ASSERTION REASONING

TOPIC- TAXONOMY

Directions: In the following questions, a statement of assertion is followed by a statement of

reason. Mark the correct choice as:

(a) If both Assertion and Reason are true and Reason is the correct explanation of Assertion.

(b) If both Assertion and Reason are true but Reason is not the correct explanation of Assertion.

(c) If Assertion is true but Reason is false.

(d) If both Assertion and Reason are false.

1. Assertion : The science of classifiying organisms is called taxonomy.

Reason : Systematics and taxonomy have same meaning.

2. Assertion : Chemotaxonomy is classifying organisms at molecular level.

Reason : Cytotaxonomy is classifying organisms at cellular level.

3. Assertion: In fungi, vegetative reproduction occurs by fragmentation and budding.

Reason: Asexual reproduction in fungi, occurs through formation of asexual spores.

4. Assertion : Whittaker's classification for algae is not acceptable.

Reason : Whittaker grouped algae in different kingdoms.

5. Assertion : Systematics is the branch of biology that deals with classification of living
organisms.

Reason : The aim of classification is to group the organisms.

6. Assertion :To give scientific name to plant, there is ICBN.

Reason : It uses articles, photographs and recommendations to name a plant.

7. Assertion: Systematics is defined as the science of diversity of organisms in evolutionary

context.

Reason: It includes inter-relationship between organisms.

8. Assertion: New names in binomial nomenclature are derived from Latin or are latinised.

Reason: Latin is a technical language.

9. Assertion: Both words are separately underlined in binomial nomenclature.

Reason: Underlining indicates their Latin origin.

10. Assertion: Classification is necessary to study all living organisms.

Reason: Individuals are grouped into categories in classification.

11. Assertion: Binomial nomenclature is system of providing name with two.

Reason: Each name consists first of a specific name and second of a generic name.

12. Assertion: Unicellular green algae were not included in protista by Whitttaker.

Reason: Distinction between unicellular and multicellular organisms is not possible in case of
algae.

13. Assertion: ICBN is responsible for giving scientific name to plant.

Reason: It uses articles, photographs and recommendations to name a plant.

14. Assertion : Formation of new species is called speciation.

Reason : The deme has a common gene pool.

15. Assertion : Phylogeny is the developmental history of a species.

Reason : Species is the basic unit of taxonomy.

16. Assertion : Taxon and category are different things.

Reason : Category shows hierarchical classification.

17. Assertion : The hierarchy includes seven obligate categories.

Reason : Intermediate categories are used to make taxonomic positions more informative.

18. Assertion :The species is reproductively isolated natural population.

Reason : Prokaryotes cannot be kept under different species on the basis of reproductive
isolation.

19. Assertion: There are some similarities between cats and dogs.

Reason: Cats and dogs belong to the same family Canidae.

20. Assertion: Order is a taxonomic category that includes one or more genera.

Reason: All the genera in an order have some similar features and correlated characters.

21. Assertion: Whittaker's classification for algae is not accepable.

Reason: Whittaker grouped algae in different kingdoms.

22. Assertion: The hierachy includes seven obligate categories.

Reason: Intermediate categories are used to make taxonomic positions more informative.

23. Assertion: Bacteria, Protista do not have circulatory system.

Reason: These organisms live in moist and watery environment.

24. Assertion: The scientific terms for the categories like dogs, cats, mammals, plants, animals
etc. is taxa.

Reason: The taxa can indicate categories at very different level.

25. Assertion: The family Solanaceae includes a number of genera like Solanum, Petunia,
Atropa, etc.

Reason: Family contains one or more related genera.

26. Assertion: Species constitute a group of individuals with fundamental similarities.

Reason: Indica, leo, tuberosum represent such group of individuals.

27. Assertion: Flora contains the actual account of habitat and distribution of plants of a given
area.

Reason: Monographs contain detailed information on any taxon.

28. Assertion: Botanical gardens are grown for educational and scientific purposes.

Reason: Zoological parks are the places where wild animals are kept in protected environments.

29. Assertion: Herbarium sheets carry a label.

Reason: Label provides information about data and place of collection.

30. Assertion: Herbarium is also known as "Dry garden".

Reason: It is a collection of plant parts that have been dried, pressed, preserved on sheets.

31. Assertion: Keys are analytical in nature.

Reason: These are based on couplet.

32. Assertion: Information for identification of names of species is provided by monographs.

Reason: Monographs contain information on more than one taxon.

SOLUTION

1. (c) Taxonomy is the science of identification, nomenclature and classification of organisms.

But taxonomy and systematic are different terms. Systematics is the branch of biology that deals
with diversity of organisms at every level of classification.

2. (b) All the members of a species have similar karyotype (cytotaxonomy) - there is similarity in
the number, size, shape and behaviour of chromosomes. At the molecular level, there is
similarity in the types of proteins, enzymes, hormones and other biochemicals.

3. (b) In fungi, vegetative reproduction occurs by fragmentation, budding (yeast), sclerotia,

rhizomorphs, etc. Asexual reproduction occurs through formation of asexual spores such as
zoospores, sporangiospores, chlamydospores, oidia, coidia, etc.

4. (a) In Whittaker's classification, algae are grouped in three kingdoms - Monera (bluegreen
algae), Protista (dinoflagellates, diatoms, euglenoids) and Plantae (red algae, brown algae and
green algae). Though plant kingdom of Whittaker is often called metaphyta or multicellular
plants, the algae included in this kingdom also contain a number of unicellular and colonial
forms. The most accepted classification of algae is given by Fritsch. He classified all algae into
11 classes.

