animals with notochord are called chordates and without notochord are called non-chordates. Reptiles are chordates with a true vertebral column and internal skeleton. 

Multiple choice

Consider the following statements:

  1. Snakes undergo aestivation, which is also known as 'summer sleep' to avoid heat and dryness.
  2. 'Physalia' a jellyfish is also called 'Portuguese man of war'.

Which of the given statements is/are correct?

  1. Only (1)

  2. Only (2)

  3. Both (1) and (2)

  4. Neither (1) nor (2)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Statement (1) is incorrect. Snake is a cold blooded animal. It undergoes hibernation, which is also known as 'winter sleep'. Statement (2) is correct. 'Physalia' a jellyfish is also called 'Portuguese man of war'.

Multiple choice

Consider the following statements:

  1. Gavial/Ghariyal is found in brackish water.
  2. Snakes do not have movable eyelids.

Which of the given statements is/are correct?

  1. Only (1)

  2. Only (2)

  3. Both (1) and (2)

  4. Neither (1) nor (2)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Statement (1) is incorrect. Gharials live in clear freshwater rivers with fast flowing currents. Statement (2) is correct. Snakes do not have moveable eyelids, but transparent caps called 'brille'.

Multiple choice

Domesticated cats can be trained to perform many simple tasks.

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following question.

The Cat (Felis silvestris catus), usually called the Domestic Cat or House Cat is a small flesh eating mammal. Cats are normally very active during twilight hours of the day like dogs, deer, mice, red pandas etc. and hence called crepuscular mammals. Domestic cats are considered to be very social and can easily get along with human beings and even with other pets kept by human beings. Another fact that endears cats to human beings is that cats feed on nuisance creating pests like worms, insects and rodents called vermin. Due to these reasons house cats are considered to be good companions to human beings and are greatly valued by them. According to researchers, the human-cat association has been there for more than 10,000 years.
Cats are highly skilled and specialized hunters. It is known that they hunt over 1,000 different species for food. They are also found to possess a higher level of intelligence and have also been known to have learnt to operate simple mechanisms such as doorknobs. Cats use varied vocalizations and typical body language for communication. These vocalizations include mewing (meow or miaow), purring, hissing, growling, squeaking, chirping, clicking, and grunting. Due to their popularity as preferred pets, cats are also bred and shown as registered pedigree pets. This is a hobby known as Cat Fancy.
A study conducted under the aegis of the National Cancer Institute and published in the journal Science says that all house cats are descendents of a group of self-domesticating wild cats called Felis silvestris lybica found in deserts in the middle east area about 10,000 years ago. Another interesting fact about cats in general is that while almost all wildcat subspecies can interbreed, no such cross breeding is seen in domestic cats and they are all genetically contained within the specie.

  1. True

  2. False

  3. Can t say
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The passage states that cats 'have also been known to have learnt to operate simple mechanisms such as doorknobs.' This demonstrates that cats can be trained to perform simple tasks, making the statement true.

Multiple choice

Cats are called crepuscular mammals because they resemble dogs and red pandas.

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following question.

The Cat (Felis silvestris catus), usually called the Domestic Cat or House Cat is a small flesh eating mammal. Cats are normally very active during twilight hours of the day like dogs, deer, mice, red pandas etc. and hence called crepuscular mammals. Domestic cats are considered to be very social and can easily get along with human beings and even with other pets kept by human beings. Another fact that endears cats to human beings is that cats feed on nuisance creating pests like worms, insects and rodents called vermin. Due to these reasons house cats are considered to be good companions to human beings and are greatly valued by them. According to researchers, the human-cat association has been there for more than 10,000 years.
Cats are highly skilled and specialized hunters. It is known that they hunt over 1,000 different species for food. They are also found to possess a higher level of intelligence and have also been known to have learnt to operate simple mechanisms such as doorknobs. Cats use varied vocalizations and typical body language for communication. These vocalizations include mewing (meow or miaow), purring, hissing, growling, squeaking, chirping, clicking, and grunting. Due to their popularity as preferred pets, cats are also bred and shown as registered pedigree pets. This is a hobby known as Cat Fancy.
A study conducted under the aegis of the National Cancer Institute and published in the journal Science says that all house cats are descendents of a group of self-domesticating wild cats called Felis silvestris lybica found in deserts in the middle east area about 10,000 years ago. Another interesting fact about cats in general is that while almost all wildcat subspecies can interbreed, no such cross breeding is seen in domestic cats and they are all genetically contained within the specie.

