Dichotomous Key Practice

Which leaf is shown in the drawing?

• Magnolia

• Redbud

• Sweetgum

• None of the above

A student discovers an arachnid with a segmented abdomen, long legs, and a tail with no stinger.

The student uses the dichotomous key below to identify it.

1. a) Abdomen segmented.............go to 2

b) Abdomen not segmented ......go to 4

2. a) Abdomen with tail....................go to 3

b) Abdomen without tail...............go to 5

3. a) Tail with stinger..........................Scorpion

b) Tail without stinger.....................Whip scorpion

4. a) Legs longer than body.............Daddy Long Legs

b) Legs not longer than body……….Wind scorpion

5. a) Covered with spines .......................Mite

b) Few spines.....................................Tick

• Whip Scorpion

• Daddy Long Legs

• Mite

• Tick

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Identify the plant shown

• A

• B

• C

• D

Identify leaf F

• Cydonia

• Magnolia

• Aesculus

• Fraxinus

• Ilex

How many options should every branch in a dichotomous key have?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

When using a dichotomous key to identify organisms, what do we look at?

• weather patterns

• environment

• diet

• physical features

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

What is the purpose of a dichotomous key?

• to find a common ancestor

• to show the evolution of organisms

• to identify organisms

• to show relationships between organisms