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Classification of Living Organisms — Homi Bhabha Exam Biology MCQs with Solutions
Free Homi Bhabha Exam Biology Classification of Living Organisms MCQs with step-by-step solutions covering Kingdom Classification, Classification of Plants, Microbes. Practise online on Prepizo — no login needed.
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Sample questions with solutions
Q1 — Kingdom Classification · hard · theory
Prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria are placed in the kingdom:
A. Fungi
B. Protista
C. Monera ✓ Correct
D. Plantae
Solution: Kingdom Monera contains prokaryotes like bacteria and cyanobacteria.
Q2 — Kingdom Classification · hard · theory
Unicellular eukaryotes such as Amoeba and Paramecium belong to the kingdom:
A. Animalia
B. Protista ✓ Correct
C. Monera
D. Fungi
Solution: Kingdom Protista includes single-celled eukaryotes.
Q3 — Kingdom Classification · hard · theory
The cell walls of fungi are made up of:
A. protein
B. cellulose
C. starch
D. chitin ✓ Correct
Solution: Fungal cell walls are made of chitin, unlike the cellulose walls of plants.
Q4 — Kingdom Classification · hard · theory
The two-word scientific naming system (genus + species) was given by:
A. Aristotle
B. Whittaker
C. Carolus Linnaeus ✓ Correct
D. Robert Hooke
Solution: Linnaeus introduced binomial nomenclature, using a genus and species name for each organism.
Q5 — Classification of Plants · hard · theory
Mosses and liverworts, called the "amphibians of the plant kingdom", belong to:
A. Thallophyta
B. Gymnosperms
C. Bryophyta ✓ Correct
D. Angiosperms
Solution: Bryophytes live in moist places and need water for reproduction, so they are called amphibians of the plant kingdom.
Q6 — Classification of Plants · hard · theory
Plants that bear naked seeds (not enclosed in a fruit), such as pine and cycas, are:
A. bryophytes
B. angiosperms
C. algae
D. gymnosperms ✓ Correct
Solution: Gymnosperms produce naked seeds that are not enclosed within a fruit.
Q7 — Classification of Plants · hard · theory
Angiosperms are further divided into monocotyledons and dicotyledons based on the number of:
A. cotyledons in the seed ✓ Correct
B. roots
C. leaves
D. petals only
Solution: Monocots have one cotyledon and dicots have two cotyledons in their seeds.
Q8 — Classification of Plants · hard · theory
Non-flowering plants that do not produce seeds are collectively called:
A. angiosperms
B. gymnosperms
C. phanerogams
D. cryptogams ✓ Correct
Solution: Cryptogams (thallophytes, bryophytes, pteridophytes) are seedless, non-flowering plants.
Q9 — Classification of Plants · hard · theory
A parallel-veined leaf and fibrous roots are typical features of a:
A. moss
B. fern
C. monocotyledon (e.g. grass) ✓ Correct
D. dicotyledon (e.g. mango)
Solution: Monocots such as grasses have parallel venation and fibrous roots, unlike dicots.
Q10 — Microbes · hard · theory
A microbe that can reproduce only inside a living host cell is a:
A. fungus
B. protozoan
C. virus ✓ Correct
D. bacterium
Solution: Viruses are non-living outside a host and can multiply only inside a living cell.
Q11 — Microbes · hard · theory
The antibiotic penicillin is obtained from a:
A. protozoan
B. green plant
C. virus
D. fungus (Penicillium) ✓ Correct
Solution: Penicillin, the first antibiotic, is produced by the mould Penicillium.
Q12 — Microbes · hard · theory
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria such as Rhizobium, found in the root nodules of legumes, help by:
A. producing oxygen
B. converting atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form ✓ Correct
C. destroying the plant
D. causing disease
Solution: Rhizobium fixes atmospheric nitrogen into compounds plants can absorb, improving soil fertility.
Q13 — Microbes · hard · theory
Which of the following is a HARMFUL activity of microorganisms?
A. Fixing nitrogen in soil
B. Making curd
C. Producing antibiotics
D. Causing food to spoil and diseases to spread ✓ Correct
Solution: Some microbes spoil food and cause diseases, which are their harmful effects.
Q14 — Kingdom Classification · medium · theory
The five-kingdom system of classification was proposed by:
A. R. H. Whittaker ✓ Correct
B. Carolus Linnaeus
C. Charles Darwin
D. Gregor Mendel
Solution: Whittaker proposed the five-kingdom classification in 1969.
Q15 — Kingdom Classification · medium · theory
Which of the following is NOT one of the five kingdoms?