  1. True

  2. False

  3. Can t say
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The passage states cats 'are normally very active during twilight hours of the day like dogs, deer, mice, red pandas etc. and hence called crepuscular mammals.' They are called crepuscular because they are active during twilight hours, not because they resemble other animals. The mention of dogs, deer, mice, and red pandas is to show other animals that share this activity pattern.

Multiple choice

The ancestors of today's house cats were inhabitants of the Middle East areas.

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following question.

The Cat (Felis silvestris catus), usually called the Domestic Cat or House Cat is a small flesh eating mammal. Cats are normally very active during twilight hours of the day like dogs, deer, mice, red pandas etc. and hence called crepuscular mammals. Domestic cats are considered to be very social and can easily get along with human beings and even with other pets kept by human beings. Another fact that endears cats to human beings is that cats feed on nuisance creating pests like worms, insects and rodents called vermin. Due to these reasons house cats are considered to be good companions to human beings and are greatly valued by them. According to researchers, the human-cat association has been there for more than 10,000 years.
Cats are highly skilled and specialized hunters. It is known that they hunt over 1,000 different species for food. They are also found to possess a higher level of intelligence and have also been known to have learnt to operate simple mechanisms such as doorknobs. Cats use varied vocalizations and typical body language for communication. These vocalizations include mewing (meow or miaow), purring, hissing, growling, squeaking, chirping, clicking, and grunting. Due to their popularity as preferred pets, cats are also bred and shown as registered pedigree pets. This is a hobby known as Cat Fancy.
A study conducted under the aegis of the National Cancer Institute and published in the journal Science says that all house cats are descendents of a group of self-domesticating wild cats called Felis silvestris lybica found in deserts in the middle east area about 10,000 years ago. Another interesting fact about cats in general is that while almost all wildcat subspecies can interbreed, no such cross breeding is seen in domestic cats and they are all genetically contained within the specie.

  1. True

  2. False

  3. Can t say
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The passage explicitly states: 'A study... says that all house cats are descendents of a group of self-domesticating wild cats called Felis silvestris lybica found in deserts in the middle east area about 10,000 years ago.' The terms 'descendents' and 'ancestors' are directly equivalent in this context, and 'Middle East areas' matches 'deserts in the middle east area.'

Multiple choice

Cats hunt vermin to be friendly with human beings.

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following question.

The Cat (Felis silvestris catus), usually called the Domestic Cat or House Cat is a small flesh eating mammal. Cats are normally very active during twilight hours of the day like dogs, deer, mice, red pandas etc. and hence called crepuscular mammals. Domestic cats are considered to be very social and can easily get along with human beings and even with other pets kept by human beings. Another fact that endears cats to human beings is that cats feed on nuisance creating pests like worms, insects and rodents called vermin. Due to these reasons house cats are considered to be good companions to human beings and are greatly valued by them. According to researchers, the human-cat association has been there for more than 10,000 years.
Cats are highly skilled and specialized hunters. It is known that they hunt over 1,000 different species for food. They are also found to possess a higher level of intelligence and have also been known to have learnt to operate simple mechanisms such as doorknobs. Cats use varied vocalizations and typical body language for communication. These vocalizations include mewing (meow or miaow), purring, hissing, growling, squeaking, chirping, clicking, and grunting. Due to their popularity as preferred pets, cats are also bred and shown as registered pedigree pets. This is a hobby known as Cat Fancy.
A study conducted under the aegis of the National Cancer Institute and published in the journal Science says that all house cats are descendents of a group of self-domesticating wild cats called Felis silvestris lybica found in deserts in the middle east area about 10,000 years ago. Another interesting fact about cats in general is that while almost all wildcat subspecies can interbreed, no such cross breeding is seen in domestic cats and they are all genetically contained within the specie.

  1. True

  2. False

  3. Can t say
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The passage states that cats 'feed on nuisance creating pests like worms, insects and rodents called vermin' and this is 'another fact that endears cats to human beings.' This indicates cats hunt vermin for food/survival, and this behavior happens to endear them to humans as a beneficial side effect - not that they hunt specifically 'to be friendly.' The motivation is feeding, not friendship.