Chapter 12: Patterns in Life: Diversity and Classification | 50 MCQs | 5 Sets.
Set 1: Biodiversity and Classification (Questions 1–10)
1. The immense variety of living organisms found on Earth is known as:
A. Classification
B. Biodiversity
C. Evolution
D. Adaptation
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Answer: B. Biodiversity
2. Why is biodiversity important?
A. Organisms help maintain ecological balance
B. Only animals depend on it
C. It reduces all species
D. It prevents reproduction
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Answer: A. Organisms help maintain ecological balance
3. Species naturally restricted to particular regions are called:
A. Exotic species
B. Domestic species
C. Endemic species
D. Migratory species
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Answer: C. Endemic species
4. Which is an example of an endemic species mentioned in the chapter?
A. Lion
B. Camel
C. Elephant
D. Nilgiri tahr
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Answer: D. Nilgiri tahr
5. Which of these is a biodiversity hotspot?
A. Western Ghats
B. Indo-Gangetic Plain only
C. Deccan Plateau only
D. Thar Desert only
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Answer: A. Western Ghats
6. Biodiversity hotspots are regions that:
A. Have very few organisms
B. Have no human influence
C. Have many endemic species and significant habitat loss
D. Contain only aquatic organisms
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Answer: C. Have many endemic species and significant habitat loss
7. Why do scientists classify organisms?
A. To make organisms extinct
B. To study biodiversity systematically
C. To reduce biodiversity
D. To change their characteristics
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Answer: B. To study biodiversity systematically
8. Which factors can be used to classify organisms?
A. Cell structure
B. Mode of nutrition
C. Reproduction
D. All of these
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Answer: D. All of these
9. Organisms made up of a single cell are called:
A. Multicellular
B. Unicellular
C. Tissue-level organisms
D. Colonial organisms only
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Answer: B. Unicellular
10. Organisms made up of many cells are called:
A. Unicellular
B. Prokaryotic
C. Multicellular
D. Microscopic
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Answer: C. Multicellular
Set 2: Nutrition and Kingdom Classification (Questions 11–20)
11. Organisms that prepare their own food are called:
A. Heterotrophs
B. Autotrophs
C. Consumers
D. Decomposers
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Answer: B. Autotrophs
12. Organisms that depend on other organisms for food are:
A. Autotrophs
B. Producers
C. Photosynthetic organisms
D. Heterotrophs
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Answer: D. Heterotrophs
13. Which is NOT a reliable criterion for classifying organisms into major biological groups?
A. Cell structure
B. Mode of nutrition
C. Colour alone
D. Reproduction
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Answer: C. Colour alone
14. Aristotle classified animals mainly using:
A. DNA structure
B. Chromosome number
C. Cell type
D. Habitat and external appearance
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Answer: D. Habitat and external appearance
15. The two-kingdom classification divided organisms into:
A. Monera and Protista
B. Plantae and Animalia
C. Fungi and Plantae
D. Protista and Animalia
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Answer: B. Plantae and Animalia
16. Which kingdom was added in the three-kingdom classification?
A. Fungi
B. Monera
C. Protista
D. Animalia
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Answer: C. Protista
17. Bacteria were placed in a separate kingdom because they:
A. Lack a membrane-bound nucleus
B. Are all multicellular
C. Have chloroplasts
D. Are always parasitic
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Answer: A. Lack a membrane-bound nucleus
18. Which group of kingdoms was included in the four-kingdom classification described in the chapter?
A. Monera, Fungi, Plantae and Animalia
B. Fungi, Plantae, Animalia and Viruses
C. Monera, Fungi, Protista and Viruses
D. Monera, Protista, Plantae and Animalia
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Answer: D. Monera, Protista, Plantae and Animalia
19. Who proposed the five-kingdom classification system?
A. Aristotle
B. Robert H. Whittaker
C. Charles Darwin
D. Gregor Mendel
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Answer: B. Robert H. Whittaker
20. Which list correctly names the five kingdoms?
A. Monera, Plantae, Animalia, Viruses, Fungi
B. Bacteria, Plants, Animals, Viruses, Algae
C. Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia
D. Protista, Plants, Animals, Viruses, Bacteria
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Answer: C. Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia
Set 3: Monera, Protista, Fungi and Plant Groups (Questions 21–30)
21. Kingdom Monera mainly consists of:
A. Unicellular prokaryotes
B. Multicellular eukaryotes
C. Multicellular fungi
D. Multicellular plants
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Answer: A. Unicellular prokaryotes
22. Which organism belongs to Kingdom Monera?
A. Amoeba
B. Mushroom
C. Human
D. Bacteria
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Answer: D. Bacteria
23. Protists are generally:
A. Multicellular prokaryotes
B. Unicellular eukaryotes
C. Multicellular plants only
D. Multicellular animals only
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Answer: B. Unicellular eukaryotes
24. Which of the following is a protist?
A. Mushroom
B. Rose
C. Amoeba
D. Earthworm
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Answer: C. Amoeba
25. Fungi are generally:
A. Heterotrophic eukaryotes
B. Photosynthetic animals
C. Autotrophic prokaryotes
D. Multicellular plants
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Answer: A. Heterotrophic eukaryotes
26. The cell wall of fungi is mainly made of:
A. Cellulose
B. Starch
C. Glycogen
D. Chitin
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Answer: D. Chitin
27. Fungi commonly obtain nutrients by:
A. Photosynthesis
B. Absorption
C. Ingestion only
D. Producing their own food using sunlight
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Answer: B. Absorption
28. Which of the following is a fungus?
A. Amoeba
B. Spirogyra
C. Yeast
D. Hydra
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Answer: C. Yeast
29. Plants are generally:
A. Multicellular and autotrophic
B. Unicellular and heterotrophic
C. Multicellular and always parasitic
D. Unicellular and prokaryotic
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Answer: A. Multicellular and autotrophic
30. The plant cell wall is primarily made of:
A. Chitin
B. Protein
C. Glycogen
D. Cellulose
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Answer: D. Cellulose
Set 4: Plant Classification (Questions 31–40)
31. Which sequence correctly lists the major plant groups from simpler to more complex groups in the chapter?
A. Bryophyta, Thallophyta, Gymnosperms, Angiosperms, Pteridophyta
B. Thallophyta, Bryophyta, Pteridophyta, Gymnosperms, Angiosperms
C. Pteridophyta, Thallophyta, Angiosperms, Bryophyta, Gymnosperms
D. Gymnosperms, Angiosperms, Thallophyta, Bryophyta, Pteridophyta
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Answer: B. Thallophyta, Bryophyta, Pteridophyta, Gymnosperms, Angiosperms
32. Which plant group has a simple, undifferentiated body called a thallus?
A. Bryophyta
B. Pteridophyta
C. Thallophyta
D. Angiosperms
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Answer: C. Thallophyta
33. Spirogyra is an example of:
A. Thallophyta
B. Bryophyta
C. Pteridophyta
D. Gymnosperms
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Answer: A. Thallophyta
34. Bryophytes are called amphibians of the plant kingdom because they:
A. Live only underwater
B. Produce flowers and fruits
C. Produce seeds in cones
D. Live on land but need water for reproduction
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Answer: D. Live on land but need water for reproduction
35. Which of these is a bryophyte?
A. Pine
B. Marchantia
C. Rose
D. Mango
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Answer: B. Marchantia
36. Pteridophytes possess:
A. Only an undifferentiated thallus
B. Flowers and fruits
C. True roots, stems and leaves
D. Seeds enclosed in fruits
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Answer: C. True roots, stems and leaves
37. Which vascular tissues are found in pteridophytes?
A. Xylem and phloem
B. Stomata and guard cells
C. Epidermis and cortex only
D. Petals and sepals
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Answer: A. Xylem and phloem
38. Gymnosperms produce:
A. Seeds enclosed within fruits
B. No seeds
C. Only spores
D. Naked seeds
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Answer: D. Naked seeds
39. Which of the following is a gymnosperm?
A. Mango
B. Pine
C. Rose
D. Moss
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Answer: B. Pine
40. Angiosperms are commonly known as:
A. Non-flowering plants
B. Seedless plants
C. Flowering plants
D. Spore-forming plants only
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Answer: C. Flowering plants
Set 5: Animal Classification and Taxonomy (Questions 41–50)
41. In angiosperms, seeds are generally:
A. Enclosed within fruits
B. Always exposed on cones
C. Absent
D. Found only on leaves
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Answer: A. Enclosed within fruits
42. Which is the most diverse major plant group in this classification?
A. Thallophyta
B. Bryophyta
C. Gymnosperms
D. Angiosperms
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Answer: D. Angiosperms
43. Animals are generally:
A. Unicellular and autotrophic
B. Multicellular and heterotrophic
C. Prokaryotic and autotrophic
D. Unicellular and photosynthetic
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Answer: B. Multicellular and heterotrophic
44. The presence or absence of which structure is an important criterion for dividing animals into chordates and non-chordates?
A. Cell wall
B. Chloroplast
C. Notochord
D. Cellulose
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Answer: C. Notochord
45. Which animal belongs to the phylum Porifera?
A. Sponge
B. Earthworm
C. Starfish
D. Snail
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Answer: A. Sponge
46. Arthropods are characterised by:
A. Absence of appendages
B. A body without muscles
C. A vertebral column
D. Jointed appendages and an exoskeleton
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Answer: D. Jointed appendages and an exoskeleton
47. Which animal belongs to Echinodermata?
A. Earthworm
B. Starfish
C. Spider
D. Sponge
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Answer: B. Starfish
48. The hard external skeleton of arthropods is called:
A. Endoskeleton
B. Notochord
C. Exoskeleton
D. Vertebral column
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Answer: C. Exoskeleton
49. Which is the correct order of classification from broadest to most specific?
A. Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species
B. Species → Genus → Family → Order → Class → Phylum → Kingdom
C. Kingdom → Class → Phylum → Family → Order → Species → Genus
D. Phylum → Kingdom → Class → Order → Genus → Family → Species
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Answer: A. Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species
50. The binomial system of scientific naming gives each organism:
A. One name only
B. A three-part common name
C. A name based only on habitat
D. A two-part scientific name
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Answer: D. A two-part scientific name