Q1. Why are living organisms classified?
Answer:
Classification helps in:
Identifying organisms easily.
Understanding relationships among species.
Studying organisms systematically.
Avoiding confusion caused by local names.
Tracing evolutionary links.
Q2. Why are the classification systems changing every now and then?
Answer:
Classification systems change because:
New organisms are discovered.
Genetic and molecular data provide deeper insights.
Evolutionary relationships are better understood.
Scientific knowledge is continuously evolving.
Q3. What different criteria would you choose to classify people living in your neighbourhood?
Answer:
Age
Gender
Occupation
Language
Religion
Education level
Income group
Q4. What do we learn from biological classification?
Answer:
It gives insight into evolutionary connections.
Helps organize information systematically.
Predicts characteristics shared by organisms.
Allows scientists to understand biodiversity.
Q5. Given below is the scientific name of Mango. Identify the correctly written name.
(a) Mangifera Indica
(b) Mangifera indica
(c) mangifera Indica
(d) Mangifera Indica
Answer: (b) Mangifera indica
Explanation: In binomial nomenclature, the genus starts with a capital letter and species with a small letter. Both are italicized.
Q1. Define metabolism.
Metabolism is the sum total of all chemical reactions occurring in a living organism, including anabolic (building) and catabolic (breaking down) processes.
Q2. Define species.
A species is the basic unit of classification where organisms with similar characteristics can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
Q3. What is a taxon?
A taxon is any rank or group in the biological classification system, such as species, genus, family, etc.
Q1. Describe the characteristics of living organisms.
Living organisms show:
Growth: Increase in mass and number of individuals.
Reproduction: Ability to produce offspring.
Metabolism: Biochemical reactions.
Cellular organization: Fundamental unit of life.
Consciousness: Response to stimuli.
Homeostasis: Maintaining internal balance.
Adaptation: Ability to evolve over time.
Q2. Explain taxonomic hierarchy with an example.
Taxonomic hierarchy is a systematic arrangement of organisms into categories.
Example (Homo sapiens):
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Homo
Species: sapiens
Q1. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of living organisms?
(a) Growth
(b) Metabolism
(c) Reproduction
(d) Rusting
Answer: (d) Rusting
Q2. Binomial nomenclature was given by:
(a) Charles Darwin
(b) Carl Linnaeus
(c) Aristotle
(d) Ernst Haeckel
Answer: (b) Carl Linnaeus
Q3. Which taxonomic category includes organisms most similar to one another?
(a) Kingdom
(b) Family
(c) Genus
(d) Species
Answer: (d) Species
Q1. If an organism does not reproduce, can it still be considered alive? Justify.
Yes, certain living organisms like sterile mules, worker bees, and infertile humans cannot reproduce but show other life processes such as metabolism, growth, and response to stimuli.
Q2. Why is virus considered at the boundary of living and non-living?
Viruses show characteristics of living organisms only inside a host cell (reproduction, mutation) but behave like non-living outside (no metabolism, inert nature).
Q: Label the following Taxonomic Hierarchy (from highest to lowest):
Answer:
Kingdom → Broadest group (e.g., Animalia)
Species → Most specific (e.g., sapiens)