A. Fungi
B. Protista
C. Bacteria ✓ Correct
D. Monera
Solution: The five kingdoms are Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae and Animalia; "Bacteria" belongs within Monera.
Q16 — Kingdom Classification · medium · theory
Mushrooms and yeast are placed in the kingdom:
A. Monera
B. Animalia
C. Plantae
D. Fungi ✓ Correct
Solution: Fungi are heterotrophic organisms with cell walls of chitin; mushrooms and yeast belong here.
Q17 — Kingdom Classification · medium · theory
Organisms of the kingdom Animalia are characterised as:
A. multicellular heterotrophs without cell walls ✓ Correct
B. unicellular only
C. prokaryotes
D. autotrophs with cell walls
Solution: Animals are multicellular, heterotrophic and lack cell walls.
Q18 — Kingdom Classification · medium · theory
Members of the kingdom Plantae make their own food and are therefore:
A. heterotrophs
B. saprophytes
C. autotrophs ✓ Correct
D. parasites
Solution: Plants are autotrophs, making food by photosynthesis.
Q19 — Kingdom Classification · medium · theory
The main basis of the five-kingdom classification includes cell structure and the:
A. habitat only
B. size of the organism
C. colour of the organism
D. mode of nutrition ✓ Correct
Solution: Classification is based on cell type (pro/eukaryotic), cellular organisation and mode of nutrition.
Q20 — Classification of Plants · medium · theory
Simple plants like algae, which lack true roots, stems and leaves, belong to:
A. Pteridophyta
B. Angiosperms
C. Thallophyta ✓ Correct
D. Bryophyta
Solution: Thallophytes (e.g. algae) have an undifferentiated plant body called a thallus.
Q21 — Classification of Plants · medium · theory
Ferns, which are the first plants to have vascular (conducting) tissue, belong to:
A. Pteridophyta ✓ Correct
B. Thallophyta
C. Bryophyta
D. Angiosperms
Solution: Pteridophytes (ferns) have specialised vascular tissue (xylem and phloem).
Q22 — Classification of Plants · medium · theory
Flowering plants whose seeds are enclosed inside a fruit are called:
A. pteridophytes
B. gymnosperms
C. angiosperms ✓ Correct
D. thallophytes
Solution: Angiosperms are flowering plants with seeds enclosed in fruits.
Q23 — Classification of Plants · medium · theory
A plant with seeds having two cotyledons is a:
A. dicotyledon ✓ Correct
B. fern
C. gymnosperm
D. monocotyledon
Solution: Dicotyledons (dicots) have two cotyledons; monocots have one.
Q24 — Classification of Plants · medium · theory
Seed-bearing plants (gymnosperms and angiosperms) are together known as:
A. phanerogams ✓ Correct
B. fungi
C. cryptogams
D. algae
Solution: Phanerogams are seed plants, comprising gymnosperms and angiosperms.
Q25 — Microbes · medium · theory
Organisms too small to be seen without a microscope are called:
A. vertebrates
B. microorganisms (microbes) ✓ Correct
C. mammals
D. angiosperms
Solution: Microorganisms are tiny living things visible only under a microscope.
Q26 — Microbes · medium · theory
Which of the following is used in the formation of curd from milk?
A. a fern
B. an alga
C. Lactobacillus bacteria ✓ Correct
D. a virus
Solution: Lactobacillus bacteria ferment milk sugar into lactic acid, forming curd.
Q27 — Microbes · medium · theory
Yeast is a microorganism used in the baking of bread because it produces:
A. nitrogen gas
B. oxygen gas
C. hydrogen gas
D. carbon dioxide gas ✓ Correct
Solution: Yeast ferments sugars, releasing CO₂ that makes the dough rise.
Q28 — Microbes · medium · theory
Which disease is caused by a protozoan and spread by mosquitoes?
A. Tuberculosis
B. Tetanus
C. Malaria ✓ Correct
D. Common cold
Solution: Malaria is caused by the protozoan Plasmodium, transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito.
Q29 — Microbes · medium · theory
Microorganisms that break down dead plants and animals, returning nutrients to the soil, are called:
A. herbivores
B. decomposers ✓ Correct
C. producers
D. predators
Solution: Decomposers (many bacteria and fungi) recycle nutrients by breaking down dead matter.
Q30 — Microbes · medium · theory
The main groups of microorganisms are bacteria, fungi, protozoa, some algae and:
A. ferns
B. mammals
C. viruses ✓ Correct
D. insects
Solution: Viruses are included among microorganisms along with bacteria, fungi, protozoa and some algae.