Test: Diversity in the Living World (NCERT) - NEET MCQ

Taxonomy (taxis-arrangement, nomos-law) is defined as the science dealing with identification, nomenclature and classification of organisms. The term taxonomy was given by de Candolle (1813).

Topic in NCERT: Taxonomy

Line in NCERT: "dealing with these aspects is referred to as taxonomy."

Some important rules of binomial nomenclature are given as following:
(i) Biological names are either derived from Latin language or are Latinised.
(ii) The first word in a biological name represents the genus while the second word represents the species.
(iii) Both the words, in a biological name, when handwritten, are separately underlined, or printed in italics to indicate their Latin origin.
(iv) The generic epithet starts with a capital letter while, the specific epithet starts with a small letter. It can be illustrated with the example of Homo sapiens, Pisum sativum, Panthera tigris, Mangifera indica, etc.
(v) Name of the author appears after the specific epithet i.e., at the end of the biological name and is written in an abbreviated form, e.g., Mangifera indica line. It indicates that this species was first described by Linnaeus.

Topic in NCERT: Taxonomy and nomenclature

Line in NCERT: "let us consider mangifera indica, solanum tuberosum (potato) and panthera leo (lion). all the three names, indica, tuberosum and leo, represent the specific epithets, while the first words mangifera, solanum and panthera are genera and represents another higher level of taxon or category."

• First step in taxonomy is identification of the organism.
• Identification is the finding of correct name and place of an organism according to some approved system of classification.
• Manuals, floras, monographs, catalogues keys, etc. are various taxonomic aids, which are used the identification of an organism.
• Identification is follower by nomenclature and classification of organisms.

Topic in NCERT: Taxonomy

Line in NCERT: "hence, characterisation, identification, classification and nomenclature are the processes that are basic to taxonomy."

• The original scientific names were taken from Latin and Greek languages.
• New names are now derived either from Latin language or are latinised.
• This is because latin language is dead and therefore, it will not change in form or spellings with the passage of time.

Topic in NCERT: Nomenclature

Line in NCERT: "biological names are generally in latin and written in italics."

Answer: a
Explanation: ICBN stands for International Code for Botanical Nomenclature. ICBN deals with the nomenclature of the plants. International Code for Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is responsible for the binomial; nomenclature of animals.

Topic in NCERT: Nomenclature

Line in NCERT: "for plants, scientific names are based on agreed principles and criteria, which are provided in international code for botanical nomenclature (icbn)."

• A taxon is a taxonomic group or taxonomic unit of any ranking. Each category is referred to as a unit of classification.
• There are seven main taxonomic ranks: kingdom, phylum, division, class, order, family, genus, species.
   

​Hence, the correct option is 'd' i.e. 'a taxonomic group of any ranking'.

Topic in NCERT: Taxonomic categories

Line in NCERT: "each rank or taxon, in fact, represents a unit of classification."

Linnaeus put forward an artificial system of classification which was mainly based upon morphological characters of plants.

Topic in NCERT: Species

Line in NCERT: "one should be able to distinguish one species from the other closely related species based on the distinct morphological differences."

Higher the category in biological classification, the greater is the difficulty of determining the relationship to other taxa at the same level.

Higher categories (like Kingdom, Phylum) include more diverse organisms.

Diverse characteristics make it harder to determine specific relationships.

Lower categories (like Genus, Species) are more specific and have clearer relationships.

Thus, the correct answer is: B: Greater, difficulty.

Topic in NCERT: Taxonomic categories

Line in NCERT: "higher the category, greater is the difficulty of determining the relationship to other taxa at the same level."

The term "Homo" in the scientific name "Homo sapiens" designates the genus of the species. In the binomial nomenclature system, the first part of the name refers to the genus, while the second part, "sapiens," specifies the species itself.

Topic in NCERT: Genus

Line in NCERT: "human beings belong to the species sapiens which is grouped in the genus homo."

• The Assertion is true because systematics indeed focuses on the classification and naming of organisms while considering their evolutionary relationships.
• The Reason is false as it states that systematics does not regard evolutionary history, which contradicts the fundamental principles of systematics.
• Since the Assertion is true and the Reason is false, the correct option is Option C.
  
  Line in NCERT: Human beings were, since long, not only interested in knowing more about different kinds of organisms and their diversities, but also the relationships among them. This branch of study was referred to as systematics. The word systematics is derived from the Latin word ‘systema’ which means systematic arrangement of organisms. Linnaeus used Systema Naturae as the title of his publication. The scope of systematics was later enlarged to include identification, nomenclature and classification. Systematics takes into account evolutionary relationships between organisms