5. (b) Systematics is related with classification, of organisms. In classification, the organisms are
grouped on the basis of their characters or phylogeny, etc.
6. (a) Anyone can study, describe, identify and give a name to an organism provided certain
rules are followed. These rules are formed and standardised by International Code of Botanical
Nomenclature (ICBN). It uses articles, photographs and recommendations.

7. (b) Simpson (1961) has defined systematics as the branch of biology that deals with the
diversity of organism at every level of classification. It deals with cataloging plants, animals and
other organisms into categories that can be named, remembered, compared and studied. Study of
only one organism of a group provides sufficient information about the remaining members of
that group. It also helps in developing evolutionary relationships with or without the help of
taxonomic studies of fossils.

8. (c) Binomial nomenclature is the system of providing organisms with appropriate and distinct
names consisting of two 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 spelling with passage of time.

9. (a) Both the words in binomial nomenclature when handwritten, are separately underlined, or
printed in italics to indicate their latin origin.

10. (a) It is nearly impossible to study all the living organisms. Classification refers to the
process by which individuals are grouped into categories. So, classification makes it possible to
study all the living organisms by studying the categorywise characteristics.

11. (c) Binomial nomenclature is the system of providing organisms with appropriate anddistinct
names consisting of two words, first generic and second specific.

12. (a) Unicellular green algae were not included in protista by Whittaker. Distinction between
unicellular and multicellular organism is not possible in case of algae.

13. (a) International Code of BotanicalNomenclature (ICBN) is responsible for giving scientific
name to plants. It uses articles, photos and recommendations to plant.

14. (b) All new species develop from the preexisting species. The phenomenon of development
of a new species from preexisting one is called speciation. A species is a collections of demes.
The deme is a groups of populations with a common gene pool.

15. (b) Phylogeny is the developmental history of a species or a group of species. Species is the
basic unit of taxonomy. It is a natural population of individuals or group of population which
resemble one another in all essential morophological and reproductive characters so that they are
able to interbreed freely and produce fertile offspring.

16. (a) A category is a rank or level in the hierarchial classification of organisms. Taxon is a unit
in classification which may represent any level of grouping of organisms based on certain
common characteristics. There is some confusion in the use of taxon and category, for example
Bryophyta is a taxon while division is a category.

17. (b) The hierarchy includes seven obligate categories - kingdom, division or phylum, class,
order, family, genus and species. In order to make taxonomic position of species more precise,
certain categories have been added to this list. They are called intermediate categories, e.g.,
subkingdom, superphylum or superdivision, superclass, subclass, superorder, suborder,
superfamily, subfamily, tribe, subspecies, variety etc.

18. (b) The species is genetically distinct and reproductively isolated natural population. Sexual
reproduction is absent in prokaryotes and some protists. In such cases, morphological
differences, cytotaxonomy and chemo-taxonomy are resorted to.

19. (c) Family is a group of related genera with still less number of similarities as compared to
genus and species e.g., a cat and a dog, have some similarities and some differences as well.
They are separated into two different families - Felidae and Canidae, respectively.

20. (d) Family is a taxonomic category which contains one or more related genera. All the genera
of a family have some common features or co-related characters. Whereas, order includes one or
more related families.

21. (a) R.H. Whittaker (1969), an American Taxonomist, classified all organisms into five
kingdoms: Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae and Animal. Plantae includes green algae, brown
algae, red algae, bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms.

22. (b) Taxonomy is based on a hierarchy of classification; the lower you go in the hierarchy, the
more closely related the living things are. These groups, from largest to smallest are Kingdom,
Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species. Intermediate categories are used to make
taxonomic positions more informative.

23. (b) In animals that do not contain a circulatory system, the transport of substances occurs by
cell to cell diffusion. Bacteria, Protista do not have circulatory system. These organisms live in
moist and watery environment.

24. (a) To study the organism dogs, cats, mammals, wheat, rice, plants, animals, etc.are
convenient categories. Plants, animals, mammals, dogs, etc. all are taxa, which represent taxa at
different levels.

25. (a) Family is a taxonomic category which contains one or more related genera. All the genera
of a family have some common features and they are seperable from genera of a related family
by important characteristics. The family Solanaceae includes a number of genera like Solanum,
Petunia, Atropa, etc. due to certain similarities.
26. (b) Species refer to a group of organisms with fundamental similarities. A species is
distinguished from the other closely related species based on distinct morphological differences.
e.g., Mangifera indica (Mango), Solanum tuberosum (potato) and Panthera leo (lion). Therefore,
all the three names, indica, tuberosum and leo, represent the specific epithets, while the first
words Mangifera, Solanum and Panthera are genera.

27. (b) Floras, manuals, monographs, etc. are some important taxonomic aids that help in the
correct identification. Flora provide the index to the plant species found in a particular area.
Manuals are useful in providing information for identification of names of species found in an
area.Monographs have information of any taxon.

28. (b) Botanical gardens are sufficiently large sized tracts where plants of various types and
areas are grown for scientific and educational purposes. Zoological parks are the places where
wild animals are kept in protected environments under human care and which enable us to learn
about their food habits and behavior.

29. (a) A herbarium is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for
scientific study. It carries a label. It provides information about data and place of collection.

30. (a) Herbarium is also known as "Dry garden". It is a collection of plant parts that have been
dried, pressed and preserved on sheets. The procedure of pressing and drying specimens for
storage has been an amazingly successful one in terms of preservation of detail and
specimenlongevity, and the plants so preserved provide a concrete basis for past, present and
future studies.

31. (b) Key is a taxonomical aid used for identification of plants and animals based on the
similarities and dissimilarities. The keys are based on contrasting characters generally in a pair
called couplet. Keys are generally analytical in nature.

32. (d) Manuals are useful in providinginformation for identification of names of species found
in an area. Monographs contain information on any one taxon.