Classifying Living Things

What does classification mean?

• Grouping similar organisms together

• Observing living organisms under a microscope

• Randomly grouping living organisms in order to investigate their characteristic

• Creating a classroom display of the results of an investigation

What uses a series of questions in order to identify unknown plants or animals?

• Classification index

• Bar chart

• Comparison table

• Classification key

If you were creating a classification key for sea animals, which question would separate dolphins from sharks?

• Does the animal have eyes?

• Is the animal a vertebrate?

• Does the animal breathe through gills?

• Is the animal a carnivore?

Vertebrates are divided into five classes (groups). Which one of the following is not a class of vertebrates?

• Mammals

• Marsupials

• Reptiles

• Amphibians

If you were creating a classification key for a group of animals found on an island, which question would NOT separate turtles and birds?

• Does the animal have feathers?

• Does the animal lay eggs?

• Does the animal have a shell?

• Is the animal warm-blooded?

Which of the following is NOT an invertebrate?

• A spider

• A millipede

• An octopus

• A snake

The plant kingdom is divided into two important groups. What are they?

• Grasses and trees

• Green plants and non-green plants

• Flowering and non-flowering plants

• Coniferous and deciduous plants

Which class of animals is warm-blooded?

• Birds

• Amphibians

• Reptiles

• Fish

What is an invertebrate?

• An animal with wings

• An animal with six legs

• An animal without a spine

• An animal which lays eggs

If you were creating a classification key for invertebrates, which question would distinguish between a spider and an ant?

• Does the animal have an exoskeleton?

• Does the animal have wings?

• Does the animal have six legs?

• Does the animal have live young?