Diversity in Living Organisms: 18 MCQs with answers

Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species

The hierarchy from broadest to narrowest is Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.

Monera

Monera includes bacteria, which are prokaryotes without a true nucleus.

Genus

In binomial nomenclature, the first part (capitalised) is the genus; the second (lowercase) is the species.

Cell walls made of chitin

Fungi have chitin cell walls, are heterotrophic, and lack chlorophyll.

Arthropoda

Arthropoda is the largest phylum, including insects, crustaceans, and arachnids.

True

The five-kingdom classification was proposed by R.H. Whittaker in 1969.

They live in water and on land but lack vascular tissue

Bryophytes need water for reproduction and can live on land, but lack vascular tissue, hence the amphibian analogy.

Protista

Single-celled eukaryotes like Euglena (photosynthetic) belong to Protista.

Fungi are heterotrophic and have chitin cell walls, unlike plants

Fungi are heterotrophic, have chitin walls, and lack chlorophyll, distinguishing them from plants.

Plants have cellulose cell walls; animals lack cell walls

Plants have cellulose cell walls and are autotrophic; animals lack cell walls and are heterotrophic.

Gymnosperms

Gymnosperms have naked seeds (not enclosed in fruit), while angiosperms have seeds enclosed in fruit.

Chordata

Chordates are defined by the presence of a notochord at some stage of life.

The genus name is capitalised and the species name is lowercase

In binomial nomenclature, the genus is capitalised, the species is lowercase, and both are Latinised.

Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A

Fungi differ from plants in cell wall composition (chitin vs cellulose) and storage product (glycogen vs starch), justifying their separate kingdom.

I and II only

Monera are prokaryotic, Protista are eukaryotic, but Fungi are heterotrophic, so III is false.

Bacteria help in curd formation and nitrogen fixation; yeast is used in baking

Many microorganisms are beneficial, e.g., in food production and nutrient cycling; only a small fraction cause disease.

They belong to the same genus.

The correct option is A. If two species share a significant number of traits, it is likely they belong to the same genus, which is a higher taxonomic level that groups closely related species. While they may also belong to the same kingdom, the genus is the more specific classification.

It belongs to the kingdom Fungi, suggesting a more distant relationship with animals.

The correct option is B. The organism's chitin cell wall and heterotrophic mode of nutrition indicate it belongs to the kingdom Fungi. This classification reflects its evolutionary relationship with other fungi and distinguishes it from plants (which have cellulose walls) and animals (which lack cell walls).