Alive or Not?
Why Classify
Linnaean & Binomial
Structural Features
Dichotomous Keys
100
In MRS GREN, what does the M stand for?
Movement
100
What word means putting living things into groups based on what's similar about them?
Classification
100
Name one of the seven levels used in the Linnaean classification system.
One of: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
100
What do we call the physical features, like body shape or parts, used to help classify an organism?
Structural features
100
What do we call a tool that uses yes/no questions to identify a living thing?
A dichotomous key
200
Name two of the seven MRS GREN signs of life.
Any two: Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion, Nutrition
200
Give an everyday example of sorting things into groups (not in science).
e.g. supermarket products, library books, clothes in a wardrobe
200
Name all 7 levels of classification in order
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
200
Name one structural feature you could use to tell if an animal is a mammal.
Fur or hair, or that they feed their young milk
200
Name the two types of dichotomous keys we used in class.
A branching flowchart and a series of paired statements
300
A car can move and needs fuel. Why isn't it alive?
It doesn't grow or reproduce, and it isn't made of cells — it doesn't do all the life processes
300
How can classifying a newly discovered organism help scientists learn about it?
If it fits into a group with similar organisms, scientists can predict things about it based on its relatives, like what it eats or how it behaves
300
In a binomial naming system, what parts make up the scientific name?
Genus and species.
300
Give one structural feature you could use to tell a bear apart from a dog
Any reasonable answer: e.g. size, skull shape, coat, ear shape, teeth
300
How many choices are usually given at each step of a dichotomous key?
Two
400
What is the difference between something that is 'dead' and something that has 'never been alive'?
Dead = it used to be alive but isn't anymore. Never alive = it never did any life processes, like a rock
400
Give one reason classification is useful to scientists.
It makes it easier to study living things and share information clearly
400
Name two kingdoms of life
E.g., Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Bacterium, Protista, Archaea
400
Would you expect two organisms found in the same phylum to be more or less similar than two organisms in the same genus?
Less similar than genus - down the classification system = more similar. So species is most similar, kingdom is least.
400
Why are dichotomous keys useful when surveying living things in a habitat?
They help you identify something you don't already know, just by looking at its features
500
A seed on a shelf isn't moving, growing or reproducing. Is it alive, dead, or something else? Explain your answer.
It's alive but dormant — it can still grow and reproduce once it gets water and warmth
500
What could go wrong if scientists around the world didn't use the same classification system?
It could cause confusion — the same living thing might get different names in different places
500
The dingo's scientific name is Canis lupus dingo, and the dog's is Canis lupus familiaris. What does sharing the genus “Canis” tell us about these two animals?
They are closely related and share many similar features, since organisms in the same genus are close relatives
500
Explain why comparing structural features is important when classifying a newly discovered organism.
It helps scientists group the new organism with similar ones and work out its likely place in the classification system, even without genetic testing
500
Two students use the same dichotomous key on the same animal but end up naming it as two different species. Give one possible reason why this happened.
They likely misread or misjudged a feature at one of the steps and picked the wrong choice, leading them down different paths in the key