Diversity in Living Organisms

Almost all cat species are genetically contained within the specie.

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.

Directions: Choose the most correct option out of the following: Which of the following is to the liking of Halophlies?

Extremophiles: Some environments are not good homes for most normal kinds of life. Places like that are called extreme environments. That doesn't mean that there isn't any life in extreme environments. Certain creatures can live and grow in extreme environments. Scientists have a special name for creatures that live in extreme environments. They are called extremophiles. The -phile in extremophile comes from a Greek word that means love. Extremophiles are creatures that love extreme environments. Most extremophiles are microbes. There are also a few types of larger creatures, like special types of shrimp and insects, which are also extremophiles. In the last few decades scientists have found extremophiles in places where they used to think life couldn't survive. Some extremophiles live in very hot or very cold environments. Others live in environments that have acids or radiation in them. When Earth was young, most environments on our planet were extreme compared to today. Environments on many other planets and moons within our Solar System and beyond are also extreme. Scientists hope that studying extremophiles will help us learn about early life on Earth and about evolution. They also hope we can learn about the chances for life on other planets by studying extremophiles. Scientists who study these sorts of things are called astrobiologists. Scientists use special names for extremophiles that live in different environments. Thermophiles live in hot places. Acidophiles can put up with strong acids. Xerophiles live in deserts and other dry places. Halophiles like it salty, while cryophiles (or psychrophiles) love the cold. Some creatures are extreme in more than one way. Microbes that live in acidic hot springs are both thermophiles and acidophiles. A few big big animals and plants also survive in really extreme environments. While they aren't exactly extremophiles, some of them do live in places that would kill most normal creatures. Camels can go for long periods without water in the dry deserts where they live. Emperor penguins somehow make it through cold Antarctic winters. Extreme plants, such as many types of cactus, also live in the heat and dryness of deserts. Strange tube worms grow in boiling hot water filled with strange chemicals near deep sea hydrothermal vents.