Ch.11 Test Prep: Classification of Living Things

Which of the following words is the closest in meaning to the word diversity? 

• change
• variety
• availability 
• adaptation 

In the sentence, “Scientists classify organisms based on their shared derived characteristics,” what does the word derived mean?

• caused by
• inherited from
• rare
• common

 How do scientists classify organisms? 

• by grouping the organisms by their characteristics 
• by giving the organisms many common names 
• by deciding whether the organisms are useful 
• by using only existing categories of classification 

The scientific name for the European white water lily is Nymphaea alba. To which genus does this plant belong?

• Nymphaea
• alba
• water lily
• alba lily

In the sentence “The nucleus of a human cell is visible only with a microscope,” what does the word visible mean? 

• hidden
• observable
• separable
• driven

Which of the following words means “to build something by putting parts together”? 

• adapt
• interpret
• display
• construct

In the sentence “The function of a branching diagram is to show how different kinds of organisms are related to each other,” what does the word function mean? 

• a relationship between mathematical sets
• a specialized activity of a tool or system
• a characteristic that depends upon another
• a social gathering or formal ceremony

Which of the following sets of words best completes the following sentence: The scientific name Tyrannosaurus rex two Greek words that mean “tyrant lizard”. 

• derives into
• is derived with
• is derived from
• derives on

Classification is a tool that is used to study living and extinct organisms. Which of the following are levels in this system? 

• 
  living and non living
• families, genera, and species
• endangered and not endangered
• land, marine, and freshwater organisms

Scientists today use an eight-level classification system. Who developed the original system on which the current classification system is based? 

• Oliver Zompro  
•  Michael Fay
• Carolus Linnaeus