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Diversity in the Living World: questions with answers

Class 11 Biology, Chapter 1 (NCERT). 15 questions by concept, 1 with pictures. Open “Show answer” for the answer and why.

How to teach this chapter · Common misconceptions & worked visual for this chapter

Diversity, taxonomy, and systematics

Question 1

One grouping sorts organisms by whether people use them for food, clothing, or shelter. Another uses external and internal structure, cell structure, development, and ecological information. Which comparison is correct?

  1. (a)The second is not taxonomic because ecological information cannot be used in taxonomy.
  2. (b)The first is an early use-based grouping; the second uses modern taxonomic evidence.
  3. (c)Only the first concerns biodiversity because its organisms are familiar and visible.
  4. (d)Both are modern classifications because all classification is based only on human use.
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(b) The first is an early use-based grouping; the second uses modern taxonomic evidence.

The first grouping reflects early classifications based on human uses. The second reflects the broader evidence used in modern taxonomic studies.

Question 2

Which basic processes complete a description of taxonomy limited to nomenclature?

  1. (a)Characterisation and identification only
  2. (b)Identification and classification only
  3. (c)Characterisation, identification and classification
  4. (d)No additional processes
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(c) Characterisation, identification and classification

Taxonomy includes characterisation, identification, nomenclature and classification. A description limited to nomenclature leaves out characterisation, identification and classification.

Question 3

How does the scope of systematics differ from that of taxonomy?

  1. (a)Taxonomy: basic taxonomic processes; systematics: these processes plus evolutionary relationships
  2. (b)Taxonomy: nomenclature alone; systematics: identification alone
  3. (c)Identical scopes, with evolutionary relationships excluded from each
  4. (d)Taxonomy: basic taxonomic processes; systematics: local names alone
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(a) Taxonomy: basic taxonomic processes; systematics: these processes plus evolutionary relationships

Taxonomy includes characterisation, identification, classification, and nomenclature. Systematics includes these activities and also considers evolutionary relationships.

Question 4

Why is classification necessary when studying the living world?

  1. (a)It is needed only to separate organisms useful for food, clothing, and shelter.
  2. (b)Its main purpose is to give every organism a different local name.
  3. (c)It organises the vast diversity of living things into groups that are easy to study.
  4. (d)It is unnecessary once the visible organisms in one locality have been listed.
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(c) It organises the vast diversity of living things into groups that are easy to study.

The living world contains millions of diverse organisms, and new organisms continue to be identified. Grouping organisms into convenient categories makes their study possible and supports consistent biological communication.

Meanings of ranks and organism examples

Question 5

Which comparison between a genus and a family is correct?

  1. (a)An order directly groups species, so genus–family similarity cannot be compared.
  2. (b)Species within a genus share more characters than genera grouped within a family.
  3. (c)A family has more similarities among all its members because it is a larger category.
  4. (d)A genus and a family both directly group genera.
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(b) Species within a genus share more characters than genera grouped within a family.

A genus contains related species with more characters in common. A family combines related genera and therefore has fewer similarities across all its members than a genus does.

Question 6

Which pairing gives a lion's complete scientific name and the family it belongs to?

  1. (a)leo; family Felidae
  2. (b)Panthera leo; family Felidae
  3. (c)Panthera leo; family Panthera
  4. (d)Genus Panthera only; no species or family membership
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(b) Panthera leo; family Felidae

The lion's complete scientific name is Panthera leo; leo alone is its specific epithet. The genus Panthera belongs to the family Felidae. A lion therefore belongs to a species, a genus and a family.

Question 7

Which taxonomic category immediately groups related genera?

  1. (a)Species
  2. (b)Family
  3. (c)Order
  4. (d)Genus
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(b) Family

A family groups related genera. A genus groups related species, while an order groups related families.

Question 8

Which option correctly traces mango through several nested taxonomic ranks?

  1. (a)Mangifera indica → Musca → Poaceae → Carnivora
  2. (b)indica only; a species does not also belong to a genus or family
  3. (c)Mangifera only; belonging to a genus replaces all other ranks
  4. (d)Mangifera indica → Mangifera → Anacardiaceae → Sapindales
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(d) Mangifera indica → Mangifera → Anacardiaceae → Sapindales

Mango is Mangifera indica, in genus Mangifera, family Anacardiaceae, and order Sapindales. Membership at one rank does not replace membership at the other ranks.

Identification and binomial nomenclature

Question 9

Which naming rule is broken in Mangifera Indica?

  1. (a)Small first letter in the generic name
  2. (b)Specific epithet before the generic name
  3. (c)Two words joined into one word
  4. (d)Small first letter in the specific epithet
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(d) Small first letter in the specific epithet

The generic name Mangifera begins with a capital letter. The specific epithet indica must begin with a small letter. The correctly written words are Mangifera indica.

Question 10

In the name Mangifera indica Linn., what does Linn. indicate?

  1. (a)It is a third component of the organism's scientific name.
  2. (b)It is the universal local name used before identification.
  3. (c)It is a short form of the name of the scientist who first described the species.
  4. (d)It shows that naming occurred before the organism was identified.
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(c) It is a short form of the name of the scientist who first described the species.

Linn. is the abbreviated author name and indicates that Linnaeus first described the species. The binomial remains Mangifera indica.

Question 11

What change corrects the lion's scientific name written as leo Panthera?

  1. (a)Reverse the word order only
  2. (b)Keep leo before Panthera
  3. (c)Reverse the word order and capitalise Leo
  4. (d)Reverse the word order and make panthera lowercase
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(a) Reverse the word order only

The generic name Panthera comes first, followed by the specific epithet leo. Their initial letters already have the correct capitalisation, so only the word order changes. The corrected name is Panthera leo.

Logic and direction of the taxonomic hierarchy

Question 12

A partial ascending taxonomic hierarchy has Species below an unknown rank and Family above it. Which rank belongs in the middle?

Species?Family
  1. (a)Family
  2. (b)Species
  3. (c)Genus
  4. (d)Order
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(c) Genus

The full ascending order is species, genus, family, order, class, phylum or division, and kingdom. Between Species and Family, the missing rank is Genus.

Question 13

Several related classes of plants are assigned to the next higher category. What is that category called in plant classification?

  1. (a)Kingdom, because the broadest higher rank must have the most shared characteristics
  2. (b)Genus
  3. (c)Phylum
  4. (d)Division
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(d) Division

For plants, classes with shared characters are assigned to a division. Phylum is the corresponding category used for animals.

Question 14

Which sequence lists animal taxonomic categories in ascending order, from lower to higher rank?

  1. (a)Class → Order → Phylum → Kingdom
  2. (b)Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order
  3. (c)Order → Class → Phylum → Kingdom
  4. (d)Order → Phylum → Class → Kingdom
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(c) Order → Class → Phylum → Kingdom

Related orders form a class, related classes form a phylum, and phyla belong to a kingdom. The ascending sequence is Order → Class → Phylum → Kingdom.

Question 15

A student says, ‘Moving from class toward kingdom makes the group broader. This gives all its members more characteristics in common. Plant classes form a phylum.’ Which correction matches the taxonomic hierarchy?

  1. (a)Shared characteristics increase upward, and related plant classes form a division.
  2. (b)Shared characteristics decrease upward, and related plant classes form a division.
  3. (c)Shared characteristics decrease upward, and related plant classes form a phylum.
  4. (d)Shared characteristics and plant category names do not change with rank.
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(b) Shared characteristics decrease upward, and related plant classes form a division.

Moving upward makes categories broader but decreases the number of characteristics shared by all members. In plants, related classes form a division, not a phylum.

Common misconception in Diversity in the Living World

Open full misconception guide →

Does a shared genus mean the same species?

Wrong

Two organisms with the same genus name belong to the same species.

Why it feels right. Their scientific names begin alike.

Right

The genus is a group. Both words together identify the species.

Worked example

Panthera
P. leo→Lion
Panthera
P. tigris→Tiger
The two names branch from one genus into separate species.
  1. Panthera leo and Panthera tigris share the genus Panthera.
  2. The two complete names refer to lions and tigers, respectively.