The Living World

22 NEET-UG practice questions on The Living World, part of Botany. The first 22 are below; the first 5 with answers and explanations (tap Show answer after you have chosen), the rest in Learn with a free account.

1. Question 1 · Easy

   In a correctly written biological name, the two words follow different rules. Which description is right?

   1. AThe genus begins with a capital letter and the specific epithet with a small letter
   2. BBoth the genus and the specific epithet begin with small letters
   3. CBoth the genus and the specific epithet begin with capital letters
   4. DThe genus begins with a small letter and the specific epithet with a capital letter

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   Answer: A · The genus begins with a capital letter and the specific epithet with a small letter

   Binomial nomenclature uses a generic name followed by a specific epithet. The first word starts with a capital letter and the second with a small letter, as in Mangifera indica.

   • B: The genus must begin with a capital letter.
   • C: Only the genus takes a capital letter.
   • D: This reverses the rule for the two words.

   Remember this

   Genus takes a capital initial, the specific epithet a small one, and both are Latinised and italicised in print.

2. Question 2 · Medium

   Given below are two statements: Statement I: Felidae and Canidae are placed in the same order, Carnivora. Statement II: Order is a lower taxonomic category than family. Choose the correct answer.

   1. ABoth Statement I and Statement II are correct
   2. BBoth Statement I and Statement II are incorrect
   3. CStatement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect
   4. DStatement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct

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   Answer: C · Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect

   Cat and dog families are separate families grouped under the order Carnivora, so Statement I is correct. An order is a group of related families, so it stands above family, which makes Statement II incorrect.

   • A: Statement II reverses the positions of order and family.
   • B: Statement I is correct as NCERT places both families in Carnivora.
   • D: Statement I is correct and Statement II is the wrong one.

   Remember this

   The ascending sequence is species, genus, family, order, class, phylum or division, kingdom.

3. Question 3 · Medium

   Arrange these taxa of wheat from the lowest category to the highest. A. Poales B. Triticum C. Monocotyledonae D. Poaceae

   1. AB, D, C, A
   2. BD, B, A, C
   3. CB, D, A, C
   4. DB, A, D, C

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   Answer: C · B, D, A, C

   Triticum is the genus, Poaceae the family, Poales the order and Monocotyledonae the class of wheat. Moving upward gives genus, family, order, class.

   • A: This places the class below the order.
   • B: This places the family below the genus.
   • D: This places the order below the family.

   Remember this

   Names ending in -aceae are families and those ending in -ales are orders in plants.

   Mnemonic: King Philip Came Over For Good Soup (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species).

4. Question 4 · Medium

   Match List-I with List-II. List-I (taxonomic aid) A. Herbarium B. Botanical garden C. Museum D. Key List-II (description) I. Pairs of contrasting characters called couplets II. Dried and pressed plant specimens preserved on sheets III. Living plants grown for identification and reference IV. Insects in boxes and larger animals stuffed and preserved

   1. AA-II, B-IV, C-III, D-I
   2. BA-I, B-III, C-II, D-IV
   3. CA-III, B-II, C-IV, D-I
   4. DA-II, B-III, C-IV, D-I

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   Answer: D · A-II, B-III, C-IV, D-I

   A herbarium stores dried, pressed plant specimens, while a botanical garden keeps living plants. A museum holds preserved specimens such as insects in boxes and stuffed animals. A key identifies organisms through couplets of contrasting characters.

   • A: This swaps the living plants of a garden with the preserved specimens of a museum.
   • B: This treats a herbarium as a key and a museum as a store of dried sheets.
   • C: This swaps the dried specimens of a herbarium with the living plants of a garden.

   Remember this

   In a key, a pair of contrasting characters is a couplet and each statement in it is a lead.

5. Question 5 · Medium

   Worker bees do not reproduce, yet they are alive. A sand mound becomes larger as material collects on it, yet it is not alive. What do these two observations show?

   1. ANeither growth nor reproduction can be a defining property of living organisms
   2. BReproduction is a defining property of living organisms but growth is not
   3. CBoth growth and reproduction are defining properties of living organisms
   4. DGrowth is a defining property of living organisms but reproduction is not

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   Answer: A · Neither growth nor reproduction can be a defining property of living organisms

   A living organism that does not reproduce rules out reproduction as a defining property, and a non-living object that increases in size rules out growth. Metabolism and cellular organisation are found in all living organisms without exception.

   • B: The worker bee shows that a living organism may not reproduce.
   • C: Each observation is an exception, so neither property defines life.
   • D: The sand mound shows that increase in size also occurs in non-living things.

   Remember this

   Metabolism, cellular organisation and consciousness define life; growth and reproduction do not.

6. Question 6 · Easy

   Moving up the taxonomic hierarchy from species towards kingdom, what happens to the number of characteristics shared by members of a taxon?

   1. AIt stays the same
   2. BIt increases
   3. CIt decreases
   4. DIt first increases and then decreases

   Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

7. Question 7 · Hard

   Read these statements on naming and classifying organisms. A. In Mangifera indica Linn., the abbreviated word shows who first described the species. B. In a handwritten biological name, the two words are underlined together as one continuous line. C. Solanaceae and Convolvulaceae are both placed in the order Polymoniales. D. Mango and wheat belong to the same class but to different divisions. Which statements are correct?

   1. AA and C only
   2. BA, C and D only
   3. CA, B and C only
   4. DB and D only

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8. Question 8 · Medium

   Given below are two statements: Statement I: Biological names are generally in Latin and are printed in italics. Statement II: When handwritten, the generic name and the specific epithet are underlined together by one continuous line. Choose the correct answer.

   1. ABoth Statement I and Statement II are incorrect
   2. BBoth Statement I and Statement II are correct
   3. CStatement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect
   4. DStatement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct

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9. Question 9 · Hard

   Consider these statements about taxonomic categories. A. A family is a group of related orders. B. The families Felidae and Canidae are placed in the order Primata. C. The housefly belongs to the family Muscidae, order Diptera and class Insecta. D. Wheat belongs to the family Poaceae, order Poales and class Monocotyledonae. Which statements are correct?

   1. AA and D only
   2. BA, C and D only
   3. CC and D only
   4. DB, C and D only

   Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

10. Question 10 · Easy

    Plant families such as Convolvulaceae and Solanaceae are grouped, mainly on floral characters, into which order?

    1. APoales
    2. BSapindales
    3. CPolymoniales
    4. DPrimata

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11. Question 11 · Medium

    Match List-I with List-II for the taxonomic placement of mango, Mangifera indica. List-I (Category) A. Family B. Order C. Class D. Division List-II (Taxon) I. Dicotyledonae II. Anacardiaceae III. Angiospermae IV. Sapindales

    1. AA-IV, B-II, C-I, D-III
    2. BA-II, B-IV, C-I, D-III
    3. CA-II, B-I, C-IV, D-III
    4. DA-II, B-IV, C-III, D-I

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12. Question 12 · Medium

    Given below are two statements: Statement I: Taxonomic studies draw on external and internal structure, cell structure, developmental processes and ecological information about organisms. Statement II: Systematics deals with identifying and naming organisms but does not take evolutionary relationships into account. Choose the correct answer.

    1. AStatement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect
    2. BBoth Statement I and Statement II are correct
    3. CBoth Statement I and Statement II are incorrect
    4. DStatement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct

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13. Question 13 · Easy

    The scientific name of mango is often printed as Mangifera indica Linn. What does the abbreviation 'Linn.' at the end tell us?

    1. AThe species is native to the Indian region
    2. BThe species was first described by Linnaeus
    3. CThe species belongs to the family Linnaceae
    4. DThe name is written in Latin

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14. Question 14 · Medium

    In a taxonomic key, characters are arranged as pairs of contrasting statements. What is each single statement within such a pair called?

    1. ATaxon
    2. BCategory
    3. CCouplet
    4. DLead

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15. Question 15 · Hard

    Consider these statements about taxonomic aids. A. A herbarium sheet carries a label with the date and place of collection, the English, local and botanical names, the family and the collector's name. B. A flora is a compilation that gives information on any one taxon in detail. C. Separate taxonomic keys are needed for each taxonomic category such as family, genus and species. D. Zoological parks allow us to study the food habits and behaviour of wild animals kept in protected surroundings that resemble their natural habitats. Which statements are correct?

    1. AB, C and D only
    2. BA, B and C only
    3. CA, C and D only
    4. DA and D only

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16. Question 16 · Easy

    Visitors to a botanical garden read a label beside each plant. According to NCERT, what does each label indicate?

    1. AThe date and place where the plant was first collected
    2. BThe botanical or scientific name of the plant and its family
    3. CThe price and the season of flowering of the plant
    4. DOnly the local name of the plant in the regional language

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17. Question 17 · Medium

    Wheat, Triticum aestivum, is placed in a series of taxonomic categories. Match each category with the taxon of wheat at that level. List-I (Category) A. Family B. Order C. Class D. Division List-II (Taxon of wheat) I. Monocotyledonae II. Poaceae III. Angiospermae IV. Poales Choose the correct answer from the options given below.

    1. AA-II, B-I, C-IV, D-III
    2. BA-II, B-IV, C-III, D-I
    3. CA-IV, B-II, C-I, D-III
    4. DA-II, B-IV, C-I, D-III

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18. Question 18 · Easy

    Potato, brinjal and Solanum nigrum are distinct species. Which is the lowest taxonomic category that all three share?

    1. AFamily
    2. BGenus
    3. COrder
    4. DSpecies

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19. Question 19 · Medium

    Taxonomy deals with the characterisation, identification, nomenclature and classification of organisms. What does systematics take into account in addition?

    1. AOnly the methods of preserving specimens
    2. BOnly the external features of the organisms
    3. COnly the rules for writing scientific names
    4. DEvolutionary relationships between organisms

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20. Question 20 · Medium

    Arrange these taxa of the human, Homo sapiens, from the lowest category to the highest. A. Primata B. Mammalia C. Hominidae D. Chordata Choose the correct order.

    1. AC, A, B, D
    2. BC, B, A, D
    3. CA, C, B, D
    4. DC, A, D, B

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21. Question 21 · Hard

    Read the following statements about growth in living organisms. A. In living organisms, growth is from inside. B. Unicellular organisms also grow by cell division. C. In animals, growth by cell division continues throughout the life span. D. Increase in mass and increase in number of individuals are twin characteristics of growth. Which of the statements given above are correct?

    1. AA, B and D only
    2. BA, B and C only
    3. CA and D only
    4. DB, C and D only

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22. Question 22 · Medium

    Given below are two statements: Statement I: Metabolic reactions carried out in a cell-free test tube are living things. Statement II: Metabolism is a defining feature of all living organisms without exception. Choose the correct answer.

    1. ABoth Statement I and Statement II are incorrect
    2. BStatement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect
    3. CStatement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct
    4. DBoth Statement I and Statement II are correct

